Preface: phys. stat. sol. (a) 204/4

Abstract

AbstractThis issue contains scientific contributions to the Fifth Brazilian–German Workshop on Applied Surface Science. The workshop was held in Brazil at the beautiful Hotel Portobello, Mangaratiba, a city located 100 km from Rio de Janeiro, from 3–7 April 2006.The meeting was attended by about 80 participants, with 29 invited talks and 43 poster presentations on current topics of surface science.As in previous meetings (1995 in Portobello, RJ, Brazil, 1998 in Döllnsee, Berlin, and 2001 in Itapema, SC, Brazil, 2003 in Ringberg‐Castle, Tegernsee), the program featured contributions to numerous issues in surface science both from the theoretical and the experimental point of view. In the field of materials science, important topics such as catalysis, magnetism, optics and the physics of devices were addressed by describing the structural, physical and chemical properties of nanostructures and films of inorganic (metals, alloys and oxides) and organic (polymers and biological molecules) materials.A substantial part of the success of the meeting is probably due to the relaxed atmosphere at the beach hotel on the green coast of Mangaratiba, where excellent scientific presentations were mixed with intense discussions among both senior and younger researchers.A significant moment came in the opening session, when a presentation in memory of Wolfgang H. P. Losch, his life and scientific achievements, was given by Prof. Horst Niehus. Prof. Losch was the first organizer of this series of meetings together with Prof. Niehus and passed away on 10 August 2004.The organizers of the Workshop, Fernando Lázaro Freire Jr. (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Hajo Freund (Berlin, Germany), Antonio Azevedo (Recife, Brazil), Horst Niehus (Berlin, Germany), André A. Pasa (Florianópolis, Brazil) and Eberhard Umbach (Würzburg, Germany), are greatly indebted to the following organizations for financial support: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Fundação Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Finaciadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) and the specially created intergovernmental agreement between CAPES and DFG to promote such meetings.March 2007