“…Solid phase hybrid materials are finding an increasingly wide range of applications in device design, environmental monitoring, separations science, and catalysis. − Amorphous silica gels and sol–gels combined with polymers define a major portion of these hybrid materials for all these applications. − ,− These silica based organic–inorganic materials offer a rigid matrix with high porosity and good thermal stability. , Our own studies have focused on silica polyamine composites (SPC) and have led to a wide range of metal-selective materials that in most cases provide the high loading associated with polymer based materials while providing a more rigid, porous, and hydrophilic surface that does not shrink or swell. − These patented materials are now in use in medium to large scale metal recovery projects and promise to offer more efficient on-stream processing of mining leaches and waste streams . Copper recovery is among the most industrially important mineral industries.…”