What is Materials Science and Engineering?

       Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) combines engineering, physics and chemistry principles to solve real-world problems associated with nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, energy, manufacturing and other major engineering disciplines.

        The interdisciplinary field of materials science, also commonly termed materials science and engineering, is the design and discovery of new materials, particularly solids. The intellectual origins of materials science stem from the Enlightenment, when researchers began to use analytical thinking from chemistry, physics, and engineering to understand ancient, phenomenological observations in metallurgy and mineralogy.

           Materials research covers a broad range of topics – the following non-exhaustive list highlights a few important research areas.

Nanomaterials:

       Nanomaterials research takes a materials science-based approach to nanotechnology, using advances in materials metrology and synthesis which have been developed in support of microfabrication research. Materials with structure at the nanoscale often have unique optical, electronic, or mechanical properties.

          The field of nanomaterials is loosely organized, like the traditional field of chemistry, into organic nanomaterials such as fullerenes, and inorganic nanomaterials based on other elements, such as silicon. Examples of nanomaterials include fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, nanocrystals, 

Biomaterials:

     Biomaterials science encompasses elements of medicine, biology, chemistry, tissue engineering, and materials science.

         Biomaterials can be derived either from nature or synthesized in a laboratory using a variety of chemical approaches using metallic components, polymers, bioceramics, or composite materials.

Electronic, optical, and magnetic:

         Semiconductors, metals, and ceramics are used today to form highly complex systems, such as integrated electronic circuits, optoelectronic devices, and magnetic and optical mass storage media. These materials form the basis of our modern computing world, and hence research into these materials is of vital importance.

           Semiconductors are a traditional example of these types of materials. They are materials that have properties that are intermediate between conductors and insulators. Their electrical conductivities are very sensitive to the concentration of impurities, which allows the use of doping to achieve desirable electronic properties. Hence, semiconductors form the basis of the traditional computer.

 This field also includes new areas of research such as superconducting materials, spintronics, met materials, etc. The study of these materials involves knowledge of materials science and solid-state physics or condensed matter physics.