Douglas M. Shinozaki

MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Materials engineering involves the three areas: microstructure, properties and manufacturing processes.  The modern need for higher performance materials (polymers, metals, or ceramics) drives researchers to optimize microstructures at all scales: atomic to macroscopic,  by designing better manufacturing processes.

Modern materials engineering inevitably involves science and mathematics as the most advanced materials can be developed only by understanding the fundamental aspects of atoms, molecules, chemical bonding and microstructure (which includes the more recent trendy word  "nanostructure").  The most important technological advances almost always involve materials science in some way.  Microelectronics, optoelectronics, high performance sports equipment, automobiles, aircraft, fuel cells, etc, are all limited ultimately by the material performance.  Materials engineering therefore uses physics, chemistry, mathematics and numerical modeling to develop better properties to improve existing engineered systems, and to invent new materials which allow completely new applications.  At the limits of the new technology which depend on materials are quantum computers, super high strength fibers, superconductors, etc.

The competitive and rapidly evolving nature of modern materials engineering requires that students entering the field should learn the fundamental principles first, and be prepared to actively apply the basics to new applications in (sometimes) new industries.

All top rated engineering faculties have strong materials departments which lead the way in developing new technology in every discipline.  Many advanced countries have materials science as their principal national priority in their push to develop high technology.  Modern gene chips and high resolution digital cameras which have recently taken over from 35mm film cameras both have been developed on the basis of materials science.  Jet engines and stealth aircraft depend on specific designed materials for their performance.  The space shuttle and the sticky note pad both depend on viscoelastic material performance.  The Challenger was lost because of the misunderstanding temperature dependent viscoelastic properties of flexible seals.  The perfectly designed stickiness of the yellow labels (not too strong, not to weak) depends on the peculiar surfaces of specific kinds of polymers.

POLYMER ENGINEERING

Polymer engineering is a subset of materials engineering, and involves the study of crystalline-amorphous microstructures, phase segregation in block copolymers at nanometer scales, blending of disparate phases at macroscopic scales (as in fiber composites), and molecular orientation effects.  All of these affect the properties of the material: mechanical, electrical and chemical.  Processing of plastics alters the microstructure and in turn the properties of the product.  So the manufacturing method and the product performance are intimately tied through microstructure.

The peculiar properties of polymers (compared to metals) can be a problem, particularly if the engineer is unaware of them.  Designing with polymers must involve a careful consideration of their unique properties: time and temperature dependence, low melting point, viscoelastic properties, etc.  Once these differences are taken into account the methods for exploiting them to develop new applications becomes much easier.  The purpose of studying polymer engineering is to learn the essential unique characteristics are, and then to learn how to use these unusual properties.

Microstructural examination

Since microstructure is a crucial part of understanding polymers and materials, the prospective materials scientist should develop a strong understanding of the physics and chemistry of the methods and instruments to examine microstructure.  These include all of the surface analytical instruments including scanning probe microscopes,  transmission electron microscopy and confocal optical microscopy.  To analyze the observed microstructure it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the physics of formation of the image, whatever the instrument may be.  A crucial part of this is the acceptance of the basic physical limitations of each kind of instrument.  It should be remembered that microstructures are three dimensional (usually) and some methods are two dimensional or in some cases, one dimensional.

STUDY MATERIALS ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE

Materials science and engineering lies at the heart of virtually every aspect of engineering.  The correct use of materials engineering can produce new materials with new applications, and of course, great wealth.  The incorrect use of materials, or an incomplete understanding of the subject, can lead to disaster.  At the graduate level, the student should try to develop a complete understanding of materials, starting with physics, chemistry and mathematics.  At the undergraduate level, the student should be wary of incomplete understanding.