Preface: phys. stat. sol. (c) 5/2

Abstract The Conference on Photonic Materials held at Kariega Game Reserve from 2–6 May 2007, has been a successor to the successful Conference on Photo‐responsive Materials held at the same venue in 2004. Located in pristine surroundings, the tranquillity and splendour of the reserve, a Big 5 game lodge, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, is beyond doubt awesome, making it a unique venue for this conference. The conference has since grown from 60 delegates representing 12 countries to more than 80 delegates from just over 20 countries, exceeding all expectations both from a representation and an academic standard point of view. The purpose of this meeting was to bring together scientists working on various aspects of photonic materials, to share their latest research results and ideas and to foster links, consequently stimulating this all important field of solid state physics in South Africa and indeed the rest of the world. The academic programme allowed sufficient time for interaction and exchanging of views and covered a wide range of important current topics in the field. The growth and characterization of narrow gap semiconductors for light emitting applications received considerable attention, as did ZnO and GaN and a range of nano materials. An interesting contribution in the photovoltaic section suggested that printed nano particle Si composites may have a role to play in the silicon photovoltaic market. On the social front, delegates were entertained by game drives and boat cruises up the Kariega river to view the majestic fish eagle. Dinner was served around a barn fire in an African Boma, with traditional African dancers entertaining delegates while they enjoyed traditional meals. The academic programme committee members were: Reinhardt Botha and Andrew Leitch (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University), Margit Härting (University of Cape Town), Jackie Nel (University of Pretoria) and Hendrik Swart (University of the Free State). All papers appearing in these proceedings underwent a strict reviewing process separate from the conference. We express our appreciation to the referees for there diligence in this important task. The conference was organized by the Department of Physics of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (formerly known as the University of Port Elizabeth) under the auspices of the Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science (CMPMS) subgroup of the South African Institute of Physics. It was sponsored by EMF Limited (UK), the African Laser Centre (ALC), DETEK, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and Cambridge Chemical.