ABSTRACT
Silicates ......................................................................... 225 4.3 Organic-Inorganic Hybrids and Sol-Gel Composites ............................. 230
4.3.1 Organic-Inorganic Hybrids ......................................................... 230 4.3.1.1 Encapsulation of Biomolecules ..................................... 232
4.3.2 Composites in Sol-Gel Electrochemistry .................................... 237 4.3.2.1 Organic Polymer-Inorganic Host and Organic
Host-Inorganic Polymers .............................................. 237 4.3.2.2 Inorganic Nonmetallic Particulates: Inorganic
Binder ............................................................................ 248 4.3.2.3 Graphite and Metal-Silicate Hybrids ........................... 248
4.3.3 Electrochemical Properties of Composites .................................. 257 4.3.3.1 Sensitivity and Selectivity of Composite
Amperometric Sensors.................................................. 257 4.3.3.2 Other Advantages of Composite Sol-Gel Silicates ...... 262
4.4 Molecular Imprinting and Formation of Mesoporous and Hierarchical Structures ..................................................................... 264
Sol-gel technology has undergone a major transformation during the past two decades. New discoveries, particularly those pertaining to mesoporous silicates, hybrid nanoparticle building blocks, and new biological opportunities opened up by sol-gel hybrids and composites, have also been made. Currently, sol-gel technology is considered a versatile and useful method of modifying electrodes and membranes in widely different electrochemical fields.
