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Historically, quasi-low-dimensional superconductors were considered as the main candidates to observe high-temperature superconductivity. For a disc- sion of the related exotic mechanisms of superconductivity, suggested by W.A. Little and V.L. Ginzburg, see a chapter by D. J¿ erome in this volume. Unf- tunately, high-temperature superconductivity has not been discovered yet in quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) and quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) organic ma- rials. Nevertheless, very rich and, in many cases, unique physical properties of their metallic, superconducting, charge- and spin-density-wave phases allowed P.M. Chaikin to claim that the ?rst organic superconductors, (TMTSF) X, 2 are probably the most interesting electronic materials ever discovered. Our book welcomes a reader to a fascinating world of exotic condensed matter physics, low temperatures, and high and ultrahigh magnetic ?elds. It is written by leading experts in the area from USA, France, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Croatia, Hungary, and Switzerland. The book consists of six parts, subdivided into 27 chapters, which contain both the experimental results and their theoretical explanations. The majority of the chapters contain pedagogical introductions and all necessary illustrations to be read separately. Although we concentrate on physical p- nomena, in the most chapters related chemistry and structural aspects of Q1D and Q2D organic materials are also discussed.

The idea to write a new book in the ?eld of ferroelectric crystals arose from some considerationsreportedinthefollowing. Inthelast5years,severalgroupsallaround the world in the ?eld of engineering and characterization of ferroelectric crystals have published more than 300 papers. The motivation for such an intense research activity is referable to the fact that the ferroelectric crystals are a key element for the most attractive and useful photonic and optoelectronic devices. In fact, during the 60ies, the scientists realized that the ferroelectric crystals could have been - ?ciently used to generate new, unavailable frequencies, taking advantage of the freshly proposed birefringent phase-matching method. The synchronized rush for the development of novel coherent sources and for the discovery of the best-suited nonlinear crystals for mixing and generation had started. Consequently, the range of applications of ferroelectric crystals has enormously widened in the last years, es- cially based on the use of periodically poled structures (i. e. , PPLN, PPLT, PPKTP, or PPKTA) to quasi-phase-match optical interactions. A new generation of sources is ?nding increasing applications in various ?elds, including high sensitivity trace gas monitoring and any kind of advanced spectroscopic set-ups, thus replacing "e;old style"e; gas lasers like Argon-ion or dye lasers. New possibilities are also being - plored to engineer ferroelectric crystals with two- or three-dimensional geometries. Results from this ?eld will allow developing photonic devices combining photonic band-gap properties and nonlinear conversion processes, i. e. , nonlinear photonic crystals.

"e;As a general principle natural selection is continually trying to economise every part of the organisation. "e; That was Charles Darwin, writing over 100 years ago about e- ciency innature. Naturalmaterialsareremarkably ef?cient. Byef?cient wemeanthat they ful?l the complex requirements posed by the way plants and animals function, and that they do so using as little material as possible. Many of these requirements are mechanical in nature: the need to support static and dynamic loads created by the mass of the organism or by wind loading, the need to store and release elastic energy, the need to ?ex through large angles, the need to resist buckling and fracture, and to survive damage. Few optimisation algorithms have been more successful than that of "e;survival of the ?ttest"e;. The structural materials of nature exemplify this op- misation; even today, few man-made materials do better than those of nature in the function that they ?ll. And of all the remarkable properties of natural materials, one is truly exceptional - that of the ability for self-repair. One recurring goal of material development has been to emulate the materials of nature. Among these, the most illusive is that of self-repair. In approaching this it is well to be aware of the nature of the differences that separate the structural materials of man and those of nature.

Magnetism and Structure in Functional Materials addresses three distinct but related topics: (i) magnetoelastic materials such as magnetic martensites and magnetic shape memory alloys, (ii) the magnetocaloric effect related to magnetostructural transitions, and (iii) colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) and related manganites. The goal is to identify common underlying principles in these classes of materials that are relevant for optimizing various functionalities. The emergence of apparently different magnetic/structural phenomena in disparate classes of materials clearly points to a need for common concepts in order to achieve a broader understanding of the interplay between magnetism and structure in this general class of new functional materials exhibiting ever more complex microstructure and function. The topic is interdisciplinary in nature and the contributors correspondingly include physicists, materials scientists and engineers. Likewise the book will appeal to scientists from all these areas.

This book gives the first systematic and complete survey of technology and application of amorphous silicon, a material with a huge potential in electronic applications. The book features contributions by world-wide leading researchers in this field.

As new insights and several elaborative tools have been developed for materials science and engineering in recent years, it is an appropriate time to present a book covering recent progress in this field.Searchable and interactive databases can promote research on emerging materials.

This book focuses on the photoelectric nanodevices based on carbon nanostructures, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene and related heterojunctions.

This book introduces the fundamentals and principles of laser shock peening (LSP) for aeronautical materials. The main contents of the book include: the characteristics of laser shock wave, the formation mechanism of gradient structures and the strengthening-toughing mechanism by gradient structures.

This book describes the history of and recent developments in cobaltite and the spin-crossover (SC) phenomena. The second part focuses on recent topics in SC cobaltite, including the optical and dynamical features of cobaltite, thin material fabrication, and thermoelectric properties.

This book addresses perovskite quantum dots, discussing their unique properties, synthesis, and applications in nanoscale optoelectronic and photonic devices, as well as the challenges and possible solutions in the context of device design and the prospects for commercial applications.

The book systematically introduces the mathematical models and solutions of generalized hydrodynamics of soft-matter quasicrystals (SMQ). Mathematical solutions for solid and soft-matter quasicrystals are compared, to help readers to better understand the featured properties of SMQ.

This book provides a unique and comprehensive overview of the latest advances, challenges and accomplishments in the rapidly growing field of theoretical and computational materials science.

This book addresses the fabrication of responsive functional nanomaterials and their use in sustainable energy and environmental applications.

This book provides a collection of contributed chapters, delivering a comprehensive overview of topics related to the synthesis and crystal growth of nitride compounds under supercritical ammonia conditions.

This book provides a modern introduction to the growth, characterization, and physics of iron-based superconducting thin films. Iron pnictide and iron chalcogenide compounds have become intensively studied key materials in condensed matter physics due to their potential for high temperature superconductivity. With maximum critical temperatures of around 60 K, the new superconductors rank first after the celebrated cuprates, and the latest announcements on ultrathin films promise even more. Thin film synthesis of these superconductors began in 2008 immediately after their discovery, and this growing research area has seen remarkable progress up to the present day, especially with regard to the iron chalcogenides FeSe and FeSe1-xTex, the iron pnictide BaFe2-xCoxAs2 and iron-oxyarsenides.This essential volume provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art coverage of iron-based superconducting thin films in topical chapters with detailed information on thin film synthesis and growth, analytical film characterization, interfaces, and various aspects on physics and materials properties. Current efforts towards technological applications and functional films are outlined and discussed. The development and latest results for monolayer FeSe films are also presented. This book serves as a key reference for students, lecturers, industry engineers, and academic researchers who would like to gain an overview of this complex and growing research area.

This book covers the optical and electrical properties of nanoscale materials with an emphasis on how new and unique material properties result from the special nature of their electronic band structure.

Dedicated chapters present best practices for predicting materials properties of practical interest, including thermal and electrical conductivity, optical properties, barrier properties, and flammability.