Materials Science and Engineering
专业详情
Whether talking about bio- and micro-electronic equipment, automotive technologies, energy, aerospace industries or biomedical and leisure (elite sport) applications, materials play an enormous part in today’s world. On the threshold of the future, the era of “made-to-measure” materials has already begun.
The study of materials is very varied because it deals with fields that are as diverse as polymers, ceramics, metals and alloys, optical materials and electronics, composites or biomaterials. For each one of these, the structures of the material must be understood at a microscopic or even atomic scale in order to grasp its macroscopic properties. Engineers can then shape the material in order to endow it with specific properties: for example varying the composition of alloys, making inclusions, or using heat treatment in order to obtain a specific crystallization. Understanding the relationship between the microstructure and the performances of materials requires the use of specialized observational techniques such as electron microscopy or spectroscopic measurements.
This information is often complemented by modeling, a process that has become a fundamental part of the modern approach to materials science.
Materials engineers are both specialized and non-specialized: their approach is at the border of many disciplines. They use basic scientific knowledge (chemistry, physics, mathematics), and constantly work with engineers who are used to designing manufacturing processes or applications (mechanics, microengineering, civil engineering, etc.).
Today, one does not remain satisfied with just developing a high-performing material but must also be responsible for finding technically and financially viable production means which might guarantee that the invention reaches the industrial market. To ensure that it receives long-term acceptance, material engineers also have to work on the life cycle of their product, incorporating both ecological constraints related to its manufacture and the possibilities of valorization after use.
