By the second half of the twentieth century, a new branch of materials science had come into being — crystalline materials research. Its appearance is linked to the emergence of advanced technologies primarily based on single crystals (bulk crystals and films). At the turn of the last century, the impending onset of the “ceramic era” was forecasted. It was believed that ceramics would play a role comparable to that of the Stone or Bronze Ages in the history of civilization. Naturally, such an assumption was hypothetical, but it showed that ceramic materials had evoked keen interest among researchers. Although sapphire traditionally has been considered a gem, it has developed into a material typical of the “ceramic era.” Widening the field of sapphire application necessitated essential improvement of its homogeneity and working characteristics and extension of the range of sapphire products, especially those with stipulated properties including a preset structural defect distribution. In the early 1980s, successful attainment of crystals with predetermined char- teristics was attributed to proper choice of the growth method. At present, in view of the fact that the requirements for crystalline products have become more str- gent, such an approach tends to be insufficient. It is clear that one must take into account the physical–chemical processes that take place during the formation of the real crystal structure, i.e., the growth mechanisms and the nature and causes of crystal imperfections.

Ceramic Engineering and Science Proceedings Volume 34, Issue 8 - Advanced Processing and Manufacturing Technologies for Structural and Multifunctional Materials VII A collection of 20 papers from The American Ceramic Society's 37th International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, held in Daytona Beach, Florida, January 27-February 1, 2013. This issue includes papers presented in the 7th International Symposium on Advanced Processing and Manufacturing Technologies for Structural and Multifunctional Materials and Systems (Symposium 8).

This issue contains 9 papers from The American Ceramic Society’s 40th International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, held in Daytona Beach, Florida, January 24-29, 2016. This issue includes papers presented in the 10th International Symposium on Advanced Processing and Manufacturing Technologies for Structural and Multifunctional Materials and Systems (Symposium 8), Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies (Focused Session 4), and Field Assisted Sintering (Focused Session 5).

This book presents the select proceedings of 1st International Conference on Future Trends in Materials and Mechanical Engineering (ICFTMME-2020), organised by Mechanical Engineering Department, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (Formerly known as SRM University), Delhi-NCR Campus, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. The book provides a deep insight of future trends in the advancement of materials and mechanical engineering. A broad range of topics and issues in material development and modern mechanical engineering are covered including polymers, nanomaterials, magnetic materials, fiber composites, stress analysis, design of mechanical components, theoretical and applied mechanics, tribology, solar, additive manufacturing and many more. This book will prove its worth to a broad readership of engineering students, researchers, and professionals.

Since their first industrial use polymers have gained a tremendous success. The two volumes of "Polymers - Opportunities and Risks" elaborate on both their potentials and on the impact on the environment arising from their production and applications. Volume 11 "Polymers - Opportunities and Risks I: General and Environmental Aspects" is dedicated to the basics of the engineering of polymers – always with a view to possible environmental implications. Topics include: materials, processing, designing, surfaces, the utilization phase, recycling, and depositing. Volume 12 "Polymers - Opportunities and Risks II: Sustainability, Product Design and Processing" highlights raw materials and renewable polymers, sustainability, additives for manufacture and processing, melt modification, biodegradation, adhesive technologies, and solar applications. All contributions were written by leading experts with substantial practical experience in their fields. They are an invaluable source of information not only for scientists, but also for environmental managers and decision makers.

These proceedings contain current research from industry, academia and government organizations, working on opaque and transparent ceramic armor. Papers on novel materials concepts for both vehicle and body armors are included, as well as papers that explore the relationship between computational modeling and property testing. These papers were presented at the Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, January 22-27, 2006, Cocoa Beach, Florida. Organized and sponsored by The American Ceramic Society and The American Ceramic Society's Engineering Ceramics Division in conjunction with the Nuclear and Environmental Technology Division.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Erice, Sicily, Italy, July 19-31, 2000

The field of materials science and engineering is rapidly evolving into a science of its own. While traditional literature in this area often concentrates primarily on property and structure, the Materials Processing Handbook provides a much needed examination from the materials processing perspective. This unique focus reflects the changing comple