Preface: Phys. Status Solidi C 1/2012

Abstract

AbstractThe 8th International Vacuum Electron Sources Conference (IVESC 2010) and NANOcarbon 2010 was held in Nanjing, China from Oct. 14–16 in 2010. This international conference was organized by Southeast University, the Engineering Department of the University of Cambridge, IEEE Electron Devices Society, the National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Vacuum Electronics (China) and Jiangsu Vacuum Society of China.IVESC 2010 included numerous sessions on the fundamentals of electron emission, cathode technology, and the applications of electron sources in vacuum electronic devices and vacuum microelectronic and other novel devices. IVESC provides a unique international forum for the presentation of achievements, breakthroughs and developments in electron source technology since electron sources form the heart of vacuum electron devices.The aims of NANOcarbon 2010 were: 1. to establish an international forum for the discussion and promotion of the science and applications of nanomaterials, 2. to maintain awareness of the current developments in the field and 3. to encourage and foster collaborations and networks between researchers in both academia and industry from Europe, Asia and America. The symposium featured talks by distinguished speakers presenting the latest advances in the field, and contributed papers which had also been solicited including poster presentations. Topics covered had included nanomaterial synthesis, processing, characterization, properties and applications. The NANOcarbon 2010 Proceedings will thus provide an excellent opportunity for audience to read about the latest cutting edge research results in carbon nanotube, graphene and nanowire synthesis, development and applications.The conference also reinforced the commitment of IVESC and NANOcarbon to promote international collaboration and facilitate the open exchange of state‐of‐the‐art and state‐of‐the‐practice research findings.