Dear Colleagues,

Silica-based materials have found increasing applications in separation, catalysis, sensors, and biomedical devices. Research in these fields has demonstrated that the stability and efficiency of these applications is crucially determined by the physicochemical properties, dynamics, and reactive phenomena taking place at their interface. As a consequence, a considerable effort has been devoted to finding the most appropriate surface decoration strategies which could impart the desired characteristics to the final devices. The surface modification of silica-based materials can be used to confer acidic or basic properties, induce surface hydrophobization, favor-selective biomolecule binding, control biodistribution, conveyance of optical or photocatalytic activities, etc.

In this thriving field, several open questions remain, such as: (i) How can we easily predict the properties of the novel interface? (ii) How can we characterize the surface to prove a successful functionalization? ( iii) How can we make the functionalization strategy reproducible, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly to fuel a scale-up of the technology? (iv) How can we control the stability of the functionalization in different environments and reaction conditions?

This Special Issue on “Functionalization of Inorganic Silica-Based Materials” aims at providing an exclusive opportunity to address the previous challenges and critical points, by bringing together novel results concerning this topic coming from an international, interdisciplinary collection of scientists active in this field and joining experimental and theoretical expertise.

Scientists working in a wide range of disciplines are invited to contribute with original papers or short reviews on their activity in the field. The topics summarized in the keywords barely cover the greater number of relevant subtopics to which we are open.

Dr. Marta Corno
Dr. Massimo Delle Piane
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Hybrid organic–inorganic interfaces
• Heterogeneous catalysis
• 2D functionalized silica slabs
• Physicochemical characterization
• Biomaterial surfaces
• Smart functionalization of interfaces
• Computational methods
• Nanomedicine devices
• Drug delivery systems
• Silica-based functionalized nanoparticles