Inorganic-Organic Polymers and Their Role in Materials Science

The design and synthesis of new materials are two of the key steps in the advancement of technology. Significant advances in nearly all fields of advanced technology depend almost completely on the rate at which useful new materials can be devised and synthesized. One of the most promising approaches to the development of new materials that combine the advantages of organic polymers with those of inorganic solids is to devise polymers that have a backbone of inorganic atoms to which are attached organic or organometallic groups. Some inorganic-organic Polymer systems are discussed.