Materials science and materials engineering (collectively, materials science and engineering)
form a bridge of materials knowledge between the basic sciences (and mathematics) and
the engineering disciplines. Materials science is concerned primarily with the search for
basic knowledge about materials, whereas materials engineering is concerned mainly with
using applied knowledge about materials.
The three main types of materials are metallic, polymeric, and ceramic materials. Two
other types of materials that are very important for modern engineering technology are composite and electronic materials. All these types of materials will be dealt with in this book.
Smart materials and devices in micrometer size scale and nanomaterials are presented as
new classes of materials with novel and important applications in many industries.
Materials compete with each other for existing and new markets, and so the replacement
of one material by another for some applications occurs. The availability of raw materials, cost of manufacturing, and the development of new materials and processes for products are major factors that cause changes in materials usage.
