This series of books, which is published at the rate of about one per year, addresses fundamental problems in materials science. The contents cover a broad range of topics from small clusters of atoms to engineering materials and involve chemistry, physics, and engineering, with length scales ranging from Angstromsup to millimeters. The emphasis is on basic science rather than on applications. Each book focuses on a single area ofcurrent interest and brings together leading experts to give an up-to-date discussion of their work and the work ofothers. Each article contains enough references...