Both an introductory course to broadband dielectric spectroscopy and a monograph describing recent dielectric contributions to current topics, this book is the first to cover the topic and has been hotly awaited by the scientific community.

This volume considers experimental and theoretical dielectric studies of the structure and dynamics of complex systems. Complex systems constitute an almost universal class of materials including associated liquids, polymers, biomolecules, colloids, porous materials, doped ferroelectric crystals, nanomaterials, etc. These systems are characterized by a new "mesoscopic" length scale, intermediate between molecular and macroscopic. The mesoscopic structures of complex systems typically arise from fluctuations or competing interactions and exhibit a rich variety of static and dynamic behaviour. This growing field is interdisciplinary; it complements solid state and statistical physics, and overlaps considerably with chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, and biology. A common theme in complex systems is that while such materials are disordered on the molecular scale and homogeneous on the macroscopic scale, they usually possess a certain degree of order on an intermediate, or mesoscopic, scale due to the delicate balance of interaction and thermal effects. In the present Volume it is shown how the dielectric spectroscopy studies of complex systems can be applied to determine both their structures and dynamics.

This book presents new approaches that offer a better characterization of the interrelationship between crystalline and amorphous phases. In recent years, the use of dielectric spectroscopy has significantly improved our understanding of crystallization. The combination of modern scattering methods, using either synchrotron light or neutrons and infrared spectroscopy with dielectrics, is now helping to reveal modifications of both crystalline and amorphous phases. In turn, this yields insights into the underlying physics of the crystallization process in various materials, e.g. polymers, liquid crystals and diverse liquids. The book offers an excellent introduction to a valuable application of dielectric spectroscopy, and a helpful guide for every scientist who wants to study crystallization processes by means of dielectric spectroscopy.

Beginning with a complete discussion of the fundamentals of dielectric spectroscopy, this book examines in detail the methods used in data modeling and in such specialized techniques as high-frequency dielectric measurements and thermally stimulated currents. The book covers applications in a range of polymeric systems including solutions, blends, and liquid crystals.

Volume is indexed by Thomson Reuters CPCI-S (WoS). The aim of this book is to provide the reader with the latest advanced research results on, and an improved understanding of, various aspects of the processing and characterization of materials.

Accompanyind CR-ROM conrtains The Encyclopedia of Materials Science and Technology on a web access disc.

The book “Engineering Materials and Tribology XXV” published by results of 25th International Baltic Conference of Engineering Materials and Tribology (November 3-4, 2016, Riga, Latvia) and cover the latest findings in the fields of advanced materials: materials for energy and environmental applications, biomaterials, materials characterization, hybrid materials, functional materials and structural materials, polymers and composites, ceramics, powder materials and powder metallurgy technology, coatings, surface engineering and latest researches and solutions in the area of tribology. We hope this collection will be useful for wide range of scientists and engineers in their activity.

This book provides up-to-date information on flow dynamics for experimental, theoretical, and computational researchers in a variety of fields, such as physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, polymer science, and computer science. The proceedings contain review articles by leading scientists as well as contributed papers by authors on the forefront of research. All manuscripts were peer-reviewed.