Guide Note:Materials Science, also known as materials engineering, involves the study of properties of matter and how it applies to the sciences and engineering. Aspects of physics, chemistry and chemical engineering also play and important role in material science.

Materials Science was derived from the manufacture of ceramics and modern Materials Science evolved directly from metallurgy. In the late 19th century Willard Gibbs had a major breakthrough when showing thermodynamic properties are related to the physical properties of materials. Before 1960 the major emphasis was on metals, but since then ceramics, polymers, semiconductors and other classes of materials have been included.

Applications of materials science in industry include materials design, cost-benefit trade offs in industrial production of materials, processing techniques and analytical techniques. To a materials engineer, it's the defects that makes the materials interesting. Materials engineers also works with extracting materials and converting them to useful forms for use in company sales and trade.

The over lap of physics and materials science has lead to an offshoot field known as materials physics. The study of the alloys of iron (steel, stainless steel, cast iron, tool steel) make up a large portion of the overall study. Other metal alloys of significance include those of titanium and copper. There are several different classes of materials, sometimes classified by the type of bonding between the atoms of the materials.

In recent years many have shown interest in Materials Science and has become a major program in many universities.

Fast Facts:

1. Early materials: ceramics during Stone Age
2. Roman Empire materials: wood, bone, stone, earth
3. First university department: Northwestern University in 1955
4. First major research society: MRS
5. Classes of materials: ionic crystals, covalent crystals, metals, semiconductors, polymers
6. Important topics: Thermodynamics, Biology, Chemical Engineering, Crystallography, Quantum Physics
7. Widely used polymers: Polyvinyl chloride, Polycarbonate, and Polyethylene