The 20th century was a golden age of science, with many inventions making our lives easier. Materials science is the creation of new materials and the study of their properties, enabling innovative inventions and playing an important role in solving environmental problems.
The 20th century was a century of remarkable scientific advancements, and it’s no exaggeration to say that it was the golden age of science. From cars to computers to cell phones, the advances in science have led to many inventions that have made our lives easier. Many of the inventions that have enriched humanity’s lives are the result of hard work that we don’t realize. When asked to think of some of the many steps that go into creating an innovative invention, you might think of theoretical formulation and mechanical and structural design. However, the process that finally makes the invention possible is the selection of materials, which determines the price, durability, and performance of the device. The creation of new materials and the study of their properties in order to facilitate this choice is what we call materials science.
When I ask people how much they know about materials science, most people talk about semiconductors. In one sense, semiconductors have become a representative image of what the word “materials engineering” means to people, but on the other hand, it can also be thought that people are ignorant of materials engineering. It is true that research on semiconductors has reached a high level in Korea, and many economic benefits have been gained from this research. However, semiconductors are only one of the research fields of materials science. In fact, if you look at the applications of materials engineering, you can see that it is used in many fields of engineering, including semiconductors, metals, polymers, ceramics, electronics, and biology. So, what exactly is it that we study in materials science that plays such an important role in engineering?
For example, the smartphones we use every day are the result of a variety of materials engineering. The polymeric materials used in the display, the lithium-ion in the battery, and the aluminum alloys used in the outer casing of the device are all the result of research and advances in materials science. In recent years, new materials have been explored to make electronic devices lighter and more flexible. The role of materials science is essential for many technological innovations in modern society, including smartphones, wearable devices, electric vehicles, solar panels, and more.
Anycall had just released a cell phone called the Amoled. In the Anycall commercial, a man rolls up his phone and wears it on his wrist like a watch. Then, as he walks down the street, he unwraps the phone from his wrist and stretches it in the air, then stretches it out to the side to see the news on the screen, then folds it up and puts it in his bag. The phone in the commercial literally bends, unfolds, and folds. At the time, I remember watching the commercial and wondering, “Is that really going to happen?” Fast forward a few years, and we’re on the cusp of actually having a phone that can roll. Many people are surprised to read about a phone that bends and wonder how it could possibly be possible. However, if you know a little bit about materials science, you may find yourself nodding your head in agreement.
If you’re interested in science, you’ve probably heard of graphene, which has been in the news for a few years now. But even if you’ve seen the name graphene, few people know what it is that makes it so important. The term graphene is a combination of the word graphite, the graphite used in pencil lead, and the suffix “-ene,” which refers to molecules with carbon double bonds. Graphite is made up of layers of carbon in a hexagonal, honeycomb-like structure, and graphene is the thinnest layer of that graphite. It has a two-dimensional planar shape, is only 0.2 nanometers (nm) thick (1 nm is one billionth of a meter), or about 10 billionths of a meter, and is incredibly thin and physically and chemically stable. By now, you should have a rough idea of what graphene is. Its discovery and the establishment of a production process is one of the greatest achievements in materials science in recent years. But what are its properties and what makes it so important?
Graphene is more than 100 times more electrically conductive than copper and can move electrons 100 times faster than single-crystal silicon, which is commonly used as a semiconductor. It is 200 times stronger than steel and more than twice as thermally conductive as diamond, the best thermal conductor. It’s also highly elastic, meaning it doesn’t lose its electrical properties when stretched or bent. These properties of graphene make it possible to create amazing cell phones that are not only extremely thin but also bendable. The creation of new materials and the characterization of their properties and applications in industry is what materials science has done and what it will continue to do.
Materials science also plays an important role in addressing environmental issues. For example, the materials used in renewable energy technologies would be unthinkable without advances in materials science. New materials to increase the efficiency of solar panels, catalysts to improve the performance of hydrogen fuel cells, and new battery materials to increase the capacity and lifespan of energy storage devices are all the result of research in materials science. The development of environmentally friendly materials is essential for a sustainable future, and materials science is at the center of this.
The incredible pace of scientific progress in the 20th century has brought us a world of convenience, and we are now living it to the fullest. But as the first decade of the 21st century has shown, science will continue to advance at an ever faster pace, and people will want more convenient machines and a more convenient world. Opening up the possibility of new inventions to meet the needs of this world is what we, as students of materials science, are doing and should be doing. Advances in science and technology will continue to enrich human life, and materials science will always be at the center of it.
