An extensive range of material categories, including metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, semiconductors, biomaterials, and nanomaterials, can be distinguished and defined as distinct fields. Materials science is an expansive discipline that can be classified as an interdisciplinary field. It encompasses investigations into the composition and characteristics of any substance, the development of novel material varieties, and the adjustment of a substance’s properties to suit the requirements of a particular application.
Characterization is the foundation of materials science; it entails establishing a relationship between the configuration of atoms and phases within a material and its relative performance and desired properties in a given application. In the process of material selection for a specific application, the physical properties of the material typically hold significant influence. This involves, among other things, the composition and structure of the material, analysis of fracture and stress, conductivity, optical, and thermal properties. Methods of processing, manufacturing, modelling, and design are also incorporated. Crystallography, microscopy, lithography, mineralogy, photonics, and powder diffraction are just few of the peripheral fields that are involved in the research that is conducted in the discipline of materials science.