The 17th University Conference on Ceramics, which also was the 7th LBL/MMRD International Materials Symposium, was held on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley from July 28 to August 1, 1980. It was devoted to the subject of surfaces and interfaces in ceramic and ceramic-metal systems. The program was timely and of great interest, as indicated by the large number of contributed papers, which included contributions from ten foreign countries. These proceedings are divided into the following categories dealing with the chemistry and physics of interfaces: calculations of interface/surface states, characterization of surfaces and inter faces, thermodynamics of interfaces, influence of surface and inter faces on selected ceramic processes, grain boundary structures, effects of grain boundaries on deformation and fracture, interfacial phenomena, formation of interfaces, development of adhesion, and reactions at interfaces. A number of papers deal specifically with the Si-Si02 interface, which probably has received more attention than any other because of its importance in the electronics industry. This coverage fulfills the principal objective of the symposium which was to explore and assess the current fundamental understand ing of interfaces and surfaces. A parallel objective of the symposium was fulfilled by a group of papers dealing with the correlation of interfacial characteris tics with mechanical behavior. This group includes papers dealing with the adherence of dissimilar materials at interfaces.

The 17th University Conference on Ceramics, which also was the 7th LBL/MMRD International Materials Symposium, was held on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley from July 28 to August 1, 1980. It was devoted to the subject of surfaces and interfaces in ceramic and ceramic-metal systems. The program was timely and of great interest, as indicated by the large number of contributed papers, which included contributions from ten foreign countries. These proceedings are divided into the following categories dealing with the chemistry and physics of interfaces: calculations of interface/surface states, characterization of surfaces and inter faces, thermodynamics of interfaces, influence of surface and inter faces on selected ceramic processes, grain boundary structures, effects of grain boundaries on deformation and fracture, interfacial phenomena, formation of interfaces, development of adhesion, and reactions at interfaces. A number of papers deal specifically with the Si-Si02 interface, which probably has received more attention than any other because of its importance in the electronics industry. This coverage fulfills the principal objective of the symposium which was to explore and assess the current fundamental understand ing of interfaces and surfaces. A parallel objective of the symposium was fulfilled by a group of papers dealing with the correlation of interfacial characteris tics with mechanical behavior. This group includes papers dealing with the adherence of dissimilar materials at interfaces.

This book contains the proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Surfaces and Interfaces of Ceramic Materials, held on the Oleron island, France, in September 1988. This Institute was organized in nine months after receiving the agreement of the NATO Scientific Affairs Division. Despite this very short time, most of the lecturers contacted have accepted our invitation to prepare a specific talk. The meeting was held at "La Vieille Perrotine" on the Oleron island. This holiday village of the French CNRS is located near the Ocean in a natural area which contributed to create a very pleasant atmosphere favourable to develop interaction between the 91 participants in this Institute. First of all, the Institute was aimed at diffusing the foremost results on the characterization of and the role played by surfaces, grain boundaries and interfaces in preparation and overall properties of ceramic materials, mainly of oxide ceramics. Through its interdisciplinary character, the Institute was also aimed at developing interaction between scientists and engineers interested in basic and practical aspects of processing and use of ceramics.

This volume chronicles the proceedings of the Third Symposium on Metallized Plastics: Fundamental and Applied Aspects held under the auspices of the Dielectric Science and Technology Division of the Electrochemical Society in Phoenix, Arizona, October 13-18, 1991. This series of symposia to address the subject of metallized plastics was initiated in 1988 and the premier symposium was held in Chicago, October 10-12, 1988, followed by the second event in Montreal, Canada, May 7-10, 1990. The rroceedings of these two symposia have been properly documented ,2. The third symposium was a huge success like the previous two events, and all this is testimonial to the brisk interest and high tempo of R&D activity in the fie14 of metallized plastics. This further bolsters our earlier thinking that there was a conspicuous need to hold symposia on this topic on a regular basis and the fourth is planned for May 16-21, 1993 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The study of metallized plastics constitutes an important human endeavor l and as pointed out earlier there are myriad applications of metallized plastics ranging from very commonplace to exotic. Also a survey of the recent literature will reveal that both the fundamental and applied aspects of metallized plastics are being pursued with great vigor.

