This volume documents the scientific events of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on The Preparation of Nanoparticles in Solutions and in Solids. The ARW was held in the second largest city in Hungary, Szeged, truthfully referred to as "the city of sunshine", from March 8 to March 13, 1996. The seventy-seven participants, including seventeen students, came from twentyone different countries. Housing all participants together and arranging a number of social activities fostered lively discussions both inside and outside of formal sessions. Twenty-one key lectures were presented in five sessions. Each session was followed by a fortyfive minutes of general discussion. One evening was devoted to the presentation of fifty-five posters. Thirty-two contribution were submitted and accepted for publication in the present volume. The volume also contains the minutes of the discussions, and a summary of the conclusions of the working groups. The ARW was organized under the auspices and financial support of NATO, City of Szeged, European Research Office of the US Army, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungarian National Committee for Technological Development (OMBF), International Association of Colloid and Interface Scientists IACIS, and National Science Foundation (NSF). Both the organizers and participants gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the agencies. The Editors also thank the high quality and creative contributions of the participants. It is they who made this volume a reality. Janos H. fendler Irnre Dekany ix Glossary of Some Names and Acronyms Advanced Materials Man-made materials having superior mechanical, thennal, electrical, optical, and other desirable properties.
