This is the first book to address the hot topic of functional silica gels and their applications. Originally used mainly 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. It is estimated that the world’s current 1 billion dollar market for sol-gels (mostly silica-based) will grow by more than 5% per year from 2006 to 2011. Actually, as many revolutionary products are now reaching the market, it will increase much faster. Commercial applications include glasses, paints, catalysts and fragrances. Medical uses include the delivery of vitamins, hormones and acne treatments and the synthesis of the powerful anticancer drug, taxol. Sol-gel technology also forms the basis of the Meta Chip, thanks to which potential new drugs can be identified rapidly and simultaneously. With content relevant to both scientific and commercial viewpoints, the book will interest researchers and undergraduates as well as managers and consultants in the chemical industry. Those from an industrial background will gain a clear picture of what this technology is all about and how it can be used to solve their specific problems. All readers will benefit from the clear, concise style and consistent treatment of topics. The book demonstrates how chemists synthesize, from the bottom-up, tailor-made (nano)materials of immense practical importance spanning the fields of chemistry, physics, materials science, engineering, biology and medicine. It also shows how the versatility of silica gels results from their physical and chemical properties. An updated outlook on new commercial products, and the companies which make them, greatly adds relevance and practical value to the text.
Innehållsförteckning
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.
Om författaren
Professor Pagliaro is a research chemist and science methodology professor at Italy’s National Research Council based in Palermo where he leads a research group collaborating with researchers of 10 countries and the new Institute for Scientific Methodology. His research interests lie at the interface of materials science, chemistry and biology. Reported in 60 scientific papers, book chapters and several patents, his achievements include chemical technologies now on the market.