In general, a dielectric is considered as a non-conducting or insulating material (such as a ceramic or polymer used to manufacture a microelectronic device). This book describes the laws governing all dielectric phenomena.·A unified approach is used in describing each of the dielectric phenomena, with the aim of answering "what?", "how?" and "why" for the occurrence of each phenomenon;·Coverage unavailable in other books on ferroelectrics, piezoelectrics, pyroelectrics, electro-optic processes, and electrets;·Theoretical analyses are general and broadly applicable;·Mathematics is simplified and emphasis is placed on the physical insight of the mechanisms responsible for the phenomena;·Truly comprehensive coverage not available in the current literature.

Electrical Conduction in Solid Materials (Physicochemical Bases and Possible Applications) investigates the physicochemical bases and possible applications of electrical conduction in solid materials, with emphasis on conductors, semiconductors, and insulators. Topics range from the interatomic bonds of conductors to the effective atomic charge in conventional semiconductors and magnetic transitions in switching semiconductors. Comprised of 10 chapters, this volume begins with a description of electrical conduction in conductors and semiconductors, metals and alloys, as well as interatomic bonds and the resistivity of magnetic conductors. Subsequent chapters focus on conventional semiconductors, including intrinsic semiconductors and binary and ternary compounds; compounds containing ordered or disordered atomic magnetic moments, showing paramagnetism of ferro-, ferri-, or antiferromagnetism; and magnetic and crystallographic transitions in switching semiconductors. Organic and inorganic insulators are also considered, along with possible applications of conductors, semiconductors, and insulators. Finally, the special magnetoelectric effects and magneto-optical effects of magnetic semiconductors are analyzed. This book will be a valuable resource for students of physical chemistry.

Proton conduction can be found in many different solid materials, from organic polymers at room temperature to inorganic oxides at high temperature. Solid state proton conductors are of central interest for many technological innovations, including hydrogen and humidity sensors, membranes for water electrolyzers and, most importantly, for high-efficiency electrochemical energy conversion in fuel cells. Focusing on fundamentals and physico-chemical properties of solid state proton conductors, topics covered include: Morphology and Structure of Solid Acids Diffusion in Solid Proton Conductors by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Structure and Diffusivity by Quasielastic Neutron Scattering Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy Mechanical and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis of Proton-Conducting Polymers Ab initio Modeling of Transport and Structure Perfluorinated Sulfonic Acids Proton-Conducting Aromatic Polymers Inorganic Solid Proton Conductors Uniquely combining both organic (polymeric) and inorganic proton conductors, Solid State Proton Conductors: Properties and Applications in Fuel Cells provides a complete treatment of research on proton-conducting materials.

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 first broad account offering a non-mathematical, unified treatment of solid state chemistry. Describes synthetic methods, X-ray diffraction, principles of inorganic crystal structures, crystal chemistry and bonding in solids; phase diagrams of 1, 2 and 3 component systems; the electrical, magnetic, and optical properties of solids; three groups of industrially important inorganic solids--glass, cement, and refractories; and certain aspects of organic solid state chemistry, including the ``organic metal'' of new materials.