10. Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials

Organic-inorganic hybrid materials have developed rapidly to become an established part of ceramic science and technology. In this chapter, among preparation methods of organic-inorganic hybrid materials, the sol-gel process, intercalation, and surface modification, which have a close relationship with ceramic materials, are described with an emphasis on their synthetic aspects and their applications. To begin with, classification of organic-inorganic hybrid materials based on the type of their interfacial chemical bonds is introduced. Following a brief definition of the sol-gel process, the basic chemistry of the sol-gel process is explained. Various preparation methods for sol-gel-derived organic-inorganic hybrid materials, including bridged silsesquioxane and mesostructured materials, are then described, and representative applications of sol-gel-derived organic-inorganic hybrid materials are briefly discussed. For intercalation, which is characteristic of layered materials, the basic concept is introduced first, after which the applicable reaction mechanisms for intercalation are demonstrated with the grafting reaction, which is related to intercalation. Representative applications of intercalation compounds are then exhibited with applications of nanosheets obtained via the exfoliation of layered materials. The process of surface modification of metal oxide nanoparticles and the application of the resulting surface-modified metal oxide nanoparticles are then demonstrated.