Preface to the special issue ''high-temperature joining''

Under the auspices of the European Congress on Advanced Materials and Processes (EUROMAT 2009), sponsored by the Federation of European Materials Societies, and held in Glasgow (UK) on September 7-10, 2009, two International Symposia titled Physicochemical Phenomena in Wetting and Adhesion and Technology and Characterization, were organized under the specific Conference Topic ''Joining.'' This premier event in Europe for Materials Science and Technology has seen, in particular, the basic principles and the technological aspects of joining processes examined in their diverse forms and implications.