Aim of the symposium:
Hybrid Materials, i.e. nano-sized units assembled to yield combination of chemical and physical properties is becoming one of the most challenging areas of materials science. Accordingly, hetero-structured hybrids such as Organic/Inorganic (O/I) and Bio/Inorganic systems have attracted considerable research interests during the last few decades. In these materials each sub-network, organized at a nano-scale level, might exhibit its own properties or contribute to new physical phenomena and novel applications. O/I compounds are particularly under scope in molecular and solid-state chemistry and also in physics to design multi-functional materials. Major breakthroughs in materials science are currently in progress using O/I hybrids strategies. Hybrid molecular crystals and films are already employed as field-effect transistor or in spintronics. Nano-hybrids, like functionalized magnetic nano-particles, are thoroughly investigated for bio-imaging and therapeutics.
The growing importance of the field in materials science stimulated us organizing a European conference devoted to "Hybrid Materials » covering the state-of-the-art, developments and open issues for this exciting class of systems.
The symposium is aimed to give an up-to-date view of hybrid organic/inorganic (O/I) materials from their synthesis to rational design through advanced characterizations and computational approaches, study of their properties, together with their societal impact.
Because the interfaces generally control surface reactions, charge transfers and/or synergistic effects, a key point will be the way interactions are established between inorganic and organic components, leading to outstanding variety and combination of chemical and physical properties. Applications will be tackled in electronics, optics, magnetic systems, energy and environment, mechanics, and diagnosis and therapeutics.
This symposium will be a very valuable forum for researchers in bioscience, chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering where to discuss the latest advances and issues in the design of smart Organic/Inorganic devices. The field of Organic - Inorganic materials is essentially multidisciplinary which makes its force and its complexity.