J. MATER. CHEM., 1991,1(6), 1083-1085 Particle Beam Microanalysis Fundamentals, Methods and Applications. By E. Fuchs, H. Oppolzer and H. Rehme. VCH, Weinheim, 1990. Pp xviii+507. Price €79, DM 215. This is a well produced book with a disciplined style and objectives, written by three experienced and authoritative workers. The book is definitive in its approach; clearly stating fundamentals, methods and applications at every stage. The principal aim is to support the analyst in his practical work. Particle-beam methods are eminently suitable for appli- cation in microtechnology where, with high spatial resolution, one can identify unknown substances in small volumes and determine their composition with suitable accuracy. There is strong emphasis in this work on solid-state physics, particu- larly on semiconductor theory and applications.This book is an in-depth ‘state-of-the-art’ assessment of the topic. The authors, in the preface, state that microtechnologies, and above all semiconductor technology, have made such rapid advances that no end can currently be discerned for this development. In view of this statement one wonders whether continued progress in this active field may necessitate the updating of certain topics in this book. The authors have disciplined themselves to avoid mention of historical development of the various aspects of particle- beam microanalysis but counteract this with a good set of references at the end of each chapter. The book is intended for the mature worker and not for the beginner in the field of particle-beam microanalysis, and its clinical-like approach may not appeal to every reader.The book has been produced with care and the occasional minor discrepancy is not dis- tracting. The first chapter is a definitive overview of microanalytical particle-beam methods. It reviews analytical errors and detec- tion limits and is a good brief introduction to the subject. The second chapter is entitled ‘Fundamentals’ and presents some refresher information on a number of concepts of solid- state physics which are needed to understand the methods of analysis described throughout the book. This chapter is adequate and well referenced. Scanning electron microscopes (SEM) are used as routinely as optical microscopes.There are a large range of models from the simple SEM to complex automatic linewidth measurement systems. All these instruments are based essen- tially on the same design principles. Chapter 3 covers the basic SEM principles, instrumentation, detectors, signal and image processing. It also includes specimen preparation, imag- ing with secondary electrons and with back-scattered elec- trons, cathodoluminescence and concludes with a brief description of the principles of thermal wave microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is outlined in Chapter 4.Initially it is compared with SEM. The principles of TEM systems, are suitably covered. Analytical electron microscopy is introduced at this point to prepare the reader for the in-depth treatment that is given in Chapter 5.Particular attention is given to specimen preparation as this often accounts for the major part of the work involved to ensure successful TEM application. The specific requirements of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) are com- pared in detail with those of conventional TEM (CTEM) highlighting image contrast illumination and detection. Chapter 5, dealing with electron-beam X-ray microanalysis should attract the practising analyst who requires qualitative analysis and quantitative data on micro regions on solid surfaces. The text offers background information to assist an analyst who has received training and has instrument operating manuals. Whilst the theoretical comparison between EDS and WDS spectrometers is adequate a clearer interpret- ation of real and virtual standards for EDS, spectrum ‘fit index’ and dot-mapping procedures would be of value to the practising analyst.Looking at the vista of material and life sciences in academic institutions and industry there are prob- ably slightly more TEM instruments than SEM instruments in use and about half of these electron microscopes have an associated X-ray analytical facility. With this in mind, the main user/reader interest in this book will be Chapters 3, 4 and 5. Auger electron microanalysis (Chapter 6), secondary ion mass spectrometry (Chapter 7) and electron-beam testing (Chapter 8) are comprehensively described in the systematic style noted for SEM and TEM.Secondary ion mass spec- trometry (SIMS) is the mass spectrometry of atomic or molecular particles which are emitted when a solid surface is bombarded by energetic primary particles (sputtering). SIMS is surface destructive and surface specific, and over the last decade it has developed into a powerful technique for studying the chemical state of surfaces. Dynamic SIMS, static SIMS and imaging SIMS are described. The systematic style of description reviews the mode of operation of the instruments, sample preparation, evaluation of the measured signals as well as detection limits. This book demonstrates that no one technique can solve all problems and many analytical approaches are necessary. The book concludes (Chapter 9) with a selection of practical examples drawn mainly from the field of semiconductor technology demonstrating the range and limitations of the various particle-beam methodologies described in the text.The authors are to be congratulated for this valuable contri- bution to microanalytical literature. R. G. Blezard Received 1st August, 1991 Solid State lonics. By T. Kudo and K. Fueki. VCH, Weinheim, 1990. Pp. ix+241. Price €67. Readers of Journal of Materials Chemistry need hardly be reminded that solid state ionics as a subject has developed from concept to maturity in the space of about 30 years. In fact, the authors of this monograph attribute the first use of the term to Professor