Materials Science Research Trends

Book excerpt: Materials science includes those parts of chemistry and physics that deal with the properties of materials. It encompasses four classes of materials, the study of each of which may be considered a separate field: metals; ceramics; polymers and composites. Materials science is often referred to as materials science and engineering because it has many applications. Industrial applications of materials science include processing techniques (casting, rolling, welding, ion implantation, crystal growth, thin-film deposition, sintering, glassblowing, etc), analytical techniques (electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, calorimetry, nuclear microscopy (HEFIB) etc.), materials design, and cost/benefit tradeoffs in industrial production of materials. This new book presents new leading-edge research in the field.