Thermal analysis and calorimetry in Central and Eastern Europe as a tool for solving diverse issues in different fields of science and applications

The 3rd Central and East European Conference on Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (CEEC-TAC3) was organized in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, from 25 to 28 of August 2015. The third in the series of CEEC-TAC conferences, dedicated to Thermal analysis and calorimetry as a tool for solving diverse issues in different fields of science and applications, was a continuation of the former two. The first conference took place in Craiova, Romania, in September 2011, and the second one was held in Vilnius, Lithuania, in August 2013. Even though the original idea of the Central and East European Conference on Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry was to interconnect researchers working in that broad field from the Central and Eastern European countries, from the very beginning the scientists all over the world contributed to this event. We are happy to say that the numbers of participating countries during CEEC-TAC conferences are constantly increasing: researchers from 32 different countries attended the CEEC-TAC1 conference, 35 countries participated in the CEEC-TAC2 conference, while the number increased to 41 countries (from 5 continents) in the CEEC-TAC3 conference.

Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia, a small country in the heart of Europe, where the Alps meet the Mediterranean and the Pannonian Plain meets the Karst. It is a lively industrial, commercial, administrative and cultural centre with a population of 300,000 people, of which 54,000 are students. Ljubljana has preserved evidence of all five millennia of its history, including the remains of the Roman city of Emona and the old city centre with its medieval castle and beautiful buildings with Baroque façades and decorative features. In the first half of the twentieth century, it was the world famous architect Jože Plečnik that put a personal stamp on his native city, and the so-called Plečnik’s Ljubljana ranks among the twentieth century’s most prominent total works of art. Ljubljana’s appearance was further shaped by Plečnik’s pupils and a whole new wave of renowned young Slovenian architects. Ljubljana has been named the 2016 European Green Capital.

During the CEEC-TAC3 conference in Ljubljana, researchers from all over the world brought attractive and detailed insights into various specific aspects in the field of thermal analysis and calorimetry and gave us a glimpse into the progress of the field itself, technical and measurement development, as well as new trans-disciplinary ideas. A wide range of topics was covered by 4 Plenary lectures, 2 Award Plenary lectures and 18 Invited Lectures; there were 4 parallel sessions of 21 oral presentations each and 3 poster sessions with 85 posters each. Beside the fundamental studies concerning kinetic analysis and mechanisms of chemical reactions, which can be studied with different thermal techniques, thermal analysis is also an indispensable tool in the field of material and life sciences. With the aid of other measuring techniques, it enables researchers to compose a complex picture from separate puzzles, each representing one of these techniques. We hope that novel ideas, scientific and practical knowledge were acquired during the lectures and informal discussions.

We would like to once again congratulate the researchers for their valuable contribution in the field of thermal analysis and calorimetry: the award for the “Distinguished TA&C Researcher in Central and Eastern Europe” was bestowed upon Professor Henryk Piekarski (Poland) on behalf of the CEEC-TAC Association and the Diamond Sponsor TA Instruments. The award for the “Outstanding Young TA&C Researcher in Central and Eastern Europe”, sponsored by Platinum Sponsor Mettler Toledo, was given to Dr Jiri Kucerik (Germany). Three Grants for Young Researchers, sponsored by Platinum Sponsor Netzsch, were bestowed to Dr Roman Svoboda (Czech Republic), Dr Claudiu Nicolicescu (Romania) and Dr Ida Chojnacka (Poland). Three travel grants were offered to Agnieszka Chojnacka (Poland), Maria Fernandez Lopez (Spain) and Oleg Petuhov (Moldova). Professor Jaroslav Šestak and Dr Pavel Holba (both from Czech Republic) became new honorary members of the CEEC-TAC Committee.

We are grateful to the people who contributed and supported the organization of this event, especially to the members of the Honorary Committee, Scientific Committee, International Organizing Committee, National Associations for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry from the Central and Eastern European Countries, Executive Organizing Committee, University of Ljubljana, the Municipality of Ljubljana, University of Craiova and INFLPR, Bucharest. We are very grateful to the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of the University of Ljubljana for providing an inspiring venue for the conference! We acknowledge the great support of our sponsors: TA INSTRUMENTS (Diamond Sponsor); METTLER TOLEDO and NETZSCH (Platinum Sponsors); SETARAM, DSC CONSUMABLES, and LINSEIS (Gold Sponsors). A special acknowledgement has to be addressed to the Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry for publishing one more volume dedicated to this subject and to the reviewers that put all effort in enhancing the scientific quality of the volume. Finally, we would like to thank all the people that helped, assisted and supported us during the preparation of the CEEC-TAC3 conference.

We hope that the CEEC-TAC3 conference was fruitful and that you enjoyed your stay in Ljubljana. We would like to cordially invite you to participate in our forthcoming CEEC-TAC4 conference in Moldova in 2017.

As the title of the Special Issue states, we are pleased to introduce Thermal analysis and calorimetry in Central and Eastern Europe as a tool for solving diverse issues in different fields of science and applications to the readers of the Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry.