SYMPOSIUM H
SOL-GEL MATERIALS

The sol-gel science has undergone a spectacular development in the last thirty years. The various stages of the sol-gel process have been scrutinized in considerable detail and a solid basis for technological development established. The studies, mainly centered on silica and silicate glasses in the beginning, were progressively extended to many ceramics, polymers and composites. A turning point was reached in the early of 1980's with the emergence of organic-inorganic nanocomposites. This opened the gateway to whole classes of new materials with tailored properties in any imaginable form (thin and thick films, fibers, membranes, nanopowders, bulk porous or dense ceramics), composition, morphology and structure. The present studies show a definite tendency towards very specialized high-tech applications in many diverse fields such as separation techniques, catalysis, smart coatings, sensors, photonics, biomedical implants, drug delivery, and electronic components. The average number of paper published in sol-gel by Brazilian groups (ISI indexation, key words: sol-gel, Brazil) has grown from 6 up to 82 paper/year between the 90's first years to today.

This symposium will address both fundamental and applied aspects of design and construction of functional sol-gel materials. Properties and applications of functional sol gel materials as well as the development of advanced characterization methods will also be included. Topics of interest include:Dentre os tópicos de interesse do simpósio destacam-se:

• Sol-Gel precursor chemistry;

• Routes to nanostructured materials;

• Organic-inorganic hybrids;

• Colloids and aqueous processing routes;

• Thin films, coatings and membranes;

• Nano, Meso-structured and supramolecular materials;

• Optical, electrical, magnetic and electrochemical properties;

• Biomaterials and bio-inorganic hybrids;

• Advanced characterization techniques, modeling, and simulation.

Keywords: Sol-Gels

Symposium Organizers

Chair: Celso V. Santilli
santilli@iq.unesp.br 
Instituto de Química/UNESP

Co-Chair: Aldo F. Craievich
craievich@if.usp.br
Instituto de Física / USP

Scientific Committee

André Galembeck (DQF/UFPE)
Flavio Horowitz (DF/UFRGS)
Inez Valéria Pagotto Yoshida (IQ/UNICAMP)
Sandra Helena Pulcinelli (IQ/UNESP)
Wander L. Vasconcelos (DEM/UFMG)

Invited speakers (tentative)

Celso Aparecido Bertran (IQ/UNICAMP, Campinas, BR)
Eric Prouzet (IEM/ CNRS, Montpellier, FR)
Luís António Dias Carlos (DF Univ.de Aveiro, PT)
Valerie Briois (SOLEIL, UP-Sud, Orsay, FR)
Sydney José Lima Ribeiro (IQ/UNESP, Araraquara, BR)
Wander L. Vasconcelos (DEM/UFMG, Belo Horizonte, BR)