ESF Exploratory Workshop on Proton Conducting Materials for Next-generation Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Genova, Italy, 2007 Foreword

The Convenors are grateful to the Standing Committee for the Physical and Engineering Sciences (PESC) of the European Science Foundation (ESF) for the sponsorship of this Exploratory Workshop on Proton Conducting Materi- als for Next-Generation Solid Oxide Fuel Cells. Following ESF indications, with up to 30 participants from several different countries, our aim was to group prominent researchers in the fields of PC-SOFC and of traditional SOFC, in order to achieve synergy among sci- entists aware of the opportunities and issues relating to these two technologies. The choice was difficult and, in addition to leading researchers in the two fields, a few scientists involved in the FP7-project IDEAL-Cell were invited. This was because IDEAL-Cell, through the development of an original fuel cell coupling a protonic, with a traditional, SOFC, really matched the spirit the Workshop.