Takehiko Takahashi in 1960. Several specialized reviews of the area are available, such as Solid Electrolytes, edited by Hagenmuller and Van Gool in 1978, and (too recent for reference in the present volume) Superionic Solids and Solid Electrolytes: Recent Trends, edited by Laskar and Chandra in 1989.The need for an intermediate-level monograph that approaches the subject from the point of view of a graduate student or practising scientist who is entering the field is a real one, and this book has the potential of satisfying this niche for the next few years at least in this rapidly-changing field. Much well established information is already available; in fact, the contents of this book follow closely that of Hagenmuller and Van Gool. The book is divided into three parts: Fundamentals, Mater- ials and Applications.It is not always clear what audience is addressed in the Fundamentals section; if a beginning worker in the area, then the chapters The Concept of Solid State Ionics, Electronic Conduction in Metals and Semiconductors, Point Defects in Ionic Crystals, Diffusion in Ionic Crystals, and Electronic Conduction in Mixed Conductors will provide a useful introduction at an elementary level, although occasionally the reader seems to be expected to be familiar with concepts such as the Pierls (sic) transition and solitons. The worker new to the area would also benefit from a somewhat more extensive discussion of point defects and the associated nomenclature, which are used extensively in later sections on applications.On the other hand, if the reader is experienced in solid state chemistry and physics, these intro- ductory chapters are elementary. The Materials section comprises a long chapter on Solid Electrolytes, and a shorter chapter on Mixed Conductors. Sufficient detail is given to enable the reader to obtain a reasonable clear picture of some of the structural and defect properties that determine both electronic and ionic conduc- tivity. The final section of the book on Applications covers a wide variety of topics, as might be expected from the many devices which have been constructed using solid electrolytes. Thus there are chapters on Physico-chemical Measurements Using Solid State Electrochemical Cells, Batteries, Sensing Devices, Electrochemical Devices, and Photoelectrochemical Devices and Lithography.These chapters contain extensive references from the primary literature. Finally, there is an almost obliga- tory chapter on Future Prospects of Solid State Ionics, which suggests that the principal use may lie in chemical-to-electrical transducers rather than as energy storage devices. There is a good subject index; an author index would have been useful. The book thus covers in some detail the important, and many less important, areas in solid state ionics, and is a useful addition to any library despite two shortcomings. The first is a lack of specific references to standard texts and monographs in solid state chemistry and physics, which would serve as valuable aids for further reading, especially in the Funda- mentals section.The second is in the use (or misuse) of the English language. In a recent speech to a British Council training seminar on teaching English as a foreign language, the Prince of Wales observed that, as English becomes more and more the preferred language of international communi- cation, there is a danger of spoken English degenerating into a series of variants which may eventually be mutually incom- prehensible. The same could be said of written English, except that one might expect publishers to exercise particular care with manuscripts submitted by those whose native language is other than English. There is evidence that some care has been taken in this book, but it has been insufficient; this reviewer counted an average of about three errors in grammar, punctuation or spelling per page.Fortunately, most of these do not interfere with the meaning, and there are few really obscure passages: ‘Selective and reliable sensors are needed for the lockup system to monitor drunk driving’ is an atypical example. However, the accumulation of errors does reflect badly on the publisher and the authors, and on the overall quality of the book. J. W. Lorimer Receioed 8th August, 1991 Advances in the Synthesis and Reactivity of Solids, Volume 1. Ed. T. E. Mallouk. JAI Press, London, 1991. Pp. 300. Price €57.50. This is the opening volume of a new series that doubtless owes its inception to the present, extremely healthy state of materials chemistry research.Appropriately, the volume launches the series with a strong hand of contributions by distinguished authors, and the subjects chosen for review have, for the most part, been topics in which there have been substantial advances in recent years. The first chapter is devoted to the chemistry of high- J. MATER. CHEM., 1991, VOL. 1 temperature superconductors. The literature relating to this subject is so vast and in so chaotic a state that the preparation of a sound, well structured review of synthesis methods, characterisation and structure-property relationships rep-resents a valuable service to all those with an interest in the subject. The material is structured in a helpful fashion and the layout is very stylish so that the review is very readable, but it is a pity that here, as in other parts of the volume, a significant number of printing errors have survived proof reading.The theme of control over carrier density uia oxygen stoichiometry is presented clearly and it is refreshing to see related phenomena honestly acknowledged as ‘amazing’. The treatment of the modification of optical properties of organic molecules by incorporation into inclusion complexes is also a well up-to-date review and laid out so as to be enjoyable to read, but again, typographical errors are a distraction and the misplacing of a pair of figures to the wrong captions is potentially