Hierarchy of hybrid materials. Part-II: The place of organics-on-inorganics in it, their composition and applications

Abstract

Hybrid materials or hybrids incorporating organic and inorganic constituents are emerging as a very potent and promising class of materials due to the diverse but complementary nature of their properties. This complementarity leads to a perfect synergy of properties of the desired materials and products as well as to an extensive range of their application areas. Recently, we have overviewed and classified hybrid materials describing inorganics-in-organics in Part-I (Saveleva, et al., Front. Chem., 2019, 7, 179). Here, we extend that work in Part-II describing organics–on-inorganics, i.e., inorganic materials modified by organic moieties, their structure and functionalities. Inorganic constituents comprise of colloids/nanoparticles and flat surfaces/matrices comprise of metallic (noble metal, metal oxide, metal-organic framework, magnetic nanoparticles, alloy) and non-metallic (minerals, clays, carbons, and ceramics) materials; while organic additives can include molecules (polymers, fluorescence dyes, surfactants), biomolecules (proteins, carbohydtrates, antibodies and nucleic acids) and even higher-level organisms such as cells, bacteria, and microorganisms. Similarly to what was described in Part-I, we look at similar and dissimilar properties of organic-inorganic materials summarizing those bringing complementarity and composition. A broad range of applications of these hybrid materials is also presented whose development is spurred by engaging different scientific research communities.

Advances in Nanoarchitectonics: A Review of “Static” and “Dynamic” Particle Assembly Methods

“…By exercising precise control over how particles are arranged, it is possible to produce materials with customized properties tailored to meet specific application requirements. Particle assembly often takes place in the present of organic molecules, thus forming the so-called organic–inorganic hybrid structures [ 6 , 7 ]. In such structures, organic and inorganic constituents or phases complement each other by bringing the missing or lacking functionalities.…”

“…In contrast, dynamic methods rely on energy or stimuli to guide the assembly process [ 12 , 13 ]. A technique of note is a directed assembly, which relies on the utilization of external forces, such as electric or magnetic fields, to guide particle assembly toward predefined structures [ 7 ]. It is noteworthy that both static and dynamic methods exhibit distinct advantages and limitations.…”

Formulation and Biodegradation of Surface-Supported Biopolymer-Based Microgels Formed via Hard Templating onto Vaterite CaCO3 Crystals

“…In general, vaterite-based hard templating has attracted significant scientific attention in the past due to the biocompatible conditions used to decompose the templates, offering an option to work with fragile (bio)molecules to form micro-sized particles loaded with sensitive proteins and enzymes as well as other biologically active small and large molecules of different natures [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Moreover, the internal structure of the vaterite crystals allows for the forming of an inverted replica of the solid crystals made of soft polymers [ 26 ] or hard nanoparticles [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ].…”