Editorial Note

This special section of Materials Research Bulletin is dedicated to the publication of some selected and peer-reviewed papers presented at Materiais2017, the XVIII Congresso da Sociedade Portuguesa de Materiais and VIII International Symposium on Materials. Materiais2017 was hosted in Aveiro, Portugal, from the 9-12 April 2017, chaired by Prof. Paula Vilarinho, and it continues the well-known materiais conferences organised every two years by the Portuguese Materials Society (SPM), this being the eighteenth National and the eighth International Materials Conference, since the inaugural one, held in Lisbon in 1983. It covers all areas of materials, from Functional Materials, Structural Materials and Processing Technologies to Characterisation and Modelling, and it aims at the dissemination of knowledge and breakthrough ideas, exploring materials and bringing science solutions to the world. In 2017 we had the twin themes of “Exploring the Latest Progress in Materials Development” and “Bringing Science Solutions to the World”. We had over 400 abstracts submitted from 36 countries, and the conference consisted of around 200 presentations and 200 posters, as well as Plenary and Keynote talks, two Schools for students, a Technology Showcase, a Debate on Additive Manufacturing, and a satellite event on Energy Materials. This special section contains six papers covering different topics of science and technology of materials. Many thanks for both the contribution of participants and organisers, and we hope you will enjoy it.