In the last thirty years or so, the subject of solid state chemistry has been transformed into materials chemistry by absorbing various features of modern chemical science. The materials investigated by chemists are no longer limited to inorganic materials but include a variety of organic materials. Synthesis has become a major aspect of materials chemistry, with a variety of chemical strategies, soft chemical approaches, in particular, being employed. Studies of structure, properties, phenomena and relating structure to properties are important aspects of materials chemistry. This timely book is a selection of C N R Rao's papers. They stand testament to his over 50 years of work on the chemistry of solid materials. The volume aims to inspire interested readers with a flavor of the current research in solid-state and materials chemistry.

Solid State Chemistry today is a frontier area of mainstream chemistry, and plays a vital role in the development of materials. The present work, consisting of a selection of Prof. C N R Rao's papers, covers most of the important aspects of solid state chemistry and provides the flavor of the subject, showing how the subject has evolved over the years. The book is up-to-date, and will be useful to students, teachers, beginning researchers and practitioners in solid state chemistry as well as in the broader area of materials science.

Prof. CNR Rao is a living legend. Einstein paid a compliment to Mahatma Gandhi on his 70th birthday. He said, “Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth”. On Prof. Rao’s birthday, I would repeat these words. Prof. Rao is not an individual, he is an institution, he is a phenomenon. I feel lucky that our generations could see him, touch him, feel him, experience him, learn from him and get inspired by him. I have watched Prof. Rao as a scientist, as a science leader, as a science institution builder and indeed as a leader of leaders of science. I have also watched him as a wonderful, warm-hearted human being with abundant empathy. I have seen his childlike enthusiasm. I have watched him as `courage personified’. What follows is more anecdotal but solely based on my personal viewpoint. Professor Rao has had a tremendous influence on my life. He has been my guru, guide, friend and philosopher. I met him for the first time when he was the Chairman of the Research Advisory Council of the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) in the nineteen eighties. I was then in my late thirties. Professor Rao has an uncanny ability to spot talent among the young. He was the President of the Indian Science Congress in the year 1988, which was held in Pune University. Mr. Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister and he inaugurated the Science Congress. Later on, during the lunch that followed, Prof. Rao made a special point to introduce me to Rajiv Gandhi. I still remember his words. He said, `Mr. Prime Minister, meet a rising young star of Indian science’. Little did I then know that within the next couple of months, he would make me a member of the Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, which he was chairing. At 42, I was the youngest member and I remember people calling me the `baby’ of the team. Getting that huge exposure at such a young age was something very special for me – I got a helicopter view of India at large. It helped me enormously as I moved on in life. 'Padma Vibhushan' Dr. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar

In this collection, the author has compiled a set of his papers representing some of the highlights of materials chemistry. It features a section on oxidic materials, which includes high-temperature superconductivity, colossal magnetoresistance, electronic phase separation and multiferroics. The author has also included novel methods for making gallium nitride, boron nitride and such materials, by using precursors and the urea decomposition route. Moreover, there is a section dealing with open-framework and hybrid materials of which the latter has a great future since one can make use of the rigidity of inorganic structures and the functionality and flexibility of the organic residues to design materials with novel properties.

Prof. CNR Rao is a living legend. Einstein paid a compliment to Mahatma Gandhi on his 70th birthday. He said “Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth”. At Prof. Rao’s 85th birthday, I would like to repeat these words. Prof. Rao is not an individual, he is an institution, he is a phenomenon. I feel lucky that our generations could see him, touch him, feel him, experience him, learn from him and get inspired by him. I have watched Prof. Rao as a scientist, as a science leader, as a science institution builder and indeed as a leader of leaders of science. I have also watched him as a wonderful warm hearted human being with abundance of empathy. I have seen his child like enthusiasm. I have watched him as `courage personified’. Dr. R.A. Mashelkar, FRS National Research Professor

This book fills a gap between many of the basic solid state physics and materials sciencebooks that are currently available. It is written for a mixed audience of electricalengineering and applied physics students who have some knowledge of elementaryundergraduate quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. This book, based on asuccessful course taught at MIT, is divided pedagogically into three parts: (I) ElectronicStructure, (II) Transport Properties, and (III) Optical Properties. Each topic is explainedin the context of bulk materials and then extended to low-dimensional materials whereapplicable. Problem sets review the content of each chapter to help students to understandthe material described in each of the chapters more deeply and to prepare them to masterthe next chapters.

