Introduction to Materials Science Materials Science and Engineering is a discipline based on physics, chemistry, and a variety of engineering fields. It developed rapidly after World War II, and became a national priority as part of the space program. A Materials Research Laboratory was established at UIUC in 1963 to facilitate interdisciplinary research in materials.
Materials simply are atoms joined together in the solid state.
Materials science studies the fundamental physical and chemical basis for the controlled combination of atoms to form new compounds, phases, and microstructures, as well as the characterization of the resulting structures and properties. The great diversity of materials reflects the enormous variety in the strength and directionality of atomic bonding. Indeed, the bulk properties of a material are determined by its atomic architecture. Materials Engineering focuses on the synthesis of materials in useful quantities, and on the processing of component materials into engineering products. Materials engineering draws heavily on the fundamental knowledge gained from materials science, and adapts the processes involved for the scale and requirements of the application.