Titel Deelnemers "Defect density reduction of the Al2O3/GaAs(001) interface by using H2S molecular beam passivation" "C Merckling, Y Chang, C Lu, J Penaud, G Brammertz, M Scarrozza, G Pourtois, J Kwo, M Hong, J Dekoster, M Meuris, Marc Heyns, M Caymax" "Over-reflection of slow magnetosonic waves by homogeneous shear flow: Analytical solution" "ZD Dimitrov, Yana Maneva, TS Hristov, TM Mishonov" "Investigations of phase transitions in liquid crystals by means of adiabatic scanning calorimetry" "Jan Thoen, George Cordoyiannis, Christ Glorieux" "High resolution calorimetric techniques have substantially contributed in characterizing and understanding the delicate thermal behaviour near many phase transitions in liquid crystals. In this paper we describe a high-resolution adiabatic scanning calorimetric technique that has proven to be an important tool to discriminate between first-order and second-order phase transitions in addition to render high-resolution information on fluctuations induced pretransitional specific heat capacity behaviour. The capabilities of adiabatic scanning calorimetry are illustrated with experimental results for the isotropic to nematic and the isotropic to smectic A transitions for a series of alkylcyanobiphenyl compounds. For the nematic to smectic A transition results are presented for pure compounds and mixtures of liquid crystals as well as on the effects of added nonmesogenic solutes and nanoparticles. For chiral molecules results for phase transitions involving blue phases and twist grain boundary phases are considered." "Life at ultralow interfacial tension: wetting, waves and droplets in demixed colloid-polymer mixtures" "HNW Lekkerkerker, VWA de Villeneuve, JWJ de Folter, M Schmidt, Y Hennequin, D Bonn, Joseph Indekeu, DGAL Aarts" "Mixtures of colloids and polymers display a rich phase behavior, involving colloidal gas (rich in polymer, poor in colloid), colloidal liquid (poor in polymer, rich in colloid) and colloidal crystal phases (poor in polymer, highly ordered colloids). Recently, the colloidal gas-colloidal liquid interface received considerable attention as well. Due to the colloidal length scale the interfacial tension is much lower than in the atomic or molecular analog (nN/m instead of mN/m). This ultra-low interfacial tension has pronounced effects on the kinetics of phase separation, the colloidal gas-liquid profile near a single wall and the thermally induced fluctuations of the interface. The amplitudes of these thermally excited capillary waves are restrained by the interfacial tension and are for that reason of the order of the particle diameter. Therefore, in molecular systems, the capillary waves can only be seen indirectly in scattering experiments. In colloidal systems, however, the wave amplitudes are on a (sub) micrometer scale. This fact enables the direct observation of capillary waves in both real space and real time using confocal scanning laser microscopy. Moreover, the real space technique enables us to demonstrate the strong influence of interface fluctuations on droplet coalescence and droplet break up." "Confinement effects on strongly polar alkylcyanobiphenyl liquid crystals probed by dielectric spectroscopy" "Jan Leys, Christ Glorieux, Jan Thoen" "Dielectric spectroscopy has often been used to study confinement effects in alkylcyanobiphenylliquid crystals. In this paper, we highlight some of the effects that have been discoveredpreviously and add new data and interpretation. Aerosil nanoparticles form a hydrogen bondedrandom porous network. In dispersions of alkylcyanobiphenyls with aerosils, an additional slowprocess arises, that we ascribe to the relaxation of liquid crystal molecules in close interactionwith these nanoparticles. Their relaxation is retarded by a hydrogen bond interaction betweenthe cyano group of the liquid crystals and an aerosil surface hydroxyl group. A similar surfaceprocess is also observed in Vycor porous glass, a random rigid structure with small pores. Acomparison of the temperature dependence of the relaxation times of the surface processes indecylcyanobiphenyl and isopentylcyanobiphenyl is made, both for Vycor and aerosilconfinement. In decylcyanobiphenyl, the temperature dependence for the bulk and surfaceprocesses is Arrhenius (in a limited temperature range above the melting point), except inVycor, where it is a Vogel–Fulcher–Tamman dependence (over a much broader temperaturerange). In bulk and confined isopentylcyanobiphenyl, the molecular processes have aVogel–Fulcher–Tamman dependence, whereas the surface processes have an Arrhenius one.Another effect is the acceleration of the rotation around the short molecular axis in confinement,and particularly in aerosil dispersions. This is a consequence of the disorder introduced in theliquid crystalline phase. The disorder drives the relaxation time towards a more isotropic value,resulting in an acceleration for the short axis rotation." "Hyperfine interactions: the past, the present and the future" "Guido Langouche" "Five major hyperfine interaction techniques, detected by nuclear radiation, originated in the short time span between 1950 and 1965. The coincidence with the demographic expansion, especially in Europe, of university education led to the creation of many new research laboratories applying these promising techniques in solid state physics, chemistry and biology. Since the turn of century many of the early pioneers are going into retirement, leading to a decline in activities in Europe, compensated in some degree by an increase in activities outside Europe. The organisation of the 2007 HI/NQI-conference was impeccable and took place in a superb setting. Thanks to all those involved in its organization."