The combination of solid materials of different structural
dimensionality with atomic or molecular guest species via intercalation
processes represents a unique and widely variable low temperature
synthesis strategy for the design of solids with particular composition,
structure and physical properties. In the last decade this field has
experienced a rapid development and represents now an established
specific domain of solid state research and materials science.
Substantial progress has been made with respect to an understanding of
the complex relationship between structure, bonding, physical properties
and chemical reactivity since the first volume on the subject appeared
in this series in 1979 (Intercalated Layered Materials, F. Levy, ed.).
The purpose of this volume is to present a survey on progress and per-
spectives based on the treatment of a series of major areas of
activities in this field. By the very nature of its subject this
monograph has an interdisciplinary character and addresses itself to
chemists, physicists and materials scien- tists interested in
intercalation research and related aspects such as design and
characterization of complex materials, low temperature synthesis, solid
state reaction mechanisms, electronic/ionic conductivity, control of
electronic properties of solids with different structural dimensionality
and application of intercalation systems. Several chapters have been
devoted to specific groups of host lattices.