An elementary act of charge transfer determines a variety of phenomena in physics, chemistry and biology. The study of charge transfer processes has developed together with general progress in theoretical physics and in fast high resolution spectroscopy, so that research deals now with a broad class of systems, materials and environmental conditions. The specific topics covered are: (1) the environment and reactant-environment interaction at bulk and interfaces; (2) the elementary act of electron and proton transfer; homogeneous and heterogeneous processes; (3) processes of ion and heavy group transfer; ion transport in complex systems; (4) artificially and naturally organized charge transfer in physics, chemistry and biology, technological applications (molecular electronics, sensors, modified electrodes, membrane transport).

This text probes topics and reviews progress in interfacial electrochemistry. It supplies chapter abstracts to give readers a concise overview of individual subjects and there are more than 1500 drawings, photographs, micrographs, tables and equations. The 118 contributors are international scholars who present theory, experimentation and applications.

Based on the Solvay conference, which gathers the leading scientists in the field, this monograph collects review articles from the six topics of the conference, while also including comments, discussions and debates obtained during the conference. The issues discussed at this landmark conference were: * Noncovalent Assemblies: Design and Synthesis * Template Synthesis of Catenanes and Rotaxanes * Molecular Machines Based on Catenanes and Rotaxanes * Molecular Machines Based on Non-Interlocking Molecules * Towards Molecular Logics and Artificial Photosynthesis * From Single Molecules to Practical Devices and the authors add their personal views on the future of each of their own research areas. Novel reading for organic, inorganic and polymer chemists, as well as materials scientists.

This primer is aimed at elevating graduate students of condensed matter theory to a level where they can engage in independent research. Topics covered include second quantisation, path and functional field integration, mean-field theory and collective phenomena.