A Future for Chemists

This paper first examines the construction of this research field from a historical perspective. In such an attempt to point out the mainstreams that lead to materials science prior to the institutional existence of this field, I am forced to adopt a presentist perspective. I will not try to describe all the branches that finally merged into materials science. Rather, I will only retain those in which chemistry was involved, i.e., metallurgy and polymer chemistry. The main focus of this paper will be on the recent connection of materials research with biology. I try to analyze its status as an interdisciplinary field of research and will finally raise a prospective question is there a future for chemists in materials science ... 

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