Materials Science/Materials

Materials

Materials are physical substances used as inputs to production or manufacturing. Raw materials are first extracted or harvested from the earth and divided into a form that can be easily transported and stored, then processed to produce "semi-finished materials". These can be input into a new cycle of production and "finishing processes to create "finished materials", ready for distribution and consumption.

An example of a raw material is cotton, which can be processed into thread, and then processed into cloth, a semi-finished material. Sewing and cutting the fabric turns it into a garment, which is a finished material. Steelmaking is another example—raw materials are extracted, refined and processed into steel, a semi-finished material. Steel is then used as an input in many other industries to make finished products.

1. Composite Materials
2. Concrete
3. Semiconducters
4. Metals
5. Liquid Crystals
6. Ceramics
7. Polymers

Partial Comparison of Materials

Type	Bonding	Properties	Thermal/electrical conductivity	optical
Metals	Metallic		high	opaque, reflective
Polymers	Secondary	soft, ductile, low strength	insulators	translucent/ transparent
Ceramics	Mostly Ionic	brittle, glassy, elastic	Insulators
Semiconductors	covalent	??	Between conductors and insulators