Materials

Materials (mə-tîr′ē-əls)

Materials are the substances or components with which something is made or can be made. Materials can be raw or processed, and they can be natural or synthetic.

Etymology

The term "material" comes from the Latin word "materia," which means "substance" or "stuff."

Types of Materials

There are several types of materials, including:

• Metals: These are solid materials that are typically hard, shiny, malleable, fusible, and ductile, with good electrical and thermal conductivity.

• Polymers: These are substances that have a molecular structure built up chiefly or completely from a large number of similar units bonded together.

• Ceramics: These are hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing a nonmetallic mineral, such as clay, at a high temperature.

• Composites: These are materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual components.

• Biomaterials: These are any substances that have been engineered to interact with biological systems for a medical purpose.

Related Terms

• Material Science: The scientific study of the properties and applications of materials of construction or manufacture (such as ceramics, metals, polymers, and composites).

• Material Engineering: The application of the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering.

• Material Properties: The characteristics of a material, like strength, toughness, hardness, elasticity, plasticity, brittleness, ductility, and malleability.

• Material Testing: The process of testing the properties of materials, such as mechanical properties, physical properties, and chemical properties.

• Material Selection: The process of choosing the correct materials for the application in terms of price, performance, and safety.

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Materials
• Wikipedia's article - Materials

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