Lecture 2

Content: Introduction to materials

Science and Engineering : Materials
and Engineering, Types of materials;
 Chapter : 1
Introduction to Materials Science
and Engineering
 Materials and Engineering
• Materials science and engineering (MSE) is an
interdisciplinary field of science and
engineering that
studies and manipulates the composition and
structure of materials across length scales to
control materials properties through synthesis and
processing.
 What materials scientist do??
• One of the most important functions of
materials scientists and engineers is
to establish the relationships between a material
or a device’s properties and performance and the
microstructure of that material, its composition,
and the way the material or the device was
synthesized and processed.
 Relation between materials science
and materials engineering!!
• In materials science, the emphasis is on the
underlying relationships between the
synthesis and processing, structure, and
properties of materials. In
• materials engineering, the focus is on how to
translate or transform materials into useful
devices or structures.
• Thus, in this case, materials scientists are
concerned with the sheet steel’s
 composition;

 strength;
 weight;
 energy absorption properties; and
 malleability (formability).
 Classification of Materials:
• Metals and Alloys;
• Ceramics, Glasses, and Glass-ceramics;
• Polymers (plastics);
• Semiconductors; and
• Composite materials.
 Metals and Alloys
• Metals and alloys include steels, aluminum,
magnesium, zinc, cast iron, titanium, copper,
and nickel.
• An alloy is a metal that contains additions of
one or more metals or non-metals.
• In general, metals have good electrical and
thermal conductivity. Metals and alloys have
relatively high strength, high stiffness, ductility
or formability and shock resistance.
 Metals and Alloys
• They are particularly useful for structural or
load-bearing applications.
• Although pure metals are occasionally used,
alloys provide improvement in a particular
desirable property or permit better
combinations of properties
 Metals and Alloys
• Example:
o Copper,
o Gray cast iron,
o Alloy steels,
• Properties:
o High electrical conductivity,
o good formability,
o Castable, machinable,
o vibration-damping,
o Significantly strengthened by heat treatment
• Applications:
o Electrical conductor wire,
o Automobile engine blocks,
o Wrenches,
o automobile chassis
 Ceramics and Glasses
• Ceramics can be defined as inorganic
crystalline materials.
• Beach sand and rocks are examples of
naturally occurring ceramics.
• Advanced ceramics are materials made by
refining naturally occurring ceramics and
other special processes.
 Ceramics and Glasses
• Example:
o SiO2–Na2O–CaO
o Al2O3, MgO, SiO2
o Barium titanate
o Silica
• Properties:
o Optically transparent, Thermally insulating,
o Thermally insulating, withstand high temperatures, relatively inert
to molten metal
o High ability to store charge
o Refractive index, low optical losses
• Applications:
o Window glass
o Refractories (i.e., heat-resistant lining furnaces) for containing
molten metal
o Capacitors for microelectronics
o Optical fibers for information Technology
 Polymers
• Example:
o Polyethylene
o Epoxy
o Phenolics
• Properties:
o Easily formed into thin, flexible, airtight film
o Electrically insulating and moisture-resistant .
o Strong, moisture resistant
• Applications:
o Food packaging
o Encapsulation of integrated circuits
o Adhesives for joining plies in plywood
 Semiconductors
• Example:
o Silicon
o GaAs (Gallium Arsenide)
• Properties:
o Unique electrical behavior
o Converts electrical signals to light, lasers, laser diodes, etc.
• Applications:
o Transistors and integrated circuits Encapsulation of integrated
circuits
o Optoelectronic systems
 Composites
• Example:
o Graphite-epoxy
o Tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co)
o Titanium-clad steel
• Properties:
o High strength-to-weight ratio
o High hardness,
o yet good, shock resistance
o Low cost and high strength of steel with the corrosion resistance of
titanium
• Applications:
o Aircraft components
o Carbide cutting tools for machining
o Reactor vessels
 Functional Classification of Materials
• Structural
• Aerospace
• Biomedical
• Electrical Materials
• Energy Technology and Environmental
• Magnetic Materials
• Optical Materials
• Smart Materials
 Chapter: 2
Atomic Structure
 Structure of materials
• The structure of materials is described by five
different levels:
o Atomic structure;
o Short- and long-range atomic arrangements;
o Nanostructure;
o Microstructure; and
o Macrostructure.
 Atomic structure
• The atomic number of an element is equal to
the number of protons in each atom. Thus, an
iron atom, which contains 26 protons, has an
atomic number of 26. The atom as a whole is
electrically neutral because the number of
protons and electrons are equal.
• The atomic mass M, which is equal to the
total mass of the average number of protons
and neutrons in the atom.
Problem: In Collection of nickel atoms, 70% of the
atoms contain 30 neutrons and 30% of the atom
contains 32 neutrons. The atomic number of nickel is
28. Calculate the approximate average atomic mass of
nickel.
• Atomic mass = Atomic number + number of
neutrons.
• Average atomic mass = 0.7*(Atomic mass of
Ni 58 ) + 0.3*(Atomic mass of Ni 60 )
• Calculate the number of atoms in
100 g of silver (Ag).
 Chapter: 3
Atomic and Ionic Arrangements
 No Order:
• In monoatomic gases, such as argon (Ar) or
plasma created in a fluorescent tubelight,
atoms or ions have no orderly arrangement.
 Short-Range Order (SRO):
• A material displays short-range order (SRO) if
the special arrangement of the atoms extends
only to the atom’s nearest neighbors.
– Each water molecule in steam has short-range
order due to the covalent bonds between the
hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
– A similar situation exists in materials known as
inorganic glasses (tetrahedral structure in silica).
– Many polymers also display short-range atomic
arrangements that closely resemble the silicate
glass structure (Polyethelene).
 Short-Range Order (SRO):
• A material displays short-range order (SRO) if the special
arrangement of the atoms extends only to the atom’s
nearest neighbors.
– Each water molecule in steam has short-range order due to the
covalent bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
– A similar situation exists in materials known as inorganic glasses
(tetrahedral structure in silica).
– Many polymers also display short-range atomic arrangements
that closely resemble the silicate glass structure (Polyethelene).
 Long-Range Order (LRO):
• Most metals and alloys, semiconductors, ceramics, and
some polymers have a crystalline structure in which
the atoms or ions display long-range order (LRO); the
special atomic arrangement extends over much larger
length scales 7100 nm. The atoms or ions in these
materials form a regular repetitive, grid-like pattern, in
three dimensions.
• We refer to these materials as crystalline materials. If a
crystalline material consists of only one large crystal,
we refer to it as a single crystal. Single crystals are
useful in many electronic and optical applications. For
example, computer chips are made from silicon in the
form of large (up to 12 inch diameter) single crystals.
 Long-Range Order (LRO):
• Most metals and alloys, semiconductors, ceramics, and some polymers
have a crystalline structure in which the atoms or ions display long-range
order (LRO); the special atomic arrangement extends over much larger
length scales 7100 nm. The atoms or ions in these materials form a
regular repetitive, grid-like pattern, in three dimensions.
• We refer to these materials as crystalline materials. If a crystalline
material consists of only one large crystal, we refer to it as a single crystal.
Single crystals are useful in many electronic and optical applications. For
example, computer chips are made from silicon in the form of large (up to
12 inch diameter) single crystals.
Types of materials based on the type
of atomic order