1.4 Material Physics and Other Related Science

As shown in Figure 1.2, the development of novel materials and processes requires a deep knowledge of the physical and chemical foundations of materials, especially the knowledge of the relation between microscopic structure and macroscopic properties of materials, which facilitates the systematic tailoring of materials properties. These form the multidisciplinary including material science.

Figure 1.2　Different aspects of materials

• Material science and engineering

Materials science and engineering can be thought of as a combination of the sciences of chemistry and physics within a backdrop of engineering. Chemistry helps to define the synthetic pathways, and provides the chemical makeup of a material, as well as its molecular structure. Physics provides an understanding of the ordering (or lack thereof) of atoms and/molecules and electronic structure, and physics also provides the basic principles that enable a description of materials properties. The combined information provided by physics and chemistry about a material leads to the determination and correlation of materials properties with the process used to prepare the material, and with the materials structure and morphology.

The material physics and material chemistry are the roots of material science. The term material science is relatively young and not very precisely defined. Sometimes it is understood as an extension of metallurgy to non-metallic materials. Material engineering in some degree, means, material processing.

Generally speaking, the "science" focuses on discovering the nature of materials, which in turn leads to theories or descriptions that explain how structure relates to composition, properties, and behaviours. The "engineering," on the other hand, deals with use of the science in order to develop, prepare, modify, and apply materials to meet specific needs. The field is often considered an engineering science because of its applied nature. Materials science and engineering is interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary, embracing areas such as metallurgy, ceramics, solid-state physics, and polymer chemistry.

• Material physics

Material physics is a part of material science; it is also the largest branch of condensed matter physics. The purpose of material physics is to study the physics phenomenon, the effect of microstructure on material properties, as well as the physical mechanisms in materials. Alternatively, it can be said that material physics uses the physics to describe materials in the aspects of force, heat, conductivity, magnetism and light, and they are the key elements of this textbook.

• Solid-state physics

Solid-state physics deal with the condensed matter, or solids, through methods such as quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. Solid-state physics studies how the large-scale properties of solid materials result from their atomic-scale structure. Thus, solid-state physics forms the theoretical basis of materials science. It also has direct applications, for example in the technology of transistors and semiconductors.

• Quantum mechanics

Quantum mechanics (QM – also known as quantum physics, or quantum theory) is an important branch of modern physics, which deals with physical phenomena at atomic level where the action is on the order of the Planck constant. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the quantum realm of atomic and subatomic length scales. QM describes of the dual particle-like and wave-like behaviour and interactions of energy and matter in a mathematical language. It also provides a substantially useful framework for many features of the modern periodic table of elements including the behaviour of atoms during chemical bonding and has played a significant role in the development of many new functional materials.