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The nitrides and carbides of boron and silicon are proving to be an excellent choice when selecting materials for the design of devices that are to be employed under particularly demanding environmental and thermal con- tions. The high degree of cross-linking, due to the preferred coordination numbers of the predominantly covalently bonded constituents equalling or exceeding three, lends these non-oxidic ceramics a high kinetic stability, and is regarded as the microscopic origin of their impressive thermal and mechanical durability. Thus it does not come as a surprise that the chemistry, the physical properties and the engineering of the corresponding binary, ternary, and even quaternary compounds have been the subject of intensive and sustained efforts in research and development. In the five reviews presented in the volumes 101 and 102 of "Structure and Bonding" an attempt has been made to cover both the essential and the most recent advances achieved in this particular field of materials research. The scope of the individual contributions is such as to address both graduate students, specializing in ceramic materials, and all scientists in academia or industry dealing with materials research and development. Each review provides, in its introductory part, the chemical, physical and, to some extent, historical background of the respective material, and then focuses on the most relevant and the most recent achievements.
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102 Structure and Bonding Managing Editor: D.M.P. Mingos
Editorial Board: AJ. Bard • I.G. Dance • P. Day • J.A. Ibers • T. Kunitake T.J. Meyer-H.W. Roesky-J.-P. Sauvage A. Simon • F. Wudl
Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York Barcelona Hong Kong London Milan Paris Tokyo
High Performance Non-Oxide Ceramics Volume Editor: M. Jansen
With contributions by R. Haubner, M. Herrmann, B. Lux, G. Petzow, R. Weissenbacher, M. Wilhelm
Springer
The series Structure and Bonding publishes critical reviews on topics of research concerned with chemical structure and bonding. The scope of the series spans the entire Periodic Table. It focuses attention on new and developing areas of modern structural and theoretical chemistry such as nanostructures, molecular electronics, designed molecular solids, surfaces, metal clusters and supramolecular structures. Physical and spectroscopic techniques used to determine, examine and model structures fall within the purview of Structure and Bonding to the extent that the focus is on the scientific results obtained and not on specialist information concerning the techniques themselves. Issues associated with the development of bonding models and generalizations that illuminate the reactivity pathways and rates of chemical processes are also relevant. As a rule, contributions are specially commissioned. The editors and publishers will, however, always be pleased to receive suggestions and supplementary information. Papers are accepted for Structure and Bonding in English. In references Structure and Bonding is abbreviated Struct Bond and is cited as a journal. Springer WWW home page: http://www.springer.de Visit the SB home page at http://link.springer.de/series/sb/ or http://link.springer-ny.com/series/sb/
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