Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.4
4.2
Journals
Molecules
Special Issues
Sol-Gel Functional Materials
molecules-logo
Submit to Molecules Review for Molecules Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Sol-Gel Functional Materials

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 18351

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Igor Djerdj

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Cara Hadrijana 8/a, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: solid state chemistry; materials chemistry; condensed matter physics; magnetic properties; structure–property relationship; bandstructure calculation; sol-gel synthesis; crystal structure determination; three-way catalysts; functional materials; nanomaterials; perovskites; multiferroicity; metal–organic frameworks
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The sol–gel process (also known as inorganic polymerization) has emerged as one of the most important routes for the preparation of functional materials. It has an important track record in producing functional materials for diverse applications in optics, electronics, energy, biosensors, medicine (e.g., controlled drug release), reactive material, and separation (e.g., chromatography) technology. Controlled morphologies can be produced at all length scales, from ordered mesoporous arrays to thin films, fibers, and monoliths. A variety of chemical compositions can be produced by such a route, including well-studied metal oxides, nitrides, carbides, and innovative hybrid materials. It is, thus, important for journal Molecules to dedicate a Special Issue to this topic, since it perfectly fits all areas of chemistry. This Special Issue will contain contributions discussing any of the aspects broadly indicated by the keywords.

Prof. Dr. Igor Djerdj
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Sol–gel
  • Functional materials
  • Heterogeneous catalysis
  • Dielectrics
  • Magnetic materials
  • Optical materials

