Technology and Applications of Sol-Gel Materials

A brief review of some aspects of technology and applications of the sol-gel technology is presented. The content is divided into three parts concerning: (1) synthetic aspects of this technique, (2) optical sensors (optodes) and (3) pure and doped silica nanopowders manufactured by the sol-gel method. The versatility and applicability of the method is discussed. Also, several examples of active (”smart”) materials obtained by this technique are presented.