Materials Engineering

The Future of Science and Technology

 Why Materials

Beacon of Civilization
Era’s of civilisation
recognised in terms of materials
Stone Age
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Modern Era
defined and propelled by materials
Modern Era
defined and propelled by materials
metals, composites, electronic,
medicine, prosthetics, ceramic,
polymers, invisible material,
space exploration
Metals
steel – the ubiquitous structural metal
buildings, bridges, rails, vehicles
copper – the ubiquitous conductor
utensils, anti-bacterial
aluminium – aerospace
titanium - prosthetics, structures
Ceramics
insulators, refractory
ferro-electrics
bio-ceramics (prosthetics, dental)
ornamental
Electronic
semi-conductors, transistors,
photo-voltaic, sensors
Energy materials
harnessing solar, wind energy
photo-voltaics, high performance magnets
enhancing efficiency of traditional sources
new alloys
Medical applications
targeted drug delivery
ever wondered how “angio” works?
challenges in fabricating the thin
conduit that passes through the blood
vessels
bio-compatible prosthetics
titanium, ceramics
Communication
size reduction-cell phones
tremendous enhancement in memory
smart, all-in-one
What are these materials?

Transportation
fuel-efficiency
lighter frame with greater strength
alternative fuels-electric, hybrid
modified engines
faster air travel, less cost, more efficient engines
space travel-humans, satellites, space ships
extreme conditions in Space
What are the materials?
 Materials Engineering
Study of the properties of materials
and designing and engineering the properties
to meet specific applications

Interdisciplinary
physics, chemistry, thermodynamics
biology
 Materials Engineering
Synthesis and manufacture of materials
Tailor the properties to meet specific
requirements
Some times the same type of material
has to deliver different functions
Iron-based materials
hard and soft magnets
hardness and ductility-automobile shafts
Conducting ceramics
 A Few Challenges
1. Why did Titanic sink?
2. Why did an aircraft explode in mid-air
near Kolkata though it was not caused
by any explosive device?
3. Why did a spacecraft launched in U.S.A.
about 15 years ago catch fire during launching?
These are some examples where the
Materials Engineer had to address the
properties of material and invent new materials.
• Titanic sank because of the phenomenon
called “ductile-brittle” transition
There is a DB transition temperature below
which steel becomes brittle
Hence, engineers had to design alloys
with lower DBT.
• The aircraft exploded because of metal
fatigue.
The challenge was to design alloys with
higher fatigue threshold.
• The spacecraft caught fire because a
rubber O-ring became brittle under
cryogenic conditions
• Ink does not flow through any barrel
under zero gravity.
So, no pen used on Earth can be in outer
Space.
But, you have to write down notes.

How do you solve this problem?

 Functional Materials
Materials that perform a certain “function”
under a determined stimulus.
A wide range of materials can be brought
under the ambit of this definition.
Usually confined to materials with “function”
related to electrical, magnetic and optical
properties.
Dielectrics, pyroelectrics, peizoelectrics,
ferroelectrics, semiconductors, ionic conductors,
superconductors,electro-optics, magnetic materials
 Functional Materials

Adaptive Materials
Electronic Materials
Magnetic Materials
Optical Materials
Have great Fun and Excitement
Learning about
Functional Materials