Institute of Physics Dielectrics Group Conference: Dielectrics at Meso and Nano Scales

Abstract

Understanding dielectric media and dielectric phenomena at meso and nano scales is at the heart of both traditional and new issues in dielectrics, from understanding the nature of dielectric interfaces to investigating nanophase systems, molecular confinement and novel nanocomposite properties. With so much new activity developing internationally in nanotechnology and nanoscience, it was timely that the Dielectrics Group of the Institute of Physics held a conference on this topic at the University of Kent at Canterbury from 19–21 April 2004.The conference benefited from a wide ranging international audience and group of invited speakers who acted to promote the principal themes of the conference. These included topics as diverse as photonic crystals including optical methods for fabricating 3-D photonic crystals, and structured surfaces and materials with a fascinating contribution on light and colour arising from nanostructure in natural systems providing some key insights into the potential for biomimicry.Dielectric relaxation and confinement was also considered including the rich variety of dielectric response that can be observed from nanostructured dielectrics. Nano measurements and construction and nanostructured materials were also considered with several contributions providing some new insights into their dielectric, space charge and dielectric breakdown behaviour and illustrating the differences that exist between micro- and nano-inorganic polymer matrix composites. This also included an excellent review of our current understanding of the physics and chemistry of dielectric interfaces and how the bulk properties of systems can be controlled by the internal surface and interfacial characteristics.Throughout, the conference benefited from an excellent group of contributed papers and strong discussion including special sessions set aside for this purpose. It also benefited from a small but very interesting poster session covering a wide range of nanomaterials, dielectrics systems and measurements.It is with pleasure that I note the contributions made by the authors of some of the papers drawn from the conference in this special cluster of papers. These illustrate the wide range of activity and interest in dielectrics at the nano and meso scale and I thank the authors for making the contributions contained in this issue—I hope you enjoy reading them.