5. Hybrid organic/inorganic coatings

5.1 Classification of organic/inorganic hybrids

The soft chemistry involved in sol-gel processes is compatible with organic chemistry reactions. This makes it possible to combine inorganic and organic species within the same material. A hybrid material is an organomineral or biomineral system in which at least one of the components, whether organic or inorganic, is in the size range from one-tenth to one-tenth of a nanometer. These materials are undergoing significant development, and go by various names such as ORMOSIL (ORganically MOdified SILicate), ORMOCER (Organically Modified CERamics), CERAMER (CERamic polyMER) or POLYCERAM (POLYmer CERAMic). They can be differentiated according to the nature of the interactions between the organic and inorganic components [7]...