Perhaps it's trite to say this, but Brinker and Scherer's _Sol Gel Science_ is *the* indispensible desktop reference for the sol-gel chemist. Though now over a decade old, the topics covered (only a smattering of which are mentioned in the editorial review above) are so fundamental that it remains one of the most often cited sol-gel references, both in texts and refereed journal articles. The layout of the book takes the reader through the entire sol-gel formation process, from reaction to casting to drying, curing and other post-modificiations, with a chapter devoted to each step - permitting this book either to be read cover-to-cover (for the interested newcomer or as a text for a course in sol-gel science) or to be referenced as necessary by the more familiar reader.C. Jeffrey Brinker, now affiliated with Sandia National Laboratories as well as the University of New Mexico, remains the preeminent researcher and one of the most-often cited authors in his field, continuing research on self-assembled nanostructures, porosity-tailored materials, organic-inorganic hybrids, and related topics.
George W. Scherer, professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department of Princeton University, also maintains a professional involvement in sol-derived gels, glasses, and ceramics, among other areas of interest, and is the author of several patents, as well as innumerable scientific papers, in these fields.
Though more-recent texts may be more up-to-date in terms of research cited, especially areas pertinent to nanotechnology, this book's position as a compendium of knowledge in the field of sol-gel science has not diminished with age and is highly reccomended.
