The Fifth International Symposium on the Characterisation of Porous Solids (COPS-V) was held at Heidelberg, Germany, from May 30 to June 2, 1999. About 220 participants from 25 countries enjoyed a very successful meeting with 32 lectures and 155 poster presentations.
The Symposium started with a highly stimulating lecture by Sir John Meurig Thomas, Cambridge, highlighting the recent developments in engineering of new catalysts. The following two full sessions were devoted to theory, modelling and simulation which provide the basis for the interpretation of pore structural data of adsorbents and finely dispersed solids. Sessions 2 and 3 focused on the advances in the synthesis and characterisation of highly ordered inorganic adsorbents and carbons. Sessions 4 and 5 addressed important questions with respect to the characterisation of porous solids by sorption measurement and other related techniques.
The intensive three-day programme provided a stimulating forum for the exchange of novel research findings, concepts, techniques and materials which are collected in this volume.

IMRET 5 featured more than 80 oral and poster communications, covering the entire interdisciplinary field from design, production, modeling and characterization of microreactor devices to application of microstructured systems for production, energy and transportation, including many analytical and biological applications. A particularly strong topic was the investigation of the potential of microstructuring of reactors and systems components for process intensification. Perspectives of combining local, in situ, data acquisition with appropriate microstructuring of actuators and components within chemical and biological devices were explored in order to enhance process performance and facilitate process control.

IMRET 5 featured more than 80 oral and poster communications, covering the entire interdisciplinary field from design, production, modeling and characterization of microreactor devices to application of microstructured systems for production, energy and transportation, including many analytical and biological applications. A particularly strong topic was the investigation of the potential of microstructuring of reactors and systems components for process intensification. Perspectives of combining local, in situ, data acquisition with appropriate microstructuring of actuators and components within chemical and biological devices were explored in order to enhance process performance and facilitate process control.