The main motivation for the organization of the Advanced Research Workshop in Belgirate was the promotion of discussions on the most recent issues and the future perspectives in the field of Solid State lonics. The location was chosen on purpose since Belgirate was the place were twenty years ago, also then under the sponsorship of NATO, the very first international meeting on this important and interdisciplinary field took place. That meeting was named "Fast Ion Transport in Solids" and gathered virtually everybody at that time having been active in any aspect of motion of ions in solids. The original Belgirate Meeting made for the first time visible the technological potential related to the phenomenon of the fast ionic transport in solids and, accordingly, the field was given the name "Solid State lonics". This field is now expanded to cover a wide range of technologies which includes chemical sensors for environmental and process control, electrochromic windows, mirrors and displays, fuel cells, high performance rechargeable batteries for stationary applications and electrotraction, chemotronics, semiconductor ionics, water electrolysis cells for hydrogen economy and other applications. The main idea for holding an anniversary meeting was that of discussing the most recent issues and the future perspectives of Solid State lonics just twenty years after it has started at the same location on the lake Maggiore in North Italy.

The rediscovery of fast ion conduction in solids in the 1960's stimulated interest both in the scientific community in which the fundamentals of diffusion, order-disorder phenomena and crystal structure evaluation required re-examination, and in the technical community in which novel approaches to energy conversion and chemical sensing became possible with the introduction of the new field of "Solid State Ionics. " Because of both the novelty and the vitality of this field, it has grown rapidly in many directions. This growth has included the discovery of many new crystalline fast ion conductors, and the extension to the fields of organic and amorphous compounds. The growth has involved the extension of classical diffusion theory in an attempt to account for carrier interactions and the development of sophisticated computer models. Diffraction techniques have been refined to detect carrier distributions and anharmonic vibrations. Similar advances in the application of other techniques such as NMR, Raman, IR, and Impedance Spectroscopies to this field have also occurred. The applications of fast ion conducting solid electrolytes have also developed in many directions. High energy density Na/S batteries are now reaching the last stages of development, Li batteries are being implanted in humans for heart pacemakers, and solid state fuel cells are again being considered for future power plants. The proliferation of inexpensive microcomputers has stimulated the need for improved chemical sensors--a major application now being the zirconia auto exhaust sensor being sold by the millions each year.

The rediscovery of fast ion conduction in solids in the 1960's stimulated interest both in the scientific community in which the fundamentals of diffusion, order-disorder phenomena and crystal structure evaluation required re-examination, and in the technical community in which novel approaches to energy conversion and chemical sensing became possible with the introduction of the new field of "Solid State Ionics. " Because of both the novelty and the vitality of this field, it has grown rapidly in many directions. This growth has included the discovery of many new crystalline fast ion conductors, and the extension to the fields of organic and amorphous compounds. The growth has involved the extension of classical diffusion theory in an attempt to account for carrier interactions and the development of sophisticated computer models. Diffraction techniques have been refined to detect carrier distributions and anharmonic vibrations. Similar advances in the application of other techniques such as NMR, Raman, IR, and Impedance Spectroscopies to this field have also occurred. The applications of fast ion conducting solid electrolytes have also developed in many directions. High energy density Na/S batteries are now reaching the last stages of development, Li batteries are being implanted in humans for heart pacemakers, and solid state fuel cells are again being considered for future power plants. The proliferation of inexpensive microcomputers has stimulated the need for improved chemical sensors--a major application now being the zirconia auto exhaust sensor being sold by the millions each year.

As the finite capacity and pollution problems of fossil fuels grow more pressing, new sources of more sustainable energy are being developed. Materials for energy conversion devices summarises the key research on new materials which can be used to generate clean and renewable energy or to help manage problems from existing energy sources.The book discusses the range of materials that can be used to harness and convert solar energy in particular, including the properties of oxide materials and their use in producing hydrogen fuel. It covers thermoelectric materials and devices for power generation, ionic conductors and new types of fuel cell. There are also chapters on the use of such materials in the immobilisation of nuclear waste and as electrochemical gas sensors for emission control.With its distinguished editors and international team of contributors, Materials for energy conversion devices is a standard reference for all those researching and developing a new generation of materials and technologies for our energy need. - Detailed coverage of solar energy and thermoelectric conversion - Comprehensive survey of new developments in this exciting field - Edited by leading experts in the field with contributions from an international team of authors

This book provides state-of-the-art computational approaches for accelerating materials discovery, synthesis, and processing using thermodynamics and kinetics. The authors deliver an overview of current practical computational tools for materials design in the field. They describe ways to integrate thermodynamics and kinetics and how the two can supplement each other.