Materials Science and Engineering By: Jake Burden

What is Materials Science and Engineering?

The Engineering field that deals with researching, producing, and testing new materials for a wide range of uses.

Some things that involve MSE: Airplane materials, Engines, Golf clubs,

Automobiles, and Computer chips.

What is the Goal of MSE?

To create products that meet a chemical, electrical, and physical need.

“To create the stuff we need”

MSE Tetrahedron• Shows how one aspect of a material affects

the rest of the properties. • If the structure is altered, the properties,

characterization of atoms, processing, and performance will ALL be altered

• Illustrates all of the aspects of a material that the engineer should look out for.

How to Become a Materials Scientist?

Minimum education- Bachelors Degree in ABET- certified MSE program

Pass series of engineering tests FE exam- Fundamentals of Engineering PE exam- Professional Engineering

Main Areas of MSE1. Ceramics2. Polymers- “Plastics”3. Metallurgy 4. Biomaterials- Stents and artificial joints

Investigation: Areas of MSE

CeramicsMaterial that is not metallic nor organic

Hard, chemically non-reactive, and can be molded/ formed using heat.

Examples: Space shuttle tiles, fiber optics, body armor, and spark plugs.

Ceramics are more than typical pottery, and tiles.

Ceramics Due to semiconducting, superconducting, and ferroelectric

properties of some ceramic materials, they can be associated with electronics.

“Mag-Lev” trains involve ceramics with superconducting properties. Superconductor ( material that has no electrical resistance to an

already current flow very efficient) exposed to low temperatures of liquid nitrogen, creates levitating force.

This levitating force is due to the ceramics ability to repel both magnetic fields.

Polymers Long strands of molecules, strung together

Made up of smaller units called monomers How the strands are connected determines the properties of that

material Examples of polymer engineering– plastics, nylon, and

synthetic rubber Polymer engineer’s job chemically synthesize polymers to

meet the needs of the consumer. Thermoplastics and thermosets—important in this field

Thermoplastics- Plastics that melt above a certain temperature Used as food storage containers--due to relative melting point Intermolecular forces weaken in presence of increased heat

Polymers Thermoset- Petrochemical material that cures (hardens)

permanently after the addition of heat. Opposite of thermoplastics “molds” The curing does not always need heat sometimes uses

chemical reaction Examples: Epoxies, Phenolics

Metallurgy Branch of MSE that mainly deals with alloys; their chemical

and physical properties. How alloys can benefit our society? How to create cheap and durable metals?

Metallurgy How does metallurgy exactly work?

Engineers take properties of one metal and combine them with another metal

The Engineers use the atomic properties of each metal to determine its uses

Example: Stainless Steel Non-corrosive, no rusting, shiny How do those properties come about?

Metallurgy Stainless steel is usually Chromium and Nickel combined Nickel provides non-corrosive properties while Chromium

provides the shine. The Chromium provides a layer to the steel that prevents the

metal from oxidizing Makes it harder to give up electrons to change its composition

Metallurgy The way the atoms are organized in an element= specific

properties All metals/ elements have special properties; it is the

materials scientist’s job to combine those properties effectively and properly to create the metal alloys we use today.

Biomaterials Using Materials science to create materials to improve/ aid

the biological processes of the human body Includes

Stents Artificial Joints Artificial organs Contact lenses Artificial Heart Valves

Biomaterials Stents: Inserted in the arteries to prevent blockage from

plaque that could cause heart failure They consist of metallic alloys that help keep open the arteries

and naturally dissolve in the bloodstream over time. Once the artery is trained to stay open, the soluble contents will

dissolve in the blood Dissolvable stent- Absorb™

Revolutionizing the medical field

Biomaterials Contact lenses:

Involve polymers The attraction of the hydrophilic polymer to the eye helps keep it in

place. The thickness of the polymer determines the amount of light that can be

refracted therefore determining the amount of visual correction. The polymer of the contact lens is also antimicrobial and gentle on the

eye Not only does the engineer develop the lens but also the solution.

Peroxide solutions use a neutralization reaction to kill microbes on the lens

Peroxide is not friendly on the eye so… A silver catalyst is used in the lens case to neutralize the solution reduces

peroxide to form oxygen and water This makes the contact lens “wearable” to the eye

Biomaterials Materials scientists involved with biomaterials study how to

create materials that can benefit our lives, physically. Make sure medical materials are safe

In Conclusion MSE has new and upcoming research in nanotechnology

and electronics. MSE is a fairly “uncommon” field of engineering

It is very beneficial to our society; creating more and more things to make our lives better.

MSE is a great field to get involved in! The possibilities are endless!