Modern materials science concepts

The characterisation of materials is a central necessity of modern materials science. Effectively, it signifies making precise distinctions between different specimens of what is nominally the same material. The concept covers qualitative and quantitative analysis of chemical composition and its variation between phases the examination of the spatial distribution of grains, phases and of minor constituents the crystal structures present and the extent, nature and distribution of structural imperfections (including the stereological analysis outlined in Chapter 5). 

As a consequence, numerous approaches to create super-hydrophobic textile surfaces have been published in the last years from a number of research groups aiming to replace the conventional wet-chemical finish using fluorocarbons. The scope of this paper is to give an introduction to several novel approaches to create durable hydrophobic finishes on textile substrates, which make use of developments in modern materials science, which either have been investigated in fundamental research or are already applied in various industrial branches. Experimental data from recent studies by the authors are used to detail several of the concepts. 

Throughout this book we have highlighted several advances related to polymers and other types of materials that used physical organic concepts. Now it is time to pursue these topics in greater depth. This chapter is the last one of Part II of this book, where kinetics and mechanisms of reactions as well as the tools of physical organic chemistry are the emphasis. In this regard, much of the focus of this chapter is on various mechanisms of polymer synthesis, the kinetics of polymerization, and the methods used to characterize polymers. However, we also define some of the basic structural motifs common to polymers. We will also use the section on mechanisms of synthesis to introduce many of the more common polymers of modern materials science. 

One of the major revolutions in modern materials science has been the advent of a novel synthetic route for the preparation of glasses, known as the "sol-gel processes". Reference 1 is an excellent, comprehensive text on this topic, and no attempt can be made in this introductory section to even scratch the surface of this huge field. Consequently, following are only some of the very basic concepts needed for understanding this review, and the interested reader is referred to (1) for further details. 

More recently, and somewhat paradoxically, the search for improved functionality to meet current needs has meant that long-since-abandoned natural products are being reconsidered as an alternative to more modern and successful synthetic materials. To be more exact, rather than reconsidering the natural products by themselves, this novel strategy involves the introduction of concepts borrowed from nature into future synthetic materials and systems. Indeed, relatively novel concepts in materials science, such as hierarchical organization, mesoscale self-assembly or stimuh-responsiveness, are common to many natural macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids or polysaccharides (or combinations of them). Indeed, the slow but relentless process of natural selection has produced materials that show a level of functionality significantly more exquisite than that reached by synthetic materials, with proteins being perhaps one of the best examples of this. 

Requiring no prior experience in modern physics and quantum mechanics, the book introduces quantum concepts and wave mechanics through a simple derivation of the Schrodinger equation, the electron-in-a-box problem, and the wave functions of the hydrogen atom. The author also presents a historical perspective on the development of the materials science field. He discusses the Bose-Einstein, Maxwell-Boltzmann, Planck, and Fermi-Dirac distribution functions before moving on to the various properties and applications of materials. 

The present volume Nanomaterials Basic Concepts and Applications , as the title suggests, deals with basic concepts and applications of nanomaterials, a buzz word in the modern world of Science and Technology. Because of advanced characterization and new fabrication techniques, nanomaterials are now central to multiple disciplines, including materials science, chemistry, physics, engineering and medicine. This special volume under Solid State Phenomena series will present an overview of recent research developments, including synthesis, characterization and applications in Nanoelectronics, Luminescence, Drug Delivery, Memristors, Solar Cells and Semiconductors. 

It is now a common feeling that our world cannot survive as it is without plastics [1]. Starting from 1930, when the macromolecular concept started to gain acceptance in the scientific community [2], the advances in polymer science have been so striking that plastics have invaded almost every aspect of modern human life, both as daily materials and as sophisticated substrates able to cover high-tech applications [3]. A very easy and simple way to check this assertion is to visit the The Macrogalleria web site (1st floor) [4] where an extensive exemplification of the most common and important plastic applications in different fields is provided in a really immediate and impressive way. 

MACROMOLECULAR SCIENCE. Macromolecules or polymers arc now such a common feature of modern life that it is sometimes forgotten that the rapid development of such materials in industry has taken place in the last 60 years. In fact, the idea that such molecules exist was proposed by Staudingser. Mark, and coworkers in the 1920s and it was some time before these concepts were accepted by the scientific community. 

This package of tasks contains a considerable number of problems which belong to the modern field of manufacturing science. On the other hand, manufacturing science has not yet dealt at all with graded materials. So there is an "open sky" before us, and a rich and realistic source of motivation for young scientists and engineers to join the field which has been opened by the introduction of the FGM concept. 

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