Hybrid organic-inorganic materials - in search of synergic activity

This review surveys the work developed in the field of functional hybrid materials, especially those containing conducting organic polymers (COPs), in combination with a variety of inorganic species, from molecular to extended phases, including clusters and nano-sized inorganic particles. Depending on the dominating structural matrix, we distinguish and analyze organic-inorganic (OI) hybrids, nanocomposite materials, and inorganic-organic (IO) phases. These materials have been used in a wide variety of applications, including energy-storage applications, electrocatalysis, the harnessing of electrochromic and photoelectrochromic properties, application in display devices, photovoltaics, and novel energy-conversion systems, proton-pump electrodes, sensors, or chemiresistive detectors, which work as artificial `noses'.