This self-contained textbook aims to introduce the physics of structurally disordered condensed systems at the level of advanced undergraduate and graduate students. The topics discussed include the geometry and symmetries of the building blocks commonly used to obtain atomic structures, the various kinds of disorder, the phenomenology and the main theories of the glass transition, investigation of the structure of amorphous systems, the dependence of system structure on its dimensions (clusters), and the case of positional order in the absence of translational order (quasicrystals).

This self-contained text introduces the physics of structurally disordered condensed systems at the level of advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Clearly presented and amply illustrated it provides stimulating and novel coverage of a difficult area. In this second edition, the treatment of the mode coupling theory of the glass transition has been enlarged and now connects to a new section on collective excitations in disordered systems.

This volume and its two companion volumes, entitled Tetrahedrally-Bonded Amorphous Semiconductors and Localization and Metal-Insulator Transitions, are our way of paying special tribute to Sir Nevill Mott and to express our heartfelt wishes to him on the occasion of his eightieth birthday. Sir Nevill has set the highest standards as a physicist, teacher, and scientific leader. Our feelings for him include not only the respect and admiration due a great scientist, but also a deep affection for a great human being, who possesses a rare combination of outstanding personal qualities. We thank him for enriching our lives, and we shall forever carry cherished memories of this noble man. Scientists best express their thanks by contributing their thoughts and observations to a Festschrift. This one honoring Sir Nevill fills three volumes, with literally hundreds of authors meeting a strict deadline. The fact that contributions poured in from all parts of the world attests to the international cohesion of our scientific community. It is a tribute to Sir Nevill's stand for peace and understanding, transcending national borders. The editors wish to express their gratitude to Ghazaleh Koefod for her diligence and expertise in deciphering and typing many of the papers, as well as helping in numerous other ways. The blame for the errors that remain belongs to the editors.

This book is a unique reference work in the area of atomic-scale simulation of glasses. For the first time, a highly selected panel of about 20 researchers provides, in a single book, their views, methodologies and applications on the use of molecular dynamics as a tool to describe glassy materials. The book covers a wide range of systems covering "traditional" network glasses, such as chalcogenides and oxides, as well as glasses for applications in the area of phase change materials. The novelty of this work is the interplay between molecular dynamics methods (both at the classical and first-principles level) and the structure of materials for which, quite often, direct experimental structural information is rather scarce or absent. The book features specific examples of how quite subtle features of the structure of glasses can be unraveled by relying on the predictive power of molecular dynamics, used in connection with a realistic description of forces.

This book describes a body of work whose ultimate goal is to optimize the design of microbatteries. It focuses on the fundamental properties of the structure and atomic diffusion in glassy materials which optimize the properties of the electrolyte. Experimental results and their phenomenological description of lithium borate glasses are extensively covered. Other chapters discuss the effects of barriers between the electrodes and the electrolyte and the book culminates with a description of actual progress in making applications of these materials to batteries, sensors and other devices.

The principal objective of this book is to relate the random distributions of defects and material strength on the microscopic scale with the deformation and residual strength of materials on the macroscopic scale. To reach this goal the authors considered experimental, analytical and computational models on atomic, microscopic and macroscopic scales.

This book derives from the invited IUTAM Symposium in September 1993. The contributions discuss recent advances in fracture mechanics studies of concrete, rock, ceramics and other brittle disordered materials at micro and structural levels. It draws together research and new applications in continuum, damage and fracture mechanics approaches.