From past research experiences looking to the future of sol–gel

Based on the outline of the conference that the author held in St. Petersburg for the conferment of the Life Achievement Award, some important steps in the evolution of science and sol–gel technology are revisited through examples taken from his research experiences. The goal is to reconsider what has been done in the past in light of what has been learned in the meantime. Some topics are still current and probably deserve further and more in-depth research, and new ideas for future work may be suggested. Driven by the interest of finding new materials and new fields of application, the sol–gel has evolved from the first studies on simple glass and glass–ceramic systems, to more sophisticated and complex organic–inorganic systems, multifunctional materials, and nanocomposites.