Solid-State NMR Characterization of Heterogeneous Catalysts and Catalytic Reactions provides a comprehensive account of state-of-the-art solid-state NMR techniques and the application of these techniques in heterogeneous catalysts and related catalytic reactions. It includes an introduction to the basic theory of solid-state NMR and various frequently used techniques. Special emphasis is placed on characterizing the framework and pore structure, active site, guest-host interaction, and synthesis mechanisms of heterogeneous catalysts using multinuclear one- and two-dimensional solid-sate NMR spectroscopy. Additionally, various in-situ solid-state NMR techniques and their applications in investigation of the mechanism of industrially important catalytic reactions are also discussed. Both the fundamentals and the latest research results are covered, making the book suitable as a reference guide for both experienced researchers in and newcomers to this field. Feng Deng is a Professor at Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Solid State Chemistry today is a frontier area of mainstream chemistry, and plays a vital role in the development of materials. The present work, consisting of a selection of Prof. C N R Rao's papers, covers most of the important aspects of solid state chemistry and provides the flavor of the subject, showing how the subject has evolved over the years. The book is up-to-date, and will be useful to students, teachers, beginning researchers and practitioners in solid state chemistry as well as in the broader area of materials science.

This book provides fundamental knowledge of ceramics science and technology in a compact volume. Based on inorganic chemistry, it is intended as a reader for graduate students and young researchers beginning work in ceramics. The importance of the book is that it provides a scientific understanding of structure, properties, and processing from the chemical aspect, leading to creation of future ceramics. Ceramics have high hardness, strength, thermal and chemical stability, as well as various electromagnetic functions. To take full advantage of ceramics, their use has been advanced to engineering and electronic ceramics. Most ceramics have been fabricated by powder processing, and new technologies have also evolved such as CVD and sol-gel methods: new ceramics aimed at new functions of highly pure oxides and artificial nitrides, carbides, and borides; fine ceramics focused on precise control of composition and microstructure; and design of unique morphology, such as nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanosheets, mesoporous materials, and hybrids. Materials are composed of atoms and molecules. They are assembled into crystals and are amorphous, leading to 3-D micro/nano structures. In addition to the topics described above, this book shows the importance of chemistry for materials design at the nanometer scale, and that chemistry develops new fields of environment, energy, informatics, biomaterials, and other areas.

"A comprehensive guide to solid-state chemistry which is ideal for all undergraduate levels. It covers well the fundamentals of the area, from basic structures to methods of analysis, but also introduces modern topics such as sustainability." Dr. Jennifer Readman, University of Central Lancashire, UK "The latest edition of Solid State Chemistry combines clear explanations with a broad range of topics to provide students with a firm grounding in the major theoretical and practical aspects of the chemistry of solids." Professor Robert Palgrave, University College London, UK Building a foundation with a thorough description of crystalline structures, this fifth edition of Solid State Chemistry: An Introduction presents a wide range of the synthetic and physical techniques used to prepare and characterise solids. Going beyond this, this largely nonmathematical introduction to solid-state chemistry includes the bonding and electronic, magnetic, electrical, and optical properties of solids. Solids of particular interest—porous solids, superconductors, and nanostructures—are included. Practical examples of applications and modern developments are given. It offers students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in real-life situations and will serve them well throughout their degree course. New in the Fifth Edition A companion website which offers accessible resources for students and instructors alike, featuring topics and tools such as quizzes, videos, web links and more A new chapter on sustainability in solid-state chemistry written by an expert in this field Cryo-electron microscopy X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ESCA) Covalent organic frameworks Graphene oxide and bilayer graphene Elaine A. Moore studied chemistry as an undergraduate at Oxford University and then stayed on to complete a DPhil in theoretical chemistry with Peter Atkins. After a two-year postdoctoral position at the University of Southampton, she joined the Open University in 1975, becoming a lecturer in chemistry in 1977, senior lecturer in 1998, and reader in 2004. She retired in 2017 and currently has an honorary position at the Open University. She has produced OU teaching texts in chemistry for courses at levels 1, 2, and 3 and written texts in astronomy at level 2 and physics at level 3. She was team leader for the production and presentation of an Open University level 2 chemistry module delivered entirely online. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She was co-chair for the successful Departmental submission of an Athena Swan bronze award. Lesley E. Smart studied chemistry at Southampton University, United Kingdom. After completing a PhD in Raman spectroscopy, she moved to a lectureship at the (then) Royal University of Malta. After returning to the United Kingdom, she took an SRC Fellowship to Bristol University to work on X-ray crystallography. From 1977 to 2009, she worked at the Open University chemistry department as a lecturer, senior lecturer, and Molecular Science Programme director, and she held an honorary senior lectureship there until her death in 2016. At the Open University, she was involved in the production of undergraduate courses in inorganic and physical chemistry and health sciences. She served on the Council of the Royal Society of Chemistry and as the chair of their Benevolent Fund.