Emerging Fields in Sol-gel Science and Technology contains selected papers from the symposium on "Sol-Gel and Vitreous Materials and Applications" held during the International Materials Research Congress in Cancún, México in August 2002. One hundred and twenty researchers representing 10 countries attended this symposium.

Some of the subjects covered in this symposium include 1.) synthesis of new materials endowed with outstanding and non-conventional optical, magnetic, electrical, thermal, catalytic, and mechanical properties, 2.) study of the sorption properties of model porous materials in order to test the validity of previous and recent theories, 3.) theoretical studies related to density functional theory, fractal and scaling law approaches, 4.) synthesis of biomaterials for use in medicine and pollution control, 5.) application of sol-gel colloids in the fine-chemistry industry in products such as fragrances and pharmaceuticals, 6.) development of special vitreous materials, 7.) implementation of inorganic thin films, and 8.) synthesis of materials for energy saving.