UGPA1223

Materials Science and

Engineering
Chapter 1

Classification and Properties of Materials, Atomic

Structure and Inter-atomic Bonding
 Chapter Outline:

 Classification and Properties of Materials (Lecture 1)

 Atomic Structure (Lecture 2)

 Inter-atomic Bonding (Lecture 3)

 Lecture 1

Classification and Properties of

Materials

 Criteria for Material Selection

 Correlation between processing, structure, properties & performance

of materials.

 Material Classifications
Materials Science + Materials Engineering
Criteria for Material Selection
 Application requirement – service environment/condition &
desired/required properties.

 Availability – renewable or non-renewable and the need for

pretreatment/ additional processing which will influence the
production and product cost.

 Cost – reliability to application/processing/performance.

 Process-ability – availability of skills and technology & energy

input.

 Environmental impact – resources, recycling & reprocessing,

waste management.
Worked example 1 (May 2017 past year)
Describe the criteria considered for selection of materials for
packaging of bakery products.
What is Processing ?
What is Structure ?
E.g. Copper
Subatomic structure Atomic structure

Pure Copper Copper (II) Sulfate

Microscopic structure Macroscopic structure

Copper Ore Copper rods

What is Properties ?
Mechanical properties – relates deformation to an applied load or force
and depends on the structural changes – e.g. strength, toughness, hardness,
compression, impact, bending etc.
Example: Impact Pendulum test

Determination of
impact strength,
toughness &
ductility
Electrical properties – response of materials towards electric field and depends on
the presence of impurities and deformation – e.g. Conductivity and dielectric constant
Thermal properties – response of materials towards heat or temperature and
depends on structural changes & impurities – e.g. Heat capacity, thermal
conductivity & thermal decomposition.
Magnetic properties – response of materials towards magnetic field & depends
on the composition of non-metallic elements– e.g. Magnetic storage & permeability.
Optical properties – response of materials towards electromagnetic or light
radiation & depends on structural changes and impurities– e.g. index of refraction
and reflection, transmittance & absorbance.
Deteriorative properties – measure the response of materials to environmental
factors including moisture, oxygen, uv radiation, bacterial activities. It depends on the
chemical reactivity of material– fracture & cracking, weathering & ageing in polymers,
corrosion of metals and staining of ceramics.

Breaking of polymer chains

results in microstructural
changes & finally degradation
of plastic
What is Performance ?
Materials Classifications
Metals & Alloys Composites MMC

CMC

PMC
Ceramics & Glasses
Semiconductor

Biomaterials

Polymers Advanced
Materials Materials of the
future
Alkali Metals

Alkali Earth Metals

BIOMATERIALS
Stents

Piezoelectric ceramics Magnetostrictive materials

 Nanomaterials

Materials that contains particles/substrates of nanoscale

dimension or those produced through nanotechnology.
Between 1 to 1000 nanometres (10−9 meter) but usually is
1 to 100 nm.
Scratchproof eyeglasses, crack-resistant paints, anti-
graffiti coatings for walls, transparent sunscreens, stain-
repellent fabrics, self-cleaning windows and ceramic
coatings for solar cells. 
 Summary
Definition of Materials Science and Engineering.

Criteria for Material Selection – 5 factors.

Definition of Processing, Structure, Properties &

Performance.
 Material Classification – Metals/alloys, Polymers,
Ceramics, Composites (MMC, CMC & PMC) &
Advanced Materials (Semiconductor, Biomaterials &
Materials of future)