The range of uses rare earth ions provide for technological development are seemingly endless. Professor Daniel Hewak, head of the Novel Glasses for Optoelectronic Devices Research Group at The University of Southampton, UK shows how this valuable commodity is already changing the world.

Dr Ronald D. Schaeffer, Chief Executive Officer at PhotoMachining Inc, Pelham, USA, looks at the processing benefits micromachining provides over existing technology.

With the global packaging market increasingly seeking more environmentally responsible solutions, a new melamine-based coating offers potential benefits.

As the medical field awaits new methods to enable fast and efficient treatment, the development of a multifunctional, mutilayered, nanovessicle, drug delivery system is highlighted

A review of the UK effort to learn about titanium and its alloys for improved properties, processing and application.

Karin Hing, Senior Lecturer in Biomaterials at Queen Mary, University of London, UK, outlines developments in bone grafting.

Anisotropic hydrogel systems for surgical tissue expansion have been developed to aid soft tissue growth. Dr Jinhyun Hannah Lee, Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, UK, reports on the process.

An in vitro approach for optimising implant biocompatibility has been developed by Damian Marshall, Principal Scientist for Cell Biology at LGC, and Paul Tomlins, Principal Scientist for biomaterials at NPL, both Teddington, UK, who outline the process.

David Farrar, Science Manager for Biomaterials at Smith & Nephew Research Centre, York, UK, gives an update on the development of bone adhesives.

Markus Schmid, Florian Wild and Karin Agulla, all of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Freising, Germany, outline the initial results of a project to produce recyclable and biodegradable packaging from dairy products.