Das erste Handbuch und gut zugängliche Referenzwerk zu diesem zunehmend wichtigen Thema erläutert in einem anwendungsorientierten Ansatz Synthese, Design, Charakterisierung und Simulation von Grenzflächen bei hybriden organisch-anorganischen Materialien.

Hybrid organic-inorganic materials and the rational design of their interfaces open up the access to a wide spectrum of functionalities not achievable with traditional concepts of materials science. This innovative class of materials has a major impact in many application domains such as optics, electronics, mechanics, energy storage and conversion, protective coatings, catalysis, sensing and nanomedicine. The properties of these materials do not only depend on the chemical structure, and the mutual interaction between their nano-scale building blocks, but are also strongly influenced by the interfaces they share. This handbook focuses on the most recent investigations concerning the design, control, and dynamics of hybrid organic-inorganic interfaces, covering: (i) characterization methods of interfaces, (ii) innovative computational approaches and simulation of interaction processes, (iii) in-situ studies of dynamic aspects controlling the formation of these interfaces, and (iv) the role of the interface for process optimization, devices, and applications in such areas as optics, electronics, energy and medicine.

Hybrid organic-inorganic materials and the rational design of their interfaces open up the access to a wide spectrum of functionalities not achievable with traditional concepts of materials science. This innovative class of materials has a major impact in many application domains such as optics, electronics, mechanics, energy storage and conversion, protective coatings, catalysis, sensing and nanomedicine. The properties of these materials do not only depend on the chemical structure, and the mutual interaction between their nano-scale building blocks, but are also strongly influenced by the interfaces they share. This handbook focuses on the most recent investigations concerning the design, control, and dynamics of hybrid organic-inorganic interfaces, covering: (i) characterization methods of interfaces, (ii) innovative computational approaches and simulation of interaction processes, (iii) in-situ studies of dynamic aspects controlling the formation of these interfaces, and (iv) the role of the interface for process optimization, devices, and applications in such areas as optics, electronics, energy and medicine.

Organic-inorganic Interfaces for a New Generation of Hybrid Biosensors.

The research work presented throughout this thesis focuses on the development of novel organic-inorganichybrid materials for applications in nanotechnology, nanomedicine and diagnostics. In such a context, porous zeolite-L crystals have been used as nanocarriers to deliver either DNA or PNA in live cells, in combination with the release of guest molecules placed into the pores. Multifunctional mesoporous silica nanoparticles have been designed to treat glioblastoma, combining gene therapy with the sustained delivery of a chemotherapy agent. Biodegradable hybrid nano-shells have been furthermore created to encapsulate proteins and release them in living cells upon degradation of the outer structure in reductive environment. In the field of nucleic acid detection, photonic crystal fibers, functionalized with specific PNA probes, have been exploited as optical sensing devices to perform ultra-sensitive detection of DNA oligonucleotides or genomic DNA. Eventually, the PNA backbone has served as scaffold to synthesize fluorescent switching probes able to recognize and to detect the presence of specific target sequences.

This work investigates the energy-level alignment of hybrid inorganic/organic systems (HIOS) comprising ZnO as the major inorganic semiconductor. In addition to offering essential insights, the thesis demonstrates HIOS energy-level alignment tuning within an unprecedented energy range. (Sub)monolayers of organic molecular donors and acceptors are introduced as an interlayer to modify HIOS interface-energy levels. By studying numerous HIOS with varying properties, the author derives generally valid systematic insights into the fundamental processes at work. In addition to molecular pinning levels, he identifies adsorption-induced band bending and gap-state density of states as playing a crucial role in the interlayer-modified energy-level alignment, thus laying the foundation for rationally controlling HIOS interface electronic properties. The thesis also presents quantitative descriptions of many aspects of the processes, opening the door for innovative HIOS interfaces and for future applications of ZnO in electronic devices.

Advances in Polymer Science enjoys a longstanding tradition and good reputation in its community. Each volume is dedicated to a current topic, and each review critically surveys one aspect of that topic, to place it within the context of the volume. The volumes typically summarize the significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years and discuss them critically, presenting selected examples, explaining and illustrating the important principles, and bringing together many important references of primary literature. On that basis, future research directions in the area can be discussed. Advances in Polymer Science volumes thus are important references for every polymer scientist, as well as for other scientists interested in polymer science - as an introduction to a neighboring field, or as a compilation of detailed information for the specialist.