Introduction

Abstract

It is no surprise to note that the technological importance of amorphous solids has mushroomed over the past few years. Of course, this is not to say that they have been insignificant in the past. In fact, the use of glass in decorative and packaging applications has a history of more than 10, 000 years. However, it was not until the advent of electrophotographic copying only about 25 years ago that the electronic properties of amorphous materials began to be exploited. In the very brief time since this breakthrough, we have seen the development of commercial computer memories, television pick-up tubes, solar cells, x-ray mirrors, thermoelectric devices, and imaging films based on amorphous materials, and we are on the verge of adding batteries, catalysts, video disks, displays, transient suppressors, and an array of other applications to this list. Yet most solid-state scientists appear to be unaware of even the existence of these materials, much less of their importance. Few textbooks deal with anything but crystalline solids and there is little evidence that even graduate-level courses at all but a handful of universities devote much time to their properties.