Advanced Materials '93, IIA: Biomaterials, Organic and Intelligent Materials contains the proceedings of the Third International Union of Materials Research Societies International Conference on Advanced Materials held in Tokyo, Japan, from August 31 to September 4, 1993. The conference provided a forum for reviewing the state of the art in advanced materials such as biomaterials and organic and intelligent materials. Topics covered range from catalytic materials and ordered polymers to biosensors and photo- and electro-responsive materials. The construction and functions of organic thin films are also discussed. Comprised of 154 chapters, this volume first examines the in vitro interaction of carcinostatic substances adsorbed on hydroxyapatite microcrystals with cells derived from cancers. The reader is then introduced to hydrothermal synthesis of plate-like hydroxyapatite crystals; biocompatibility and mechanical properties of all-ceramic crowns; and catalytic activity of zeolite-supported noble metals for hydrodesulfurization of thiophene. Subsequent chapters focus on the functionalization of propane by the catalytic oxidation process; block copolymers synthesized by free radical polymerization; mechanical properties of polyvinyl acetate incorporated with silica-gel by sol-gel process; and alignment of liquid crystal molecules using chemically adsorbed monolayers. This book will appeal to practitioners and researchers in the fields of materials science and biotechnology.