Silica-based Materials for Advanced Chemical Applications

This is the first book to address the hot topic of functional silica gels and their applications. Originally used in chromatography, specialized silica gels have evolved into crucially important functional nanomaterials suitable for use in, amongst other things, chemical synthesis, analysis, purification, surface protection and drug release.

Preface. Acknowledgements. About the Author. Chapter 1. Functionalized Silicas: The Principles: Functionalized Silicas; The Nature of the Sol-Gel Entrapment; The Nature of the Sol-Gel Cage; Tuning Dopant's Chemical Reactivity: Micelle/Molecule Co-entrapment; Tailored Structures through Control of the Sol-Gel Process; From Disordered to Ordered Structures; Electrochemistry at the Silica Sol-Gel Cage; Imprinting the Sol-Gel Cage; References. Chapter 2. Controlled Release. Sol-Gel Microencapsulation; Soluble Silica for Enhanced Release of APIs; Silica Microoparticles for Controlled Release; Therapeutic Films; Controlled Release of Enzymes; Controlled DNA Delivery; References. Chapter 3. Purification and Synthesis. Size Control, Shape and Purity for Enhanced Separation; Scavenging with Functionalized Silicas; Silica-Entrapped Reactants; References. Chapter 4. Coatings: ORMOSIL-Based Coatings; Sol-Gel Optical Coatings; Antifouling Coatings; Anticorrosion Coatings; Scratch-Resistant and Antiaging Coatings; Decorative Coatings and Barrier Systems; References. Chapter 5. Catalysis: Catalysis by Sol-Gels: An Advanced Technology for Organic Chemistry; Sol-Gel Entrapped Catalysts: Tailored Catalytic Materials; Physically Entrapped Catalysts; Chemically Entrapped Catalysts; Biocatalysis; Commercial Catalysts and Forthcoming Applications; References. Chapter 6. Sensing. Optical Sol-Gel Sensors: Analytical Technology of the Future; Array Sensors; Templated Xerogels as Selective Chemical Sensors; Forthcoming Sensors; References. Chapter 7. Hybrid Silica-Based Composites. Hybrid Polymer/Silica Composites; New Aqueous Sol-Gel Route to Hybrid Silicas; Hybrid Silica/Polymer Aerogels; Polyethylene@Silica; References. Chapter 8 Strategic Aspects of Sol-Gel Functional Silicas: On the Value of Sol-Gel Hybrid Materials; Market Trends; Insight into Sol-Gel Nanotechnology; Sustainability Aspects of Sol-Gel Materials; References. Subject Index.