Table of contents

Structure-property relationships in electronic ceramic materials are reviewed to provide insight into the behaviour of capacitors, thermistors, varistors, and other electroceramic components. Rapid progress in the integration and miniaturisation of ceramic components has led to the development of multipurpose electronic packages containing complex three-dimensional circuitry. At the same time, a wide variety of smart sensors, transducers, and actuators are being constructed utilising composite materials to concentrate fields and forces. At present the processing methods make use of tape casting the thick film techniques, but several upset technologies loom on the horizon. During the years ahead one can expect electroceramic devices to follow in the footsteps of semiconductor technology as the component sizes drop below 1 mu m, and nanocomposite devices become a reality.

Spectroscopic investigations of the structure of highly ionised atoms have undergone significant developments in recent years. The experimental progress is largely due to the introduction of several powerful light sources, such as laser-produced plasmas. Tokamaks and beams of fast, excited ions. The results obtained with these laboratory devices complement the data from astrophysical observations of the solar corona and solar flares. The experimental techniques are described in some detail. The results are discussed with respect to energy level studies along isoelectronic sequences, inner-shell excited levels, forbidden transitions, lifetimes and transition probabilities as well as the results of spectroscopic studies of quantum electrodynamics, QED. The experimental results are compared with theoretical predictions.

The author gives his personal recollections of the developments in the science of the magnetisation curve and of magnetic materials in the United Kingdom during the 'great age' of 1940-70. He does not give full details of the scientific arguments but tries to show a broad canvas of how he recollects the main problems presented by the subject and gives a personal view of the men and their contributions to the solutions of these problems.