The XXI International Materials Research Congress was held in Cancun, Mexico in August 2012. This Materials Research Society Proceedings contains papers presented at Symposium 2D "Structural and Chemical Characterization of Metals, Alloys and Compounds." This special issue covers several aspects of the structural and chemical characterization of the materials in the following areas: metals, alloys, steels, composites, polymeric compounds, welding, nanomaterials, and surface coatings, among others. They are amorphous, crystalline, powders, coatings, fibers, thin films, etc., which were prepared with different techniques. The structural characterization techniques included: scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), RAMAN spectroscopy, optical microscopy (OM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential thermal analysis (DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), thermo luminescence (TL), laser emission, etc. Theoretical models from these properties are included too.

Volume is indexed by Thomson Reuters CPCI-S (WoS).This special volume of 24 peer reviewed contributions cover up-to-date research results on "Structural and Chemical Characterization of Metals Alloys and Compounds". The structural and chemical characterization of different materials such as metals, alloys, ceramics, steels, composites, polymeric compounds, welding, superalloys, intermetallic compounds, and nanomaterials are included. They were prepared with different techniques. Some important topics addressed were the analytical techniques focused on the microstructural, chemical, optical, electronic, magnetic and mechanical properties of materials.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

This Materials Research Society Proceedings contains papers presented at Symposium 3 "Structural and Chemical Characterization of Metals, Alloys and Compounds" of the XX International Materials Research Congress. This event is intended as a forum for the dissemination of research results on materials science. The volume covers several aspects of the structural and chemical characterization of the materials in the following areas: metals, alloys, ceramics, steels, composites, polymeric compounds, welding, nanomaterials, and surface coatings, among others. They are amorphous, crystalline, powders, fibers, thin films, etc., which were prepared with different techniques. The structural characterization techniques included scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), optical microscopy (OM), mechanical characterization, atomic absorption, luminescence, thermo luminescence, energy transfer, photorefractive effect, birefringence, photo catalysis, photoconductivity, birefringence, laser emission, etc. Theoretical models from these properties are included, too.

The XXII International Materials Research Congress (IMRC) was held in Cancun Mexico from 11 to 15 August 2013. It was organized by the Sociedad Mexicana de Materiales (SMM) and the Materials Research Society (MRS). The IMRC 2013 included 5 plenary lectures, 1 science luncheon, 287 invited talks, and 1851 oral and poster presentations distributed in 30 different symposia, in addition, 6 tutorial courses were presented. About 1600 specialized scientists from more than 40 countries participated during the congress. The aim of the IMRC is provide an interactive forum to discuss and exchange ideas about the advances in synthesis, characterization, properties, processing, applications, basic research trends, corrosion prevention, and more, all related to the area of materials science and engineering. This event provides an excellent opportunity for materials scientists around the world to have a space to exchange their ideas and to discuss their results.