The 7th International Symposium on Electrochemical/Chemical Reactivity of Metastable Materials

was held on August 19-23, 2003 in Warsaw, Poland

A series of International Symposia on reactivity of new materials were founded by Prof. M. Janik-Czachor, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences in 1993. The 7th Symposium was kept a rather small size, aiming at a continuation of the tradition established by the previous meetings held in Warsaw 1993, Szeged 1994, Warsaw 1996, Dresden 1997, Sendai 1998 and Mt. Tremblant 2001, for promoting various opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration of scientists from around the world in addition to presentation of new results, ideas and technologies in the field of chemical properties of novel materials including amorphous and nanocrystalline alloys obtained by rapid quenching, sputter deposition, mechanical alloying, electrodeposition and other chemical and physical methods.

Low reactivity is required to avoid degradation by localized and/or general corrosion, dissolution, hydrogen embrittlement, etc. High reactivity and selectivity are required for efficient electrocatalysts and catalysts. In order to meet these requirements papers on a variety of tailored materials were presented.

In the opening lecture Prof. K. Hashimoto, Tohoku Institute of Technology presented results of his, Japanese government supported, global CO₂ recycling project. Two important aspects of this lecture should be emphasised: a promising solution of the ecological problem for prevention of global warming and supply of renewable energy, and innovative use of novel materials with superior electrocatalytic and catalytic properties for hydrogen production and oxygen evolution in seawater electrolysis and carbon dioxide methanation. The importance of this project is world wide recognised. The lecture was followed by presentations of his co-workers. The opening session was chaired by Prof. K. J. Kurzydlowski, Technical University of Warsaw, the Deputy Minister of Science of the Polish Republic.

Structural effects in nanomaterials were discussed by Prof. T. Kulik, Technical University of Warsaw and Prof. S. M. Filipek, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences. The nanostructure-controlled application in catalysis was demonstrated by Prof. J. Augustynski , University of Geneve.

One of highlights of the symposium was presentations of studies inspired and/or conducted by Prof. A. Molnar, University of Szeged on novel catalysts with unique selectivity and activity. The studies have been performed taking advantage of the previous symposia as joint researches of scientific centres of Hungary, Poland, Germany and Italy, contributing to materials processing, activity characterization, surface characterization, etc.

Various aspects of corrosion and passivation of new materials including amorphous bulk alloys were discussed by Prof. K. Asami, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Prof. A. Gebert, Institute of Materials Science, Dresden, Prof. M. Janik-Czachor and their co-workers. Local phenomena and their high resolution investigations were discussed by Dr A. Sadkowski and Dr R. Nowakowski, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences and the representatives of Thermo VG Scientific, UK.

The Symposium was sponsored by the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, the Technical University of Warsaw, and the European Union.

The 8th Symposium is scheduled in 2005 in Hungary.