Mit den Grenzgebieten zwischen anorganischer Chemie und Materialwissenschaften befasst sich dieses in der ersten Auflage sehr erfolgreiche, vorwiegend aus der Sicht des Chemikers konzipierte (Lehr-) Buch. Für die Neuauflage haben die Autoren den Text überarbeitet, erweitert und in Teilen völlig neu formuliert, um Grundlagen und Methoden noch anschaulicher erklären zu können.

Ulrich Schubert is Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the Institute of Materials Chemistry, Vienna University of Technology. Born in Regensburg, he completed all his studies at the Technical University of Munich, including his thesis under the supervision of E.O. Fischer. He was a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University, where he worked with W.S. Johnson. After gaining his lecturing qualification in Munich, he held a professorship of inorganic chemistry at the University of Würzburg from 1982 to 1994 before moving to Vienna to become a full professor. From 1989 to 1994 he also served in different positions at the Fraunhofer Institute of Silicate Research in Würzburg. Professor Schubert's research interests include application-oriented fundamental research on sol-gel processes and the activation of silicon-element bonds by transition metal complexes.

Nicola Hüsing is assistant professor at the Institute of Materials Chemistry at Vienna University of Technology. Born in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, she studied chemistry at the University of Würzburg. While working on her dissertation she began working at Vienna University of Technology and the University of California, Los Angeles. After receiving her PhD in 1997 from the University of Würzburg, she was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship with C.J. Brinker on nanostructured thin films the following year. Returning to Vienna she gained her lecturing qualification in 2003 and is taking up a full professorship at the University of Ulm this year. Her research interests focus on the synthesis of sol-gel based porous materials and mesoscopically organized systems, especially with respect to synthesis - structure - property relations.