Ceramic materials have proven increasingly important in industry and in the fields of electronics, communications, optics, transportation, medicine, energy conversion and pollution control, aerospace, construction, and recreation. Professionals in these fields often require an improved understanding of the specific ceramics materials they are using

The proceedings of the Twenty-First University Conference on Ceramic Science held at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA on July 17, 18 and 19, 1985 are compiled in this volume "Tailoring Multiphase and Composite Ceramics". This Conference emphasized the' discussion and analysis of the properties of multiphase ceramic materials in which the microstructure is deliberately tailored for specific applications or properties. Inter nationally recognized authorities presented keynote and invited lectures on topics dealing with processing and fabrication of multiphase and com posite electroceramics, fiber reinforced composites and high temperature multiphase ceramics. Results of recent research were presented in oral and poster sessions by leading researchers from several countries. This collection of papers represents the state of the art in our understand ing of the processing-structure-property interrelationships for these materials which possess unique and useful electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical and thermal properties as a result of their multiphase nature. We are grateful for the financial support of the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scien tific Research, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for this conference. We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Robert Davis' leader ship role in steering and expanding this university conference series on ceramic science. We thank Ron Avillion and Linda Rose for their expert assistance in planning and coordinating the meeting. Thanks are due to Ms. Marian Reed, Ms. Judy Bell and Ms.

This volume is part of the Ceramic Engineering and Science Proceeding (CESP) series. This series contains a collection of papers dealing with issues in both traditional ceramics (i.e., glass, whitewares, refractories, and porcelain enamel) and advanced ceramics. Topics covered in the area of advanced ceramic include bioceramics, nanomaterials, composites, solid oxide fuel cells, mechanical properties and structural design, advanced ceramic coatings, ceramic armor, porous ceramics, and more.

Sintering is the process of forming materials and components from a powder under the action of thermal energy. It is a key materials science subject: most ceramic materials and many specialist metal powder products for use in key industries such as electronics, automotive and aerospace are formed this way. Written by one of the leading experts in the field, this book offers an unrivalled introduction to sintering and sintering processes for students of materials science and engineering, and practicing engineers in industry. The book is unique in providing a complete grounding in the principles of sintering and equal coverage of the three key sintering processes: densification, grain growth and microstructure. Students and professional engineers alike will be attracted by the emphasis on developing a detailed understanding of the theory and practical processes of sintering, the balanced coverage of ceramic and metal sintering, and the accompanying examination questions with selected solutions. - Delivering unrivalled depth of coverage on the basis of sintering, science, including thermodynamics and polycrystalline microstructure. - Unique in its balanced coverage of the three key sintering elements - densification, grain growth and microstructure. - A key reference for students and engineers in materials science and engineering, accompanied by examination questions and selected solutions.

Today's shortages of resources make the search for wear and corrosion resistant materials one of the most important tasks of the next century. Since the surface of a material is the location where any interaction occurs, it is that there the hardest requirements on the material are imposed: to be wear resistant for tools and bearings; to be corrosion resistant for turbine blades and tubes in the petrochemical industry; to be antireflecting for solar cells; to be decorative for architectural panels and to combine several of these properties in other applications. Surface engineering is the general term that incorporates all the techniques by which a surface modification can be accomplished. These techniques include both coating and modification of the surface by ion implantation and laser beam melting. In recent years a continuously growing number of these techniques were developed to the extent that it became more and more difficult to maintain an overlook and to understand which of these highly differentiated techniques might be applied to resolve a given surface engineering problem. A similar development is also occuring for surface characterization techniques. This volume contains contributions from renowned scientists and engineers to the Eurocourse the aim of which was to inform about the various techniques and to give a comprehensive survey of the latest development on this subject.