confusing. On the whole, how- ever, the review successfully illustrates this branch of photo science with an infectious enthusiasm.The study of conducting transition-metal oxides has a longer history than the other topics visited in this volume but the treatment here provides a clear insight into the crystal and electronic structures of the materials and the effects of doping. Ferroelectric liquid crystals have been known for only some 15 years and the story of their development represents a fascinating account of organic chemists tailoring molecules to achieve particular physical properties. The success in synthesis and understanding that has been achieved already is quite remarkable and this is likely to be a fertile area of development for years to come. Intercalation reactions have been known since the first half of the last century when early work focused on insertion into graphite. However, in the last 20 years or so, there has been an accelerating interest in this type of chemistry, in which solids with new physical properties can be prepared at rela- tively low temperatures.Much of this work has been driven by an interest in materials for electrical applications and a large part of the review here deals with the important area of lithium intercalation into cathode hosts in lithium battery systems. A second area in which intercalation processes can be exploited to exercise crucial control over electrical properties, is in the production of superconducting formulations. The intercalation of oxygen into complex oxides and intercalation of various species into transition-metal chalcogenides to pro- duce superconductors are both reviewed.In summary, this collection of reviews will be an asset in any library. As with all such series, however, the true test of its lasting success will be whether or not the high standard set by the first volume can be sustained. P.T. Moseley Receioed 27th August, 1991 Introduction to Nonlinear Optical Effects in Molecules and Polymers. P. N. Prasad and D. J. Williams. Wiley, New York, 1991. Pp x+305. The explosion of interest in the field of photonics in general, and in nonlinear optics (NLO) in particular, seems to be following a similar pattern to other recent high-technology fields such as conducting polymers and high-temperature superconductors.After an initial meteoric rise in popularity which attracts a great deal of interdisciplinary interest, and J. MATER. CHEM., 1991, VOL. 1 much superficial and hasty publication, a sobering realization sets in that much hard work remains to be done before the new field can be deemed mature. As in most interdisciplinary fields, the primary literature sources are scattered across many fields, and it is quite difficult for neophytes to learn what has been done, and more importantly, what needs to be done. This needed introduction to the field of nonlinear optics has now finally been provided by Paras Prasad and David Williams. The need for this book, I believe, has been particularly felt by synthetic chemists and materials scientists, who in general are not well versed in the arcane details of laser spectroscopy or applied optics.This book takes great pains to introduce the physics fundamentals underlying a detailed understanding of the origin of optical nonlinearity in the first several chapters, and provides clear descriptions of both the similarities and differences between second- and third-order processes. Chap- ters 6 and 9 review the common methods by which micro- scopic hyperpolarizabilities and macroscopic susceptibilities may be determined experimentally, and how the measurement technique chosen will often dictate the exact nature of the nonlinearity probed. Chapters 7 and 10 provide up-to-date (1990) surveys of second- and third-order materials, and provide a critical review of the advantages and disadvantages of single crystals, polymer films and Langmuir-Blodgett films for second- and third-order NLO applications.Prasad and Williams have tried to emphasize the import- ance of understanding how three- and four-wave mixing gives rise to optical nonlinearity. This is exemplified by very clear and precise descriptions of electric-field-induced second har- monic generation (EFISH) and degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) techniques. In addition, a great deal of time is spent in explaining how resonant us. non-resonant behaviour arises, and the importance of pulse duration on the observed mechan- ism of nonlinearity. In general, none of this is understood by newcomers to the field (the reviewer included), nor is this information usually obtainable in convenient format.Also useful are brief descriptions of current theoretical models, as well as a critical comparison between the capabilities of ab initio and semi-empirical approaches to structure-property relationships. The latter portion of the text is devoted to brief descriptions of how useful devices can be designed around NLO materials capabilities, and a final chapter defining future directions for research. For each type of device or application, the authors provide a synopsis of where current state-of-the-art resides uis d uis available materials. Useful comparisons to inorganic materials such as lithium niobate are also discussed for organic crystals and polymers with respect to the various types of device. A number of typographical and chemical formula errors have managed to go undetected, but most are obvious and should not cause any serious confusion to the astute reader. All in all, this book is an excellent introduction to the field of nonlinear optics and should encourage scientists from various synthetic or materials backgrounds to enter the new and fascinating world of photonics. In particular, this text should prove to be most useful for graduate students in the field, and it could easily serve as a text for a special topics course. C. Spangler Received 2nd September, 1991