This volume contains the proceedings of Symposium A: "Novel Wide Bandgap Materials for Optoelectronic and Electronic Applications" and Symposium C: "5th International Workshop on Molecular Beam Epitaxy and Vapour Phase Epitaxiy Growth Physics and Technology" held at the E-MRS 2003 Fall Meeting, organized by the European Materials Research Society for the first time in Warsaw, Poland, 15-19 September 2003. Symposium A reviewed recent progress in the studies of wide bandgap materials such as nitrides and ZnO, as well as in relevant experimental techniques, whereas Symposium C was devoted to the current trends in physics and technology of MBE and MOCVD. physica status solidi (c) - conferences and critical reviews publishes conference proceedings, ranging from large international meetings to specialized topical workshops as well as collections of topical reviews on various areas of current solid state physics research.

In recent years, bulk and graded nanometals have attracted the growing interest of materials scientists. Nanometals can be obtained by using various methods: gas condensation or ball-milling with subsequent consolidation, thermal spray techniques, annealing of thin amorphous ribbons and severe plastic deformation. The plastic deformation methods include severe torsional straining under high pressures, equal channel angular pressing, cyclic extrusion compression - and others.

Research and development in the field of nanomaterials - thin films, nanowires, nanocrystals and nanostructured bulk materials - has increased very rapidly during recent years. Especially significant has been research in which the structure is closely controlled at the nanometer level in order to achieve the desired functional properties.

-Shear-Induced Transitions and Instabilities in Surfactant Wormlike Micelles By S. Lerouge, J.-F. Berret -Laser-Interferometric Creep Rate Spectroscopy of Polymers By V. A. Bershtein, P. N. Yakushev -Polymer Nanocomposites for Electro-Optics: Perspectives on Processing Technologies, Material Characterization, and Future Application K. Matras-Postolek, D. Bogdal