The recent utilization of nano-sized powders and porous materials has led to the expectation that it will lead to basic breakthrough solutions for prospective nanomaterial products offering high performance and multi-functionalism. For this reason, many industrial countries have financially supported nanostructured materials development and their use in technical innovation.

The main goal of these proceedings was to demonstrate the use of a variety of multi-scale approaches, ranging from the atomistic to the macroscopic level, and in this it succeeds admirably.

This volume of the Bioceramics series includes the papers selected for the 20th International Symposium on Ceramics in Medicine held in Nantes, France, from the 24th  to the 26th of October, 2007. Some of the topics covered deal with advanced materials and technologies that support the exciting technique of the regeneration of osteoarticular tissues using minimal invasive surgery and bioactive prostheses.

This useful collection comprises 92 peer-reviewed papers, grouped into nine sections: I Nanostructured Materials; II Solid State Phenomena; III Fine Particles; IV Thin Films; V Materials for Hydrogen Energy Storage; VI Optical Materials; VII Biomaterials; VIII Polymers & Composites; and IX Metallic Systems.

The objective of this collection was to gather together  the latest information on the mechanical behavior of materials. The volumes cover the progress made in all aspects of the mechanical behavior of materials, seen from both the macroscopic and microscopic viewpoints.

This volume is dedicated to the ever-expanding fields of application of nitrides in ceramics, metals, glasses, composites and coatings. The papers cover all of those branches of materials science and engineering which concern the role of nitrogen in the improvement and modification of the properties of materials; particularly those destined for novel applications.

Interest in the phenomenon of superplasticity has been increasing steadily over the past thirty-four years, both from the viewpoint of fundamental scientific understanding as well as of industrial application. The scope of superplasticity has also broadened materials-wise, and now includes, in addition to metals: intermetallics, ceramics, bulk metallic glasses, nanostructured materials and composites.

This “Advanced Biomaterials” collection comprises more than 237 peer-reviewed papers. The latter are grouped into handy sections: Tissue Engineering, Drug Delivery System, Metal, Ceramics, Polymer, Cell-Matrix Interactions, Surface Modifications, Micro-/Nano- and Others.

This edited collection of 240 peer-reviewed articles covers a broad range of topics dealing with plasticity in various materials, such as metals, composites, polymers, foams, soils, and rocks at the nano-, micro- and macro-scales. These informative papers will bring the reader fully up-to-date with the latest research efforts advancing on a broad range of fronts in engineering plasticity

This book, which comprises contributions from researchers in 20 countries, was designed to be a forum within which to promote and exchange the latest experimental and theoretical research work on structural integrity, durability and failure analysis; with the emphasis being placed on fracture and damage mechanics.