Nanoporous materials represent very important group of materials with a broad potential starting from model well-defined materials up to industrial adsorbents and particularly catalysts. Three main groups of these materials can be identified and their synthesis, properties, and existing or potential applications are discussed in this special issue of Topics in Catalysis. First, zeolites the chemistry of them is the best understood and a high number of their applications is successfully operating in chemical industry. Second, mesoporous molecular sieves exhibiting an extreme and rapid development since their first successful synthesis in 1992 provide desired expansion to large pore system. Last but not least, metal-organic-framework (MOF) combining both organic and inorganic moieties in their structures expanded extremely in recent years mainly due to a large variability of building blocks available and easy synthesis procedures. All three types of nanoporous materials are in a smaller or larger extent covered in this issue.

Organization of the 14th International Congress on Catalysis in Seoul, July 13–18, 2008, gave us excellent opportunity to invite leading researchers in the field of nanoporous materials from different countries to present their recent results and also to create a stimulating atmosphere for young students and post-docs participating in this workshop. This special issue covers most of the invited lectures and also the best contributions of young researchers presented as posters. We believe that the issue will not only remember to all participants pleasant and enthusiastic atmosphere of the workshop but also for other readers will be clear evidence about the recent progress and potential in the field of nanoporous materials.

Finally, we would like to thank all participants for their timely contributions, our sponsors including the Sogang University, SK, Centre for Nanomaterials, Quantachrome, and Korean Zeolite Association and also Sir John Meurig Thomas and Prof. Gabor Somorjai as Editors-in-Chief of Topics in Catalysis for publishing this issue.