For much of the past 60 years, the U.S. research community dominated the discovery of new crystalline materials and the growth of large single crystals, placing the country at the forefront of fundamental advances in condensed-matter sciences and fueling the development of many of the new technologies at the core of U.S. economic growth. The opportunities offered by future developments in this field remain as promising as the achievements of the past. However, the past 20 years have seen a substantial deterioration in the United States' capability to pursue those opportunities at a time when several European and Asian countries have significantly increased investments in developing their own capacities in these areas. This book seeks both to set out the challenges and opportunities facing those who discover new crystalline materials and grow large crystals and to chart a way for the United States to reinvigorate its efforts and thereby return to a position of leadership in this field.

Crystal engineering - where the myriad of intermolecular forces operating in the solid-state are employed to design new nano- and functional materials - is a key new technology with implications for catalysis, pharmaceuticals, synthesis and materials science. Frontiers in Crystal Engineering gathers personal perspectives, from international specialists working in molecular aspects of crystal engineering, on the practical and theoretical challenges of the discipline, and future prospects. These demonstrate the approaches that are being used to tackle the problems associated with the complexity, design and functionality of crystalline molecular solids. Topics include * how intermolecular forces direct and sustain crystal structures * functional engineering and design elements * coordination polymers and network structures * applications in green and pharmaceutical chemistry Frontiers in Crystal Engineering is a useful guide to this exciting new discipline for both entrants to the field as well as established practitioners, and for those working in crystallography, medicinal and pharmaceutical sciences, solid-state chemistry, and materials and nanotechnology.

The confluence of the fields of liquid crystals and biomedical engineering is resulting in remarkable interdisciplinary research. This book focuses on the potential for inherently translational research in one field of engineering to radically alter the scope of another. The text reviews the exciting advances being made in displays, spectroscopy, sensors and diagnostics, biomimicking, actuators and lasers with regards to liquid crystalline materials, and biomedicine. The liquid crystal field — which has delivered revolutionary devices in the display, optics, and telecommunications industries — is now poised to make significant inroads into biology, medicine, and biomedical engineering.

This book summarises approaches and current practices in actinide immobilisation using chemically-durable crystalline materials e.g. ceramics and monocrystals. Durable actinide-containing materials including crystalline ceramics and single crystals are attractive for various applications such as nuclear fuel to burn excess Pu, chemically inert sources of irradiation for use in unmanned space vehicles or producing electricity for microelectronic devices, and nuclear waste disposal. Long-lived -emitting actinides such as Pu, Np, Am and Cm are currently of serious concern has a result of increased worldwide growth in the nuclear industry. Actinide-bearing wastes have also accumulated in different countries as a result of nuclear weapons production. Excess weapon and civil Pu from commercial spent fuel is waiting for environmentally-safe immobilisation. As actinides are chemical elements with unique features, they could be beneficially used in different areas of human life including medicine although currently there is no appropriate balance between safe actinide disposal and use. Both use and disposal of actinides require their immobilisation in a durable host material. The choice of an optimal actinide immobilisation route is often a great challenge for specialists. There is a wealth of information about actinide properties in many publications although little is published to summarise the currently accepted approaches and practices on actinide immobilisation. This book intends to provide such information based on the authors' experience and studies in nuclear material management and actinide immobilisation.