SCOPE OF THE CONFERENCE

Since their establishment more than 20 years ago, Solid State Chemistry conferences have always been organized as interdisciplinary meetings of specialists dealing with all hierarchical levels of solid state chemistry. Since its first episode, organizers wished to bring people together to allow their free discussion and collaboration, and we think a free discussion and international collaboration across disciplines still remain the bottlenecks of scientific advance. Currently a great and growing number of specialized meetings proceeded all over the world, usually with a focus on selected individual aspects of some classes of solids, kinds of materials, or types of processes. Solid State Chemistry conferences have always had a different mission: it should bring together people from different disciplines to allow their inter-disciplinary discussions and inspirations.

Solid State Chemistry 2010 is opened to scientists studying basics: synthesis of novel compounds and phases by chemical means in broad sense, their characterization, fundamental electronic, magnetic and spectral properties, and any of their fascinating, unexpected, and challenging physical and chemical peculiarities.

Materials application of “chemical solids” is currently an almost general motive of solid state sciences. The Solid State Chemistry conferences have always stressed materials applications in various fields. For us it is not an ephemeral fashion: majority of solid state scientists have always dreamt about some future practical use of their research. We selected three materials sections in the programme but we are open to suggestions of some other perspective directions of materials research.

Each of the previous meetings additionally stressed certain particular branches of science according to the general orientation of the organizing institutions. In Solid State Chemistry 2010, such “special” sections will be solid state electrochemistry, solid state analysis, and non-traditional uses of powder diffraction. We consider very useful to exchange ideas of what solid can be prepared, how it could be characterized, and how it could be used, because a basic knowledge of all these aspects of solid state chemistry could save time to researchers in each of these levels of progress from an intellectual game to daily practice.