Thin films have an extremely broad range of applications from electronics and optics to new materials and devices. Collaborative and multidisciplinary efforts from physicists, materials scientists, engineers and others have established and advanced a field with key pillars constituting (i) the synthesis and processing of thin films, (ii) the understanding of physical properties in relation to the nanometer scale, (iii) the design and fabrication of nano-devices or devices with thin film materials as building blocks, and (iv) the design and construction of novel tools for characterization of thin films.Against the backdrop of the increasingly interdisciplinary field, this book sets off to inform the basics of thin film physics and thin film devices. Readers are systematically introduced to the synthesis, processing and application of thin films; they will also study the formation of thin films, their structure and defects, and their various properties - mechanical, electrical, semiconducting, magnetic, and superconducting. With a primary focus on inorganic thin film materials, the book also ventures on organic materials such as self-assembled monolayers and Langmuir-Blodgett films.This book will be effective as a teaching or reference material in the various disciplines, ranging from Materials Science and Engineering, Electronic Science and Engineering, Electronic Materials and Components, Semiconductor Physics and Devices, to Applied Physics and more. The original Chinese publication has been instrumental in this purpose across many Chinese universities and colleges.

Towards Carbon-Neutral Construction: High-Volume Mineral Admixtures in Cementitious Binders delivers an overview of the broad applications of high-volume supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in cementitious binders, addressing the most promising ways to use them to reduce carbon emissions in the construction and building industry. The book focuses on the applications and scientific challenges of high-volume SCMs blends, elaborating on the possibilities as well as offering original perspectives on using different kinds of blended cements in the manufacturing process. Emphasis is placed on activity estimation and quality assessment, the properties of high-volume SCM-blends at both the fresh and hardened stages, self-hydraulic properties, and potential use as the sole binder as well as associated environmental impacts and carbon footprint reduction. In response to the urgent need for achieving carbon neutrality in the construction industry, this book will provide indispensable guidance for academic researchers, materials scientists and engineers, and those working in construction materials manufacturing to aid efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and fight global warming.