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What is materials science?
"Materials Science and Engineering" is the broad term commonly used to refer to the study of such fields as metallurgy, ceramics, and advanced composites.
Additional resources
Overview of MSE as a field of study and career. Sloan Career Cornerstone Center has put together a thorough description of the various engineering fields, including MSE.
100 Greatest Moments in MSE The Minerals, Metals, & Materials Society (TMS) has put together a timeline of the most significant events in materials history.
Strange Matter
The Materials Research Society, The Ontario Science Centre, and the National Science Foundation have teamed up to put together a fun and informative look at the study of materials called "Strange Matter." Link to strangematterexhibit.com (requires FlashPlayer)
Materials
The relationships between the processing, structure, properties, and performance of six major classes of materials: 1) metals, 2) ceramics, 3) polymers, 4) composites, 5) semiconductors, and 6) biomaterials. This grouping combines materials with similar chemical makeup, atomic structure, and/or engineering properties. There is an intimate link between the chemical and physical structure of materials and their mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, magnetic, and deteriorative properties. 1
A common example of a material with a wide variety of properties and applications is aluminum. This material is used in beverage cans, electrical and thermal applications, construction materials, and transportation systems. Likewise, low processing costs for modern steels allow for competition with plastics in the fabrication of car bodies. The properties of steel make this material indispensible for heavy equipment, machinery, and reinforcement members. Other alloys exhibit superior performance such as resistance to aqueous corrosion (stainless steels), or to mechanical wear (bearings) or to high-temperature gases (gas turbine components), etc. Special metals are used in special applications such as soft magnet cores for electrical transformers, permanent magnets for motors, electrical wires, mirror reflectors, etc. These unique qualities are derived from the structure of the material, from an atomic through macroscopic level.
In MSE, economical processing, desired properties, performance demands, and atomic structure must all be considered by the materials engineer. The classic image used to visualize these aspects of MSE is the tetrahedron.
Likewise, a wide range of properties and requirements for ceramic parts provide their important applications: chemical and mechanical stability and low thermal conductivity for refractory bricks for industrial ovens and furnaces, as thermal shields for the nose cone and leading wing edges for the space shuttle, etc. Smooth and inert ceramic glazes provide attractive chinawear and coating for household appliances. Various glass compositions and processes have been adapoted to engineer optical fibers, coated auto windshields, higher temperature sealants, etc.
Other special compositions and structures have led to such high-tech applications as low-temperature superconductors, ferroelectric materials, high-temperature sensors and fuel cell components, and transducers. In fact, these materials compete with each other and with plastics to gain or maintain a market share for many engineering applications.
For more about materials, be sure to visit The Minerals, Metals, & Materials (TMS) Career Resource Center (Link to Career Resource Center). The site includes a brief history of materials, common examples of materials around us, interviews with people in materials fields, and much more.
Science
1: the state of knowing: knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding 2: a department of systematized knowledge as an object of study 3: knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method. 2
Engineering
"Engineering is the profession in which a knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences gained by study, experience, and practice is applied with judgement to develop ways to utilize, economically, the materials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind." 3
1 Adapted from The Science and Design of Engineering Materials, Schaffer, et al. and Materials Science and Engineering; An Introduction, Callister
2 Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary
3 Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
The discipline of materials science and engineering (MSE) links scientific research with applied engineering to design materials for specialized uses. This field draws upon many areas in both the scientific and engineering realms. From science, the study of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science each play a part in explaining the origin of unique properties found in a substance. The engineering knowledge and experience of ceramists, metallurgists, electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineers are brought to bear in the application of these properties for a required use. It is this combination of scientific exploration and practical, hands-on engineering that makes this field so fascinating for its students.
