BackgroundSol-gel processing has been known for a long time. The first silica gels were synthesized in 1845 by M. Ebelmen at the "Manufacture de Céramiques de Sèvres" in France. However, this processing technique has experienced a very important development, which drastically increased during the last two decades after the publication of the first edition of this book by Kluwer. This field of experimental science was addressed in several series of international conferences, among them: "International Workshops on Glasses and Ceramics from Gels," "Better Ceramics Through Chemistry," "Ultrastructure Processing of Ceramics, Glasses and Composites," "International So-Gel conference," "Sol-Gel Optics," "Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Materials," and "Aerogels." This list does not include many specialized sessions in other international or national conferences devoted to materials in general, such as the annual conference of the American Chemical Society or the American Ceramic Society.Sol-gel processes brought a new view in the domain of glass and ceramics fabrication, and they have enlightened the importance of chemistry along the complete fabrication lines of materials. The basic idea was initially to progressively create an oxide network by polymerization reactions of chemical precursors dissolved in a liquid medium. During the first decades, the presence of ceramic specialists was predominant in the field. But during the last two decades, chemistry and particularly organic chemistry took an increasing share in new developments, in particular regarding a new class of hybrid organic-inorganic gels and materials which did not exist in nature, but which offered very interesting new properties.The importance of sol-gel processing and its complexity is such that it deserves books and excellent ones, in particular Sol-Gel Technology for Thin Films, Fibers, Preforms, Electronics and Specialty Shapes edited by L. Klein (Noyes, Park Ridge, N.Y., 1985) and Sol-Gel Science. The Physics and Chemistry of Sol-Gel Processes by C.J. Brinker and G.W. Scherer (Academic Press, N.Y., 1990), appeared very ix early. The latter book definitely constituted an outstanding and complete reference on the subject at the time of its publication, which researchers are advised to consult first. But, a huge body of new information on sol-gel was more recently discovered, such that it deserved a huge Handbook of Sol-gel Science and Technology edited by Klein L, Aparicio M and Jitianu A (Springer 2016), plus a first Aerogels Handbook edited by Aegerter M.A, Leventis N, and Koebel MM (2011), followed by a re-edition under print edited by Steiner S, Leventis N, Koebel M, and Aegerter M. A (Springer).
ScopeThe subject of sol-gel has reached a level of being taught in universities, in conjunction with courses on inorganic chemistry, surface science, and ceramics processing or combinations of them. For this purpose, books less extensive on research developments than the handbooks previously mentioned, but also presenting the more basic theories underlying sol-...
