Introduction to Part B: Optical Materials and Biomaterials in Security and Defence Systems Technology

Dear reader, welcome to the Proceedings of the 2014 conference on Optical Materials and Biomaterials in Security and Defense Systems Technology held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 22-23 September 2014. This conference highlighted state of the art emerging nano-bio materials and devices and their role in the development of new security and defense systems. Outstanding scientists, as well as R&D representatives from high tech companies, made great contributions to address innovative biopolymers and advanced materials for application in optolectronic and photonic devices. Three conference sessions focused on optical photo-assisted chemical, electrochemical sensing. Rich and exciting discussions in all six sessions were a good stimulus to promote closer collaboration and awareness of common objectives and potential advances in a multidisciplinary approach to innovative defense systems technology. The conference was an excellent frame in which researchers from different areas ranging from materials science to physics, from chemistry and biology to engineering, had close discussions with industrial partners. Moreover, it is worth stressing how the Panel Discussion on "The Need for a Step Forward in Sensing. Electrochemical and Optical Sensing: Competition, Complementary, Hyphenation, Application," established a real and effective pillar on standard materials and methodologies for hyphenated sensing. The problems arising at the intersection of academia and research centres with industrial companies were also a subject of discussion. A report on this exciting Panel Discussion is included in the subsequence pages. All the published manuscripts were peer reviewed and we would like to thank all the authors of this volume for their valuable contributions and the referees for ensuring the high quality of the published papers. The contributions of the Organizers and Session Chairs are gratefully acknowledged too. Special thanks are due to Bob Liebermann for his great contribution to the Panel Discussion.