Materials Science

Materials science is a cross-disciplinary subject closely related to engineering and chemistry and focussed on the design and modification of materials to improve their performance. Materials scientists use phase diagrams and techniques such as crystallography to study structure and understand how that leads to properties such as strength and durability. Forensic engineering is a branch of materials science that focusses on detecting and predicting the origins of mechanical failure in materials and help prevent accidents and disasters.

The job of materials science is to revolutionise technology. One very popular field is nanotechnology; nanomaterials may be used in electrical and optical applications, drug delivery in medicine and environmental clean up. Amongst the greatest challenges of materials science are the discovery of new materials that replace scarce materials in existing applications, and the search for high temperature superconductors from which we can develop magnetically levitating transport.

Articles about materials science

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On scales too small to see are weird and wonderful particles. Their bizarre properties make up the world around us, yet we hardly know a thing about them!
Delve deeper into particles

What happens to plastic when it gets disposed of into the environment, and how might it affect us?
Delve deeper into plastics

Entropy or disorder, is a scientific measure of things spreading out, of uncertainty, or of the information required to describe something. Entropy always increases, so what impact does it have on our universe, our materials, and our concept of exist
Delve deeper into entropy

Chemists are exploring ways to mimic nature’s selective, low-temperature biochemical reactions that make delicate and reactive structures. Previously, chemists had copied high temperature geological reactions.
Delve deeper into ambient chemistry