What's%20materials%20science?

1
What's materials science?
You could call it the study of stuff! Just about
everything you use every day - the shoes you
wear, the dishes you eat from, the CDs you listen
to, the bike or skateboard you ride - it's all
made of different kinds of stuff. Understanding
how that stuff is put together, how it can be
used, how it can be changed and made better to do
more amazing things - even creating completely
new kinds of stuff that's what materials science
is all about.
2
Materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field
involving the properties of matter and its
applications to various areas of science and
engineering. It includes elements of applied
physics and chemistry, as well as chemical,
mechanical, civil and electrical engineering.
With significant media attention to nanoscience
and nanotechnology in the recent years, materials
science has been propelled to the forefront at
many universities, sometimes controversially.
3
Beverage Containers
Beverage containers are made of three different
material types Aluminum (metal), plastic
(polymer), and glass (ceramic).
4
Materials Science
Materials science deals with processing/synthesis,
structure, properties, and performance of
materials.
5
Processing?Structure?Properties?Performance
All of the above three specimens are of the same
material- aluminum oxide, but they have different
optical properties Leftmost one Single
crystal, which gives rise to its
transparency. Center one Composed of numerous
and very small single crystals that are all
connected, which makes this material
translucent. Right one Composed not only of many
small, interconnected crystals, but also of a
large number of very small pores or void spaces,
which makes this opaque.
6
Classification of Materials

• Metals
• Ceramics
• Polymers
• Composites
• Semiconductors
• Biomaterials
• Modern/Exotic materials

7
Metals
Whole periods of human civilization - such as the
Bronze and Iron ages - are named for metals.
These were the first materials to be
"engineered," that is, people changed them to fit
what they needed to do, rather than just letting
their natural properties determine what they
could be used for. These days, materials
scientists are using metals in ways no one could
have pictured even a few years ago - for example,
shaping copper into tiny wires a thousand times
skinnier than a strand of your hair!
8
Ceramics
Think about a china teapot - that's one type of
ceramic. But ceramics can also be used to create
bone and tooth replacements, super-strong cutting
tools, or to conduct electricity. With the
addition of oxygen or nitrogen, metals become
ceramics, too.
9
Polymers
Polymers are just very big molecules made of
smaller molecules linked together into long,
repeating chains. You may not know it, but you're
in touch with polymers every day more than any
other kind of material. Rubber bands are made of
polymers, so are paints and every kind of
plastic. And by the way, most of the food you eat
is made of natural polymers!
10
Composites
Composites are combinations of materials, which
can be as simple as concrete reinforced with
steel bars or as leading edge as an ultralight,
carbon-fiber bicycle. The places where different
materials meet - the "interfaces" - often produce
new properties that are radically different, and
better, than those in any single material. A
composite is designed to display a combination of
the best characteristics of each of the component
materials. Fiberglass acquires strength from
glass and flexibility from the polymer.
11
Semiconductors
One of these materials - silicon - is making it
possible for todays technology. That's because
silicon is the essential material in an
electronic computer chip. "Semiconductor" means a
material can conduct electricity with a bit of
help in the form of added "impurities." Your CD,
DVD player, and telephone - all depend on
semiconductors.
12
Biomaterials
Biomaterials are employed in components implanted
into the human body for replacement of diseased
or damaged body parts. These materials must not
produce toxic substances and must be compatible
with body tissues (i.e., must not cause adverse
biological reactions). Filling for tooth
cavities, breast implants, and artificial hip.
13
Modern/Exotic Materials
Materials scientists are discovering and creating
entirely new types of materials - such as
buckyballs and nanotubes, which are very tiny
spheres or cylinders made of carbon atoms. Then
there are aerogels, which are extremely
lightweight porous materials made almost entirely
of air! Nanotechnology is taking materials
science into a new dimension, as scientists
create new materials atom-by-atom and
molecule-by-molecule - leading to properties and
performance never before imagined.
http//www.pa.msu.edu/cmp/csc/nanotube.html