On behalf of the Organizing Committees, it is my pleasure to invite you to participate in the 13th European Conference on Applications of Surface and Interface Analysis, the ECASIA'09.
In our everyday life, we frequently encounter and deal with various surface properties like adhesion, hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, wettability, self-cleaning, wear and corrosion, etc. All of these surface properties are governed and dictated by the few outermost layers of materials. Nature has adopted several intelligent strategies in controlling the surface properties, but man is still in the learning phase. A good example is the "Lotus-Leaf”, which has been a symbol of purity and cleanliness in many cultures and has also been an important central theme in Seljukian and Ottoman ceramics and tiles. The plant easily controls the surfaces of its leaves and stays clean even in dirty and murky waters.
However, understanding the surface properties of materials at the molecular level requires sophisticated, expensive and large research equipment working in a very high vacuum environment and under large electrical and/or magnetic fields. Therefore, for optimal use of such expensive equipment (on the order of 0.5 Million Euros), sharing and dissemination of knowledge emerge as a natural necessity.
Developments in techniques for characterizing surface structures on a continuously decreasing scale seem not to have lost their pace, even after five decades of intense activity. About 25 years ago, it was felt that organizing a conference in this field would help meet the increasing need for scientific exchange. This resulted in the first ECASIA conference, held in Veldhoven in the Netherlands in 1985. The ECASIA biannual conferences (www.ecasia.org) since then have been aimed at and intended for those using surface analytical, surface specific or surface sensitive techniques for applied purposes. In general, the applications will arise from industrial and technological problems with special consideration of developments of more useful and functional materials and techniques.
I myself have been attending these conferences regularly since the ECASIA'95 in Montreux, and the idea of organizing one in Turkey had been brought up all along. We made an offer during the ECASIA'05 in Vienna. Our offer was accepted, and this will be the first time that an ECASIA conference takes place outside the formal borders of Europe. The ECASIA'09 will be held in Antalya, located at the beautiful Mediterranean Coast of Turkey, which is favored by many Europeans for its climate and history.
The ECASIA conferences have covered all relevant developments in the field in the past twenty-five years, during which the spectrum of the subfields of interests has broadened significantly. In accordance with the tradition, the scientific programme of the ECASIA´09 will reflect these developments, both with respect to the invited lecturers as well as the contributed papers. Presentation of state-of-the-art equipment for surface analysis as well as corresponding accessories will take place in the exhibition during ECASIA'09. It is to be expected that the meeting will provide an excellent platform for an exchange between scientists from industry, academia, government and suppliers of equipment for surface analysis. The social programme will also be rich since October for Antalya is special, free of the summer heat and the crowd, but still pleasant enough even for swimming.
In the spirit and tradition of Turkish Hospitality, I look forward to welcoming you all to ECASIA'09 in Antalya
In our everyday life, we frequently encounter and deal with various surface properties like adhesion, hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, wettability, self-cleaning, wear and corrosion, etc. All of these surface properties are governed and dictated by the few outermost layers of materials. Nature has adopted several intelligent strategies in controlling the surface properties, but man is still in the learning phase. A good example is the "Lotus-Leaf”, which has been a symbol of purity and cleanliness in many cultures and has also been an important central theme in Seljukian and Ottoman ceramics and tiles. The plant easily controls the surfaces of its leaves and stays clean even in dirty and murky waters.
However, understanding the surface properties of materials at the molecular level requires sophisticated, expensive and large research equipment working in a very high vacuum environment and under large electrical and/or magnetic fields. Therefore, for optimal use of such expensive equipment (on the order of 0.5 Million Euros), sharing and dissemination of knowledge emerge as a natural necessity.
Developments in techniques for characterizing surface structures on a continuously decreasing scale seem not to have lost their pace, even after five decades of intense activity. About 25 years ago, it was felt that organizing a conference in this field would help meet the increasing need for scientific exchange. This resulted in the first ECASIA conference, held in Veldhoven in the Netherlands in 1985. The ECASIA biannual conferences (www.ecasia.org) since then have been aimed at and intended for those using surface analytical, surface specific or surface sensitive techniques for applied purposes. In general, the applications will arise from industrial and technological problems with special consideration of developments of more useful and functional materials and techniques.
I myself have been attending these conferences regularly since the ECASIA'95 in Montreux, and the idea of organizing one in Turkey had been brought up all along. We made an offer during the ECASIA'05 in Vienna. Our offer was accepted, and this will be the first time that an ECASIA conference takes place outside the formal borders of Europe. The ECASIA'09 will be held in Antalya, located at the beautiful Mediterranean Coast of Turkey, which is favored by many Europeans for its climate and history.
The ECASIA conferences have covered all relevant developments in the field in the past twenty-five years, during which the spectrum of the subfields of interests has broadened significantly. In accordance with the tradition, the scientific programme of the ECASIA´09 will reflect these developments, both with respect to the invited lecturers as well as the contributed papers. Presentation of state-of-the-art equipment for surface analysis as well as corresponding accessories will take place in the exhibition during ECASIA'09. It is to be expected that the meeting will provide an excellent platform for an exchange between scientists from industry, academia, government and suppliers of equipment for surface analysis. The social programme will also be rich since October for Antalya is special, free of the summer heat and the crowd, but still pleasant enough even for swimming.
In the spirit and tradition of Turkish Hospitality, I look forward to welcoming you all to ECASIA'09 in Antalya
