Preface

The 4th International and 6^th China–Japan Joint Symposium on Calorimetry and Thermal Analysis (CATS-2005) organised by the Japanese Society of Calorimetry and Thermal Analysis and the Committee of Chemical Thermodynamics and Thermal Analysis (CTTA) of the Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) were successfully convened in Fukuoka, JAPAN on 6–8 October 2005.

The Joint Symposium on Calorimetry and Thermal Analysis of Japan and China has been held in four years since 1986. The first and the second symposiums were held in Hangzhou, China in 1986 and in Osaka, Japan in 1990, respectively. The third was extended to the First International and Third China–Japan Symposium and held in Xian, China in 1991. The Second International and the Fourth Japan–China Joint Symposium (CATS-99) were held in Tsukuba, Japan in 1999. The 3rd International and the 5th China–Japan Joint Symposium on Calorimetry and Thermal Analysis (CATS-2002) was held in Lanzhou, China in 2002. This symposium is the 20^th anniversary of the memorial symposium since the commencement with great leaders: Prof. R. Hu, Prof. W. Yan, Prof. S. Seki, Prof. T. Ozawa and Prof. H. Suga. During this twenty years, this International and Japan–China Joint Symposium on Calorimetry and Thermal Analysis have reached some turning points to extend close relationship and collaboration. The year of 2005 remains very memorable as a milestone to step into a brighter future.

At the symposium CATS-2005, two plenary lectures were presented by Prof. Buxing, Han (The Chinese Academy of Science) on ‘Thermodynamics of Supercritical Fluids, Ionic Liquids, and Supercritical Fluid/Ionic Liquid Systems‘ and Prof. Michiko Kodama (Okayama University of Science) on ‘Thermal Behavior of Sphingolipid Bilayer Systems‘. 62 oral presentations were made at the Symposium, which were attended by over 90 participants from Japan, China, France, USA. A total of 127 scientific contributions were presented. This special issue of Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry contains 36 selected papers presented at the Symposium which were peer reviewed by two independent referees. These papers cover a wide range of topics from calorimetry and thermal analysis in the following scientific sessions: reactions, thermal decompositions, solutions, colloid surfaces, environments, biomaterials, inorganic materials, bio- and pharmaceutical materials, organic- and polymeric materials. This selection may give an impression about the ongoing workin the field of thermal analysis and calorimetry in Japan and China at present.

Sponsorship, financial support and other forms of assistance were provided to the symposium by The Society of Promotion for Calorimetry and Thermal Analysis, Japan, Avancè Techne Accent Corp, Mettler- Toledo GmbH, Kitto Chemical Co. Ltd., Kyushyu University and Kinki University. Also the voluntary support of the students from our laboratories is greatly acknowledged.

The main purpose of the symposium was to focus on the fundamental and applied research carried out with thermal analysis and calorimetry, and present a deeper insight into several interdisciplinary subjects. The most important aim was to bring specialists together to have the fully scientific and technological exchange particularly in the applications.

The Editors would like to thank all the Authors who have contributed to this special issue of Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, the referees for their painstaking efforts and the staff of Editorial Office for their help and encouragement.

Guest Editors