Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials and Their Applications

Abstract

The organic-inorganic composites in addition to providing new alternate materials represent a class that exhibit novel, astonishing features, and their properties can be tailored to suit a particular application. These are developed by combinations of two or more materials that differ in form or composition on a macroscale. The matrix and the filler are two indispensable components of a composite. In this chapter, synthetic routes, viz., sol-gel, blending, and emulsion polymerization, classification, and application of organic-inorganic composites as ion-selective membrane electrodes has been discussed. The ion-selective electrodes provide simple, reliable, low cost, on-spot methods for the detection of heavy metal ions. The field of hybrid materials is vast open and promising and newer possibilities to improve their application are to be explored.