Área Departamental de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Portugal

This special issue of Portugaliae Electrochimica Acta includes some of the papers presented in the different symposia during the XII Iberian Meeting of Electrochemistry & XVI Meeting of the Portuguese Electrochemical Society

which was held at Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL) from 8 to 11 September 2010.

The XII IME followed the highly successful previous editions of Iberian Conferences, namely, just to mention the closest ones, those held in Tenerife (2009), Coimbra (2007) and La Coruña (2006), that have served since 1991 as the first forum for scientific and technological exchange of ideas among Spanish and Portuguese speaking researchers in all fields of Electrochemistry.

I had the privilege to chair this Congress with the help of the Organizing and Scientific Committee constituted by Prof. Armando Pombeiro (President of the Portuguese Society of Electrochemistry -SPE), Prof. Manuel Blázquez (President of the Electrochemical Group of RSEQ), Prof. Victor Lobo (Pastpresident of SPE), Prof. Isabel Ferra (Vice-president of SPE), Prof. Alda Simões (Secretary of SPE), Prof. Aquiles de Barros, (Chemistry Department, FCUP), Prof. Enrique Brillas Coso, (University of Barcelona), Prof. Inês Fonseca (Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon), Prof. João Rodrigues (University of Madeira), Prof. José Costa Lima (Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto), Prof. José Paulo Pinheiro (Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Algarve), Prof. Luísa Abrantes (Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon), Prof. Manuel Domínguez Pérez (University of Sevilla), Prof. Manuel Matos (Department of Chemical Engineering, ISEL), Prof. Maria de Fátima Bento (Department of Chemistry, University of Minho), Prof. Maria Paula Robalo (Department of Chemical Engineering, ISEL), Prof. Mário Ferreira (University of Aveiro), Prof. Ruben Leitão (Department of Chemical Engineering, ISEL), Prof. Vicente Montiel Leguey (University of Alicante); and of the Local Organizing Committee constituted by Bruno Rocha (IST), Prof. Elisabete Alegria (ISEL), Dr. Konstantin Luzyanin (IST), Prof. Nelson Silva (ISEL), Pedro Galego (ISEL), Ricardo Fernandes, (IST), Rogério Chay (IST) and Telma Silva (ISEL).

The Congress was accomplished according to the following symposia:

A -Applied Electrochemistry

B -Electroanalysis, Bioelectrochemistry and Devices

C -Interfacial Processes and Electrochemical Kinetics

D -Materials: Corrosion, Electrodeposition and Surface Treatment

E -Molecular Electrochemistry

Each one met with the presence of distinguished colleagues in the field, being appropriate to emphasize the presence of the invited Plenary Lecturers Prof. Jirí Ludvik (Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences), Prof. João Salvador Fernandes (IST, Technical University of Lisbon), Prof. Manuel Blázquez (University of Cordoba), Prof. Margarida Correia dos Santos (IST, Technical University of Lisbon), and Prof. Piero Zanello (Department of Chemistry, University of Siena).

Moreover, the development of the above mentioned program included the exhibition of different Invited Keynote Lectures, Oral Communications and Poster Presentations.

The Congress brought together an important group of electrochemists from academia, research institutes and industry involved not only with fundamental aspects of Electrochemistry, but also with applied research and development, to present and discuss their advances and improvements in the core topic areas of Electrochemistry. It provided also an excellent opportunity to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Portuguese Society of Electrochemistry, with the award, in a special ceremony, of the Young Researcher Prize of the Portuguese Society of Electrochemistry.

I necessarily thank the assistance of the meeting supporters (Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, International Society of Electrochemistry, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Centro de Química Estrutural do Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Dias de Sousa, Zetacorr, ILC, HEMPEL, Gamry, Potencial Zero, M.T. Brandão, Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Junta de Freguesia de Marvila, Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, Delta Cafés e Estudantina Académica do ISEL).

I am especially grateful to Portugaliae Electrochimica Acta, to the Editor Prof. Dr. V.M.M. Lobo, editorial board and all the reviewers, for making possible to publish this special issue.