A material is a matter or mixture of substances that constitutes an Physical object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical and chemical properties, or on their geological origin or biological function. Materials science is the study of materials, their properties, and their applications.
can be processed in different ways to influence their properties, by purification, shaping or the introduction of other materials. New materials can be produced from raw materials by synthesis.
In industry, materials are inputs to manufacturing processes to produce products or more complex materials,
Historical elements
Materials chart the history of humanity. The system of the three prehistoric ages (
Stone Age,
Bronze Age,
Iron Age) were succeeded by historical ages: steel age in the 19th century, polymer age in the middle of the following century (plastic age) and silicon age in the second half of the 20th century.
Classification by use
Materials can be broadly categorized in terms of their use, for example:
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Building materials are used for construction
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Building insulation materials are used to retain heat within buildings
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Refractory materials are used for high-temperature applications
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Nuclear materials are used for nuclear power and weapons
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Aerospace materials are used in aircraft and other aerospace applications
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are used for applications interacting with living systems
Material selection is a process to determine which material should be used for a given application.
Classification by structure
The relevant structure of materials has a different length scale depending on the material. The structure and composition of a material can be determined by
microscopy or
spectroscopy.
Microstructure
In
engineering, materials can be categorised according to their microscopic structure:
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: a wide range of synthetic or Semisynthesis materials that use as a main ingredient.
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: non-metal, inorganic
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:
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: a solid material whose constituents (such as , , or ) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions.
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: Chemical element or alloy with Metallic bonding
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: a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is often a metal.
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Polymers: materials based on long carbon or silicon chains
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Hybrid material: Combinations of multiple materials, for example composites.
Larger-scale structure
A
metamaterial is any material engineered to have a property that is not found in naturally occurring materials, usually by combining several materials to form a composite and / or tuning the
shape,
geometry,
Dimensions, orientation and arrangement to achieve the desired property.
In foams and textiles, the chemical structure is less relevant to immediately observable properties than larger-scale material features: the holes in foams, and the weave in textiles.
Classification by properties
Materials can be compared and classified by their large-scale physical properties.
Mechanical properties
Mechanical properties determine how a material responds to applied
forces.
Examples include:
Thermal properties
Materials may degrade or undergo changes of properties at different temperatures. Thermal properties also include the material's thermal conductivity and
heat capacity, relating to the transfer and storage of
thermal energy by the material.
Other properties
Materials can be compared and categorized by any quantitative measure of their behavior under various conditions. Notable additional properties include the optical, electrical, and magnetic behavior of materials.
See also
External links
