Concepts of Materials Science

The availability of suitable materials is crucial for the progress of civilization, and engineers and scientists seek to understand and predict the relationships between a material's structure, properties, and manufacturing methods to optimize design and production. This short book provides a fundamental understanding of materials science, including thermodynamic stability, quantum behavior, defects, nanoscale materials, and man-made materials. It is suitable for pre-university students, undergraduates, graduates, and professional materials scientists.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 01 July 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press

All technologies rely on the availability of suitable materials, as the progress of civilization is often measured by the materials people have used, from the stone age to the silicon age. Engineers exploit the relationships between the structure, properties, and manufacturing methods of a material to optimize their design and production for particular applications. Scientists seek to understand and predict these relationships.

This concise book provides a fundamental understanding of the science of materials and emphasizes their relevance to mainstream chemistry, physics, and biology. It covers key concepts such as the thermodynamic stability of materials in various environments, quantum behavior governing all matter, and active matter. Other topics include defects as the agents of change in crystalline materials, materials at the nanoscale, the emergence of new science at increasing length scales in materials, and man-made materials with properties determined by their structure rather than their chemistry.

The book offers a unique insight into the essence of materials science at a level suitable for pre-university students and undergraduates studying materials science. It will also be valuable for graduates in other subjects considering pursuing postgraduate study in materials science. Professional materials scientists will find it stimulating and occasionally provocative.

Weight: 326g
Dimension: 172 x 248 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192846440