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Sol-Gel Method Applied to Crystalline Materials

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A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Hybrid and Composite Crystalline Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 17238

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alessandro Dell'Era

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Guest Editor

Department SBAI, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Interests: energy; batteries and fuel cell; powder electrode materials; nanomaterials; synthesis and characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Michelina Catauro

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Guest Editor

Department of Engineering, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Roma 29, I-81031 Aversa, Italy
Interests: sol-gel technology; biomaterials; bioglass; organic-inorganic hybrid materials; drug delivery; thin films
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sol–gel chemistry is a versatile synthesis used to produce modern materials at near-room temperature. Glasses, ceramics, composites, and new hybrid materials that are not easy to obtain using other methods have been, instead, obtained in the last three decades and are widely used today. This technique is used principally for the production of materials by means of a colloidal solution (sol) that operates as a precursor leading to the formation of a 3D inorganic network (gel) of either discrete particles or network polymers. Changing the chemical composition, many parameters of the sol–gel process can be adapted to control the properties and the microstructure of the obtained materials. Sol-gel technology is a multidisciplinary science which allows the expansion of materials for many applications: catalysts, optics, electronics, energy, space, biosensors, bioglass, medicine. and so on. In fact, the sol–gel technique is one of the oldest methods of crystal growth and makes use of cheap and available materials.

In particular, the purpose of this Special Issue is to publish high-quality research papers as well as review articles addressing recent advances on the Sol–Gel Method Applied to Crystalline Materials, describing the fundamental principles of crystallization of sol–gel systems in solution.

A study and comprehension of methods and mechanisms of the crystallization process for colloidal systems at temperatures less than 100 °C would allow a significant development of new materials using low-temperature sol–gel synthesis.

Potential topics include preparation methods, material characteristics, and applications of powder electrode materials.

Prof. Dr. Alessandro Dell'Era
Prof. Dr. Michelina Catauro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short 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.

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.

Keywords

Biomaterials
Nanoparticles
Thin films and coatings
Organic–inorganic hybrid materials
Catalysts
Sensors and biosensors
Energy
Optics

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 158 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Sol–Gel Method Applied to Crystalline Materials

by Alessandro Dell’Era and Michelina Catauro

Crystals 2021, 11(8), 903; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11080903 - 31 Jul 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1488

Abstract

Sol–gel chemistry is a versatile synthesis used to produce modern materials at near-room temperature [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Method Applied to Crystalline Materials)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

21 pages, 6690 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Characterization of Polymeric (PMMA-PVA) Hybrid Thin Films Doped with TiO₂ Nanoparticles Using Dip-Coating Technique

by Ahmad Alsaad, Abdul Raouf Al Dairy, Ahmad Ahmad, Issam A. Qattan, Shatha Al Fawares and Qais Al-Bataineh

Crystals 2021, 11(2), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11020099 - 24 Jan 2021

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 4256

Abstract

We report the synthesis of hybrid thin films based on Poly(MethylMethAcrylate) (PMMA) and Poly(VinylAlcohol) (PVA), doped with different concentrations of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs). As-prepared thin films of (PMMA-PVA) doped by TiO₂ NPs (wt.% = 2%, 4%, 8%, and 16%) are deposited on glass substrate. Transmittance (T%), reflectance (R%), absorption coefficient (α), optical constants (n and k), and optical dielectric functions (ε₁ and ε₂) are deduced using the experimental transmittance and reflectance spectra. Furthermore, a combination of classical models such as Tauc, Urbach, Spitzer-Fan, and Drude models are applied to calculate the optical and optoelectronic parameters and the energy gaps of the prepared nanocomposite thin films. The optical bandgap energy of PMMA-PVA thin film is found to be 4.101 eV. Incorporation of TiO₂ NPs into PMMA-PVA polymeric thin films leads to a decrease in the optical bandgap and thus bandgap engineering is possible. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) transmittance spectra of thin films are measured and interpreted to identify the vibrational modes. To elucidate the chemical stability, thermogravimetric (TGA) curves are measured. We found that (PMMA-PVA)/TiO₂ NPs polymeric thin films are thermally stable below 110 °C enable them to be attractive for a wide range of optical and optoelectronic applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Method Applied to Crystalline Materials)

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10 pages, 2604 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Bioactive Glass Synthesized by Sol-Gel Process in Hot Water

by Tan Hiep Dang, Thi Hoa Bui, Elena V. Guseva, Anh Tuan Ta, Anh Tien Nguyen, Thi Trong Hoa Hoang and Xuan Vuong Bui

Crystals 2020, 10(6), 529; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060529 - 21 Jun 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4023

Abstract

Bioactive glass 70SiO₂-30CaO (mol.%) was successfully synthesized by modified sol–gel in hot water without using an acid catalyst. TG-DSC analysis showed that the amorphous glass could be synthesized by sintering the sample at 700 °C for three hours. The N₂ adsorption/desorption and TEM investigations highlighted that the synthetic glass had a mesoporous structure, consisting of spherical particles with sizes in the range of 11–20 nm. The specific surface area, pore volume, and average pore diameter of synthetic glass were 150.13 m²/g, 0.37 cm³/g, and 11.84 nm, respectively. Moreover, synthetic bioactive glass presented interesting bioactivity and good biocompatibility after in vitro experiments in simulated body fluid (SBF) and in cellular medium. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Method Applied to Crystalline Materials)

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11 pages, 3020 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of the Zr-Substitution on the Structural and Electrical Properties of LaFeO₃: XRD, Raman Scattering, SEM, and Impedance Spectroscopy Study

by Djoko Triyono, Ismi Purnamasari and Rifqi Almusawi Rafsanjani

Crystals 2020, 10(5), 399; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10050399 - 15 May 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3225

Abstract

The LaFe_1−xZr_xO₃ (x = 0.01, 0.05) ceramics were prepared by sol-gel and annealing method and studied by XRD, Raman scattering analysis, SEM, and impedance spectroscopy method. The crystal structure and phonon characteristics analysis revealed that the crystal structure tends to preserve its ideal orthorhombic structure, following the increase in driving force of the Fe/ZrO₆ octahedral tilting. The frequency-dependent dielectric parameters at each temperature decreased with increasing Zr content. The temperature dependence dielectric relaxation and dc conduction mechanism satisfied the Arrhenius law and increased with increasing Zr content. The activation energy ranged from 0.30 to 0.50 eV and was similar in the relaxation and conduction mechanisms, indicating that both transport mechanisms were based on a similar mechanism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Method Applied to Crystalline Materials)

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9 pages, 1591 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sol-Gel Coatings for Subaquatic Self-Cleaning Windows

by Andrew I. M. Greer, David Moodie, Graham Kerr and Nikolaj Gadegaard

Crystals 2020, 10(5), 375; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10050375 - 07 May 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2625

Abstract

Self-cleaning windows are well known for their ability to function with airborne pollutants, but there is a growing industry for semi-permanent subaquatic optical devices, where the performance of such windows should be considered. Here sol-gel technology is explored as a means of producing self-cleaning, subaquatic, sapphire windows. We demonstrate removal of marine bacteria and, in the worst-case contamination scenario, dead North Sea crude oil (API 35). This greasy contaminant was smeared across the windows to effectively reduce optical transmission strength to just 54%. The titania-based sol-gel-coated windows can restore transmission to within 10% of the clean value in less than one day, unlike standard sapphire windows, which lose 68% transmission following contamination and aquatic submergence over the same duration. A range of theories to enhance the self-cleaning performance of the sol-gel coating were explored, but none of the tested variables were able to provide any enhancement for subaquatic performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Method Applied to Crystalline Materials)

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