Special Issue "Polymer-Inorganic Hybrids and Their Applications"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Walter Remo Caseri
Department of Materials, HCI H 509, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
Website: http://www.polytech.mat.ethz.ch/people/staff/wcaseri
E-Mail: walter.caseri@mat.ethz.ch
Phone: +41 44 632 22 18
Fax: +41 44 632 10 96
Interests: inorganic polymers; organometallic polymers; nanocomposites

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer-inorganic hybrid materials include a broad variety of systems. For instance, a polymer can act as a matrix for dispersed inorganic nanoparticles thus constituting what is known by the name of nanocomposites. A special case of nanocomposites comprises inorganic particles which are linked by covalent bonds with the polymer matrix. Also, materials with a tightly bound interconnected network of inorganic and organic species have been prepared. Besides other preparation methods, processes based on in situ particle synthesis including sol-gel processes have frequently been applied. Such methods can prevent agglomeration of inorganic species in the final products, which is often a problem when preformed nanoparticles and polymers are mixed, unless the particles are modified with an organic surface layer. Importantly, polymer-inorganic hybrids can exhibit materials properties which are more pronounced or even differ from those of comparable polymer composites with larger inorganic particles, such as optical properties (e.g., transparency and color, including dichroism), magnetic properties (superparamagnetism), mechanical properties, chemical properties (catalytic or sensory activity), and gas barrier properties. Thus, polymer-inorganic hybrid materials are considered to find application in various areas, for example in optics, catalysis, sensor technology, electronics, magnetism, mechanics, and food and beverage packaging.

Prof. Dr. Walter Remo Caseri
Guest Editor

Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 500 CHF (Swiss Francs). English correction and/or formatting fees of 250 CHF (Swiss Francs) will be charged in certain cases for those articles accepted for publication that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections.

• hybrid materials
• nanocomposites
• polymers
• inorganic nanoparticles
• sol-gel process
• in-situ particle synthesis
• optics, magnetism
• mechanics
• sensor technology