This book sheds light on the molecular aspects of liquids and liquid-based materials such as organic or inorganic liquids, ionic liquids, proteins, biomaterials, and soft materials including gels. The reader discovers how the molecular basics of such systems are connected with their properties, dynamics, and functions. Once the use and application of liquids and liquid-based materials are understood, the book becomes a source of the latest, detailed knowledge of their structures, dynamics, and functions emerging from molecularity. The systems discussed in the book have structural dimensions varying from nanometers to millimeters, thus the precise estimation of structures and dynamics from experimental, theoretical, and simulation methods is of crucial importance. Outlines of the practical knowledge needed in research and development are helpfully included in the book.

About the Author: Katsura Nishiyama is a professor at Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan. In 1997, he completed his Ph.D. at Osaka University on solvation dynamics and chemical reaction dynamics in solution. He began his academic career at Osaka University and became a professor at Shimane University in 2015. He has continued his research activities in his present position since 2017. His research interests include the synthesis and characterization of soft materials possessing luminescent functions.
Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi has served as an assistant professor at Nagoya University since 2002. He received his Ph.D. in science from Kyoto University in 2000 for his study on solution physical chemistry. He worked as a postdoc at the Institute for Chemical Research at Kyoto University in 2000 and 2001, and at the Institute for Molecular Science in 2001 and 2002. His current research interest is in the understanding of dynamic properties of liquids and solutions at the microscopic level.
Toshiyuki Takamuku is a professor at Saga University, holding a Ph.D. in science from Fukuoka University in 1993 for his study on supercooled liquids and solutions. He worked for the company TOTO Ltd. as a researcher from 1988, then moved to Fukuoka University as a research associate in 1996 and to Saga University as an associate professor in 1997. He became a professor at Saga University in 2012. His research interests are structure and dynamics of ionic liquids, amino acids, and proteins in various binary solvents.
Norio Yoshida is an associate professor at Kyushu University. He was awarded his Ph.D. from Kyoto University in 2003 in the field of the electronic structure theory of solvated molecules. His research interests include the theory of solvent effects on the electronic structure of molecules, and molecular thermodynamics in solution and biological systems.