Ice is one of the most abundant and environmentally important materials on Earth, and its unique and intriguing physical properties present fascinating areas of study for a wide variety of researchers. This book is about the physics of ice, by which is meant the properties of the material itself and the ways in which these properties are interpreted in terms of water molecules and crystalline structure. Although ice has a simple crystal structure its hydrogen bonding results in unique properties, which continue to be the subject of active research. In this book the physical principles underlying the properties of ice are carefully developed at a level aimed at pure and applied researchers in the field. Important topics like current understandings of the electrical, mechanical, and surface properties, and the occurrence of many different crystalline phases are developed in a coherent way for the first time. An extensive reference list and numerous illustrations add to the usefulness and readability of the text.

The 2003 International Conference "Hydrogen Materials Science and Chemistry of Carbon Nanomaterials" was held in September 2003. In the tradition of the earlier ICHMS conferences, this meeting served as an interdisciplinary forum for the presentation and discussion of the most recent research on transition to hydrogen-based energy systems, technologies for hydrogen production, storage, utilization, materials, energy and environmental problems. The aim of the volume is to provide an overview of the latest scientific results on research and development in the different topics cited above. The representatives from industry, public laboratories, universities and governmental agencies have presented the most recent advances in hydrogen concepts, processes and systems, to evaluate current progress in these areas of investigations and to identify promising research directions for the future.