Ceramics from templated oxide gels

Porous ceramic oxides are important in a wide area of applications and can be produced using sol-gel processes. In the past year important developments have been made in the synthesis of gel structures involving the self-assembly and co-operative organization of inorganic and organic colloidal species in aqueous media. Such processes, which frequently involve interactions between inorganic oligomers and surfactant liquid crystal phases, can lead to microporous and mesoporous oxides with a highly uniform structure. Understanding of the mechanisms of formation of these ‘templated’ structures has progressed through the application of a range of advanced physicochemical techniques.