The aim of the Journal of Alloys and Compounds is identical to the journal's aim under its previous title: Journal of the Less-Common Metals. The journal was originally intended to serve as an international medium for the publication of work on the physical sciences of usually called less-common-metals, their compounds and their alloys. Its great strength lies in the diversity of discipline which it encompasses, drawing together results from materials science, solid-state chemistry and physics. The interdisciplinary nature of the journal is evident in many subject areas. Experimental and theoretical approaches to materials problems require an active interplay between a variety of traditional and novel scientific disciplines. In much of the work published in the journal, synthetic and structural studies are combined with investigations of chemical and physical properties of alloys and compounds, contributing to the development of areas of current scientific interest. The Journal of Alloys and Compounds provides a unique international forum where materials scientists, chemists and physicists can present their results both to workers in their own fields and to others active in related areas.