Preface-ECCG5

Crystallization is a physical process of separation and purification of many essential materials for several uses that are fundamental in the daily life and have a strong economic impact. The strong social relevance of crystallization has gathered the efforts among and across distinct scientific disciplines to understand the basic processes and to develop new technologies that can increase the number of crystallization strategies with aim to improve the control over the chemical and physical properties of crystals. The themed issue "Vision for Crystal Growth" of the Journal of Crystal Growth was conceived during the organization of the 5th European Conference for Crystal Growth (ECCG5) held in Bologna, Italy in September 2015. This meeting took place with the support of the Crystal Growth section of Italian Association of Crystallography (AIC) and the European Network of Crystal Growth and had the aim to have a state of art of the crystallization in all its visions and to establish a discussion among researchers. The conference chairs and international advisory board chairs planned a conference programme that represented the polyhedral involvement of crystallization science and presented the recent discoveries in the field. The conference sessions were dedicated to nucleation and growth kinetics, theory and modeling, bulk crystal growth, epitaxial growth, nanostructures and nanoporous crystals, advance in crystal growth technology, novel materials and structures, in-situ monitoring, structural defects and their characterization in crystalline materials, product and process design of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, growth of biological materials and biologically-controlled growth. The papers in this issue are distributed accordingly. The conference was attended by more than 400 delegates from over 50 countries. The final income was an inspiring, stimulating and enjoyable meeting of European and international crystal growth research communities. This themed issue of Journal of Crystal Growth reports relevant visions for crystal growth presented at ECCG5 that emphasizes the growth of crystalline materials from solutions, melts and from the vapor phases. We are pleased to present to the Journal readership this collection of papers hoping to help for further development of ideas for the advancement of crystallization.