New Materials Technology and Applications

The Age of New Materials and The Materials Revolution

- Overview

Materials science is the study of the relationship between the structure of materials, the processing methods used to make them, and the resulting material properties. 

New and advanced materials include nanomaterials, biomaterials, and energy materials. Advanced materials are designed to have new or improved technical properties or environmental features compared to traditional materials. 

Materials science and engineering (MSE) combines engineering, physics, and chemistry principles to solve real-world problems. New materials can lead to advancements in technology, such as stronger building materials, more efficient energy storage, and improved medical implants. 

Please refer to the following for more details:

• Wikipedia: Materials Science

- The Materials Revolution

In the last decade of the 20th century, three simultaneous technological revolutions will dominate information technology, biotechnology, and new materials. While the first two are widely reported in the West, new material technologies have been largely ignored. The Japanese are quietly looking to new materials as their next growth industry. 

Throughout history, advances in materials and material technology have impacted humanity. Now, we may be on the verge of the next shift in this type of technology, enabling products and features we never believed possible. Materials of the future will need to meet three key criteria. They must be durable, lightweight and economical. 

This is due to the simple reason that it is now recognized that our natural resources are limited. To be able to make continued technological progress in the 21st century, societies need to adapt the way they manufacture so that as little work is done as possible. 

If chemistry is the core science, it is not surprising that chemical engineering supports a wide range of technologies. EITA focuses on research areas ranging from the production and manipulation of chemicals to energy, medicine, electronics and advanced materials with new properties.

- Materials Needs for the Industries of the Future

Since the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age, the development of materials has helped expand the limits of human endeavor and achievement. Entering the 21st century, the demands of industries such as aerospace and automotive are pushing the frontiers of material performance to more extreme levels. 

Industrial demands demand materials that are lighter, tougher, thinner, denser, more flexible or rigid, as well as heat and wear resistant. At the same time, researchers are pushing the boundaries of what we imagined possible, seeking to improve and enhance existing materials while proposing entirely new materials that, while still years away from everyday use, could put us on entirely new technological paths. 

Therefore, the technological wonders of tomorrow must be composed of materials that can withstand these elements, while also requiring minimal energy to function. 

Some of the following materials may take decades to be useful to most of us, while others may change our world forever, and this list is far from exhaustive and in no particular order. Aerogels, graphene, artificial spider silk, carbon nanotubes, metamaterials, metallic glasses, metallic foams, transparent alumina, electronic textiles, molecular superglue.

- Emerging Materials Research

Entering the 21st century, the field of materials science and engineering is developing rapidly. Research on metals and ceramics that began in the 1960s has expanded into semiconductors and soft materials in recent years. 

As the discipline develops and broadens, current research projects span multiple material classes and build on expertise in many different areas. As a result, current research in materials science and engineering is increasingly defined by material systems rather than material classes. 

Four strategic areas for today's emerging materials research are energy production and storage, electronics and photonics, biomimetic materials and systems, and green technologies. 

Emerging materials is a field of research focused on the design, production and understanding of novel materials with breakthrough properties. Tuning material properties according to the needs of the desired application has always been of great interest and challenge. 

For example, electronic devices have become part of the fabric of modern life: cell phones, wearable sensors, smart implants and smart cities all require new materials with improved functionality. 

The potential to capture the power of emerging materials is enormous, with profound implications for many aspects of our lives. Applications for these materials include, but are not limited to, low energy electronics and photonics, advanced composite materials, energy and manufacturing materials, 2D materials.

- AI in Materials Science

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science that simulates human intelligence processes in machines. AI systems receive data, process it, and learn from past experiences to improve in the future.

In materials science, AI can automatically extract features from large data sets. This includes data from electronic, atomic and continuous simulations. AI can also automate complex problem-solving tasks. 

The fusion of generative AI and materials science marks a revolutionary advance, accelerating the discovery and design of materials. By simulating characteristics and analyzing data, AI can effectively reduce trial and error and customize materials for different industries. Despite the challenges of accurate forecasting and data scarcity, interdisciplinary collaboration flourished, enabling rapid prototyping and sustainability assessments. 

The fusion of AI and materials science unlocks novel materials and customized applications. The predictive power of artificial intelligence accelerates the creation of environmentally friendly materials and solves the problem of data scarcity and cross-domain expertise.

As AI develops, this symbiotic relationship promises unparalleled breakthroughs in materials, emphasizing the synergy of innovation and technology.

- New Materials with Future Potential

Today, the scientific and technological revolution is developing rapidly, new material products are changing with each passing day, and the pace of industrial upgrading and material replacement is accelerating. 

The materials industry is the basic industry of the national economy, and new materials are the precursors of the development of the materials industry. 

New materials technology is integrated with nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology. Structural and functional integration and functional materials are becoming more intelligent. The materials’ low-carbon, green, and recyclable environmentally friendly characteristics have attracted much attention. 

Based on the research progress of domestic and foreign well-known research institutions and companies, scientific and technological media reviews, and industry hot spot research, the following is the information of the relevant materials.  

 [More to come ...]