The peer-reviewed papers brought together, in this special issue of solid state phenomena, are the outcome of the 16th international conference on internal friction and mechanical spectroscopy, ICIFMS-16, held on the 3rd to 8th july 2011, in lausanne, switzerland. These proceedings aim to attract newcomers to this exciting field of research and lead them to appreciate the potential of anelastic methodologies in the investigation of advanced materials and new phenomena. Scientist who are already involved in the field will also find within new ideas which will stimulate their interest in developing new experiments and theories.
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