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 4454 KiB  
Article
Highly Stretchable, Self-Adhesive, Antidrying Ionic Conductive Organohydrogels for Strain Sensors
by Xinmin Huang, Chengwei Wang, Lianhe Yang and Xiang Ao
Molecules 2023, 28(6), 2817; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28062817 - 21 Mar 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2451
Abstract
As flexible wearable devices, hydrogel sensors have attracted extensive attention in the field of soft electronics. However, the application or long-term stability of conventional hydrogels at extreme temperatures remains a challenge due to the presence of water. Antifreezing and antidrying ionic conductive organohydrogels [...] Read more.
As flexible wearable devices, hydrogel sensors have attracted extensive attention in the field of soft electronics. However, the application or long-term stability of conventional hydrogels at extreme temperatures remains a challenge due to the presence of water. Antifreezing and antidrying ionic conductive organohydrogels were prepared using cellulose nanocrystals and gelatin as raw materials, and the hydrogels were prepared in a water/glycerol binary solvent by a one-pot method. The prepared hydrogels were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, and sensing properties of the hydrogels were studied by means of a universal material testing machine and LCR digital bridge. The results show that the ionic conductive hydrogel exhibits high stretchability (elongation at break, 584.35%) and firmness (up to 0.16 MPa). As the binary solvent easily forms strong hydrogen bonds with water molecules, experiments show that the organohydrogels exhibit excellent freezing and drying (7 days). The organohydrogels maintain conductivity and stable sensitivity at a temperature range (−50 °C–50 °C) and after long-term storage (7 days). Moreover, the organohydrogel-based wearable sensors with a gauge factor of 6.47 (strain, 0−400%) could detect human motions. Therefore, multifunctional organohydrogel wearable sensors with antifreezing and antidrying properties have promising potential for human body monitoring under a broad range of environmental conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Functional Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 1444 KiB  
Article
Conditions for Shake-Gel Formation: The Relationship between the Size of Poly(Ethylene Oxide) and the Distance between Silica Particles
by Yi Huang, Shunsuke Sato and Motoyoshi Kobayashi
Molecules 2022, 27(22), 7770; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27227770 - 11 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1796
Abstract
Colloidal silica suspensions are widely used in many fields, including environmental restoration, oil drilling, and food and medical industries. To control the rheological property of suspensions, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) polymers are often used. Under specific conditions, the silica-PEO suspension can create a phenomenon [...] Read more.
Colloidal silica suspensions are widely used in many fields, including environmental restoration, oil drilling, and food and medical industries. To control the rheological property of suspensions, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) polymers are often used. Under specific conditions, the silica-PEO suspension can create a phenomenon called a shake-gel. Previous works discussed the conditions necessary to form a shake-gel and suggested that the bridging effect of the polymer is one of the important mechanisms for shake-gel formation. However, we noted that the influence of PEO size compared to the separation distance between silica particles regarding shake-gel formation has not been systematically investigated, while the PEO size should be larger than the particle–particle separation distance for polymer bridging in order to form gels. Thus, we conducted a series of experiments to examine the effects of the radius of gyration of the PEO and the distance between the silica particles by controlling the PEO molecular weight and the silica concentration. Our results elucidated that the radius of gyration of the PEO should be 2.5 times larger than the distance between the silica surfaces in order to promote the formation of a shake-gel. This result supports the hypothesis that the bridging effect is the main cause of shake-gel formation, which can help us to understand the conditions necessary for shake-gel preparation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Functional Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 707 KiB  
Article
Screen Printable Sol-Gel Materials for High-Throughput Borosilicate Glass Film Production
by Jonas D. Huyeng, Raphael Efinger, David Bruge, Oliver Doll, Roman J. Keding and Florian Clement
Molecules 2022, 27(17), 5408; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27175408 - 24 Aug 2022
Viewed by 1319
Abstract
The use of sol-gel materials can simplify the industrial fabrication of high-efficiency silicon solar cells if a suitable deposition method is established. In this work, we investigate the possibilities to adapt a borosilicate glass sol-gel to provide a stable screen printing process. This [...] Read more.
The use of sol-gel materials can simplify the industrial fabrication of high-efficiency silicon solar cells if a suitable deposition method is established. In this work, we investigate the possibilities to adapt a borosilicate glass sol-gel to provide a stable screen printing process. This material has previously been used as a boron dopant source for silicon solar cells. We now use an adjusted synthesis process, with an increased gelling time and different additives. This changes the rheological properties (i.e., the elastic and viscous moduli G′ and G″) in a way that avoids the dripping of paste through the screen and that stabilizes the material transfer in subsequent printing steps. Using this synthesis process, we were able to show a printing process with long-term stability of more than 500 prints. When comparing the adjusted to the initial paste, we show that, after thermal treatment, the obtained thin films are very similar in terms of their constitution, with a refractive index between n = 1.47 (initial) and n = 1.55 (adjusted). We also show that they provide the same amount of doping under the tested conditions (950 °C, 30 min), resulting in sheet resistances of R□ = (42.5 ± 2.6) Ω/□ (initial) and R□ = (46.4 ± 3.6) Ω/□ (adjusted). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Functional Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 5508 KiB  
Article
Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica Nanoparticles for CO2 Adsorption at Standard Temperature and Pressure
by Paul Kirren, Lucile Barka, Saher Rahmani, Nicolas Bondon, Nicolas Donzel, Philippe Trens, Aurélie Bessière, Laurence Raehm, Clarence Charnay and Jean-Olivier Durand
Molecules 2022, 27(13), 4245; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27134245 - 30 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2100
Abstract
(1) Background: Due to human activities, greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere are constantly rising, causing the greenhouse effect. Among GHGs, carbon dioxide (CO2) is responsible for about two-thirds of the total energy imbalance which is the origin of the [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Due to human activities, greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere are constantly rising, causing the greenhouse effect. Among GHGs, carbon dioxide (CO2) is responsible for about two-thirds of the total energy imbalance which is the origin of the increase in the Earth’s temperature. (2) Methods: In this field, we describe the development of periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (PMO NPs) used to capture and store CO2 present in the atmosphere. Several types of PMO NP (bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTEE) as matrix, co-condensed with trialkoxysilylated aminopyridine (py) and trialkoxysilylated bipyridine (Etbipy and iPrbipy)) were synthesized by means of the sol-gel procedure, then characterized with different techniques (DLS, TEM, FTIR, BET). A systematic evaluation of CO2 adsorption was carried out at 298 K and 273 K, at low pressure. (3) Results: The best values of CO2 adsorption were obtained with 6% bipyridine: 1.045 mmol·g−1 at 298 K and 2.26 mmol·g−1 at 273 K. (4) Conclusions: The synthetized BTEE/aminopyridine or bipyridine PMO NPs showed significant results and could be promising for carbon capture and storage (CCS) application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Functional Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2929 KiB  
Article
Structure and Population of Complex Ionic Species in FeCl2 Aqueous Solution by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy
by Uroš Luin, Iztok Arčon and Matjaz Valant
Molecules 2022, 27(3), 642; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27030642 - 19 Jan 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2836
Abstract
Technologies for mass production require cheap and abundant materials such as ferrous chloride (FeCl2). The literature survey shows the lack of experimental studies to validate theoretical conclusions related to the population of ionic Fe-species in the aqueous FeCl2 solution. Here, [...] Read more.
Technologies for mass production require cheap and abundant materials such as ferrous chloride (FeCl2). The literature survey shows the lack of experimental studies to validate theoretical conclusions related to the population of ionic Fe-species in the aqueous FeCl2 solution. Here, we present an in situ X-ray absorption study of the structure of the ionic species in the FeCl2 aqueous solution at different concentrations (1–4 molL−1) and temperatures (25–80 °C). We found that at low temperature and low FeCl2 concentration, the octahedral first coordination sphere around Fe is occupied by one Cl ion at a distance of 2.33 (±0.02) Å and five water molecules at a distance of 2.095 (±0.005) Å. The structure of the ionic complex gradually changes with an increase in temperature and/or concentration. The apical water molecule is substituted by a chlorine ion to yield a neutral Fe[Cl2(H2O)4]0. The observed substitutional mechanism is facilitated by the presence of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds as well as entropic reasons. The transition from the single charged Fe[Cl(H2O)5]+ to the neutral Fe[Cl2(H2O)4]0 causes a significant drop in the solution conductivity, which well correlates with the existing conductivity models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Functional Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

