Design of functional nano-structured materials through the use of controlled hybrid organic–inorganic interfaces

The chemical strategies offered by combining sol-gel processes together with the templated growth of inorganic or hybrid networks involving self-assembly with surfactant mesophases or organogels, and with external solicitations allows us, through an intelligent and tuned coding, to develop innovative materials having complex architectures. These methods where chemistry and process are strongly coupled, allow directing the assembling of a large variety of molecular precursors, oligomers, clusters or nanoparticles (nanobuilding blocks) into functional hierarchical structures. In this short review article, the different strategies allowing to design nanostructured and/or microtextured inorganic and hybrid materials shaped as thick or thin films, microparticles and fibres are illustrated with several striking examples developed in our research group.