Acknowledgements

I am deeply indebted to all the students who have taken the course on Chemistry of Materials that I have taught over the years, interactions with whom have shaped the content and style of this book. The extent of focus on the various concepts throughout the book was tailored by the responses of the students including many of my research students, in the class, in examinations and during informal discussions. My own learning of the subject initiated during my B.Sc. and M.Sc. courses, expanded during doctoral studies under the supervision of Professor Zoltán G. Soos, and the many interactions with the post-doctoral researcher in the group at that time, Dr S. Ramasesha; I owe whatever I have learnt to all my teachers and subsequently my students.

My colleague Professor Ghanashyam Krishna (School of Physics, University of Hyderabad) and Professor S. Ramasesha (Indian Institute of Science) read the complete manuscript and provided highly insightful comments and suggestions; I am extremely grateful to both of them for this invaluable help. I would like to note that the presentations at select areas in this book have benefited from the logical sequences adopted in well-known textbooks like those of C. Kittel, G. I. Epifanov, and H. V. Keer. The final shape of the book is significantly influenced by the guidance provided by Dr. Michelle Carey, Ms. Katie Morrey, Dr. Polly Wilson, and Ms. Amina Headley at the Royal Society of Chemistry; I thank them for the critical support.

I thank my wife Latha and son Vishnu, for their unstinting support throughout the writing of this book, and for sharing their thoughts on several generic as well as technical aspects.