12 pages, 3104 KiB  
Article
Brownmillerites CaFeO2.5 and SrFeO2.5 as Catalyst Support for CO Oxidation
by Pierre-Alexis Répécaud, Monica Ceretti, Mimoun Aouine, Céline Delwaulle, Emmanuel Nonnet, Werner Paulus and Helena Kaper
Molecules 2021, 26(21), 6413; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26216413 - 23 Oct 2021
Viewed by 2444
Abstract
The support material can play an important role in oxidation catalysis, notably for CO oxidation. Here, we study two materials of the Brownmillerite family, CaFeO2.5 and SrFeO2.5, as one example of a stoichiometric phase (CaFeO2.5, CFO) and one existing [...] Read more.
The support material can play an important role in oxidation catalysis, notably for CO oxidation. Here, we study two materials of the Brownmillerite family, CaFeO2.5 and SrFeO2.5, as one example of a stoichiometric phase (CaFeO2.5, CFO) and one existing in different modifications (SrFeO2.75, SrFeO2.875 and SrFeO3, SFO). The two materials are synthesized using two synthesis methods, one bottom-up approach via a complexation route and one top-down method (electric arc fusion), allowing to study the impact of the specific surface area on the oxygen mobility and catalytic performance. CO oxidation on 18O-exchanged materials shows that oxygen from SFO participates in the reaction as soon as the reaction starts, while for CFO, this onset takes place 185 °C after reaction onset. This indicates that the structure of the support material has an impact on the catalytic performance. We report here on significant differences in the catalytic activity linked to long-term stability of CFO and SFO, which is an important parameter not only for possible applications, but equally to better understand the mechanism of the catalytic activity itself. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Functional Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

14 pages, 3008 KiB  
Article
Sol-Gel Synthesis of Ceria-Zirconia-Based High-Entropy Oxides as High-Promotion Catalysts for the Synthesis of 1,2-Diketones from Aldehyde
by Dalibor Tatar, Jelena Kojčinović, Berislav Marković, Aleksandar Széchenyi, Aleksandar Miletić, Sándor Balázs Nagy, Szilveszter Ziegenheim, Imre Szenti, Andras Sapi, Ákos Kukovecz, Kristijan Dinjar, Yushu Tang, David Stenzel, Gábor Varga and Igor Djerdj
Molecules 2021, 26(20), 6115; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26206115 - 10 Oct 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3852
Abstract
Efficient Lewis-acid-catalyzed direct conversion of aldehydes to 1,2-diketones in the liquid phase was enabled by using newly designed and developed ceria–zirconia-based high-entropy oxides (HEOs) as the actual catalysts. The synergistic effect of various cations incorporated in the same oxide structure (framework) was partially [...] Read more.
Efficient Lewis-acid-catalyzed direct conversion of aldehydes to 1,2-diketones in the liquid phase was enabled by using newly designed and developed ceria–zirconia-based high-entropy oxides (HEOs) as the actual catalysts. The synergistic effect of various cations incorporated in the same oxide structure (framework) was partially responsible for the efficiency of multicationic materials compared to the corresponding single-cation oxide forms. Furthermore, a clear, linear relationship between the Lewis acidity and the catalytic activity of the HEOs was observed. Due to the developed strategy, exclusively diketone-selective, recyclable, versatile heterogeneous catalytic transformation of aldehydes can be realized under mild reaction conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Functional Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-7
Back to TopTop