Hybrid gels, various structures and applications
Sol-gel polymerization process

The organic substance may be a molecule ("host-guest" type, or gel-functionalized) or a macromolecule (interpenetrating networks). Hybrids fall into two main classes:

• Class I gels are of the "host-guest" type, meaning that the organic (or bioorganic) and inorganic parts are intertwined on a molecular scale, but without any strong bond between them;

• Class II gels are systems in which the organic and inorganic parts have...