the impact of materials

Impact of Material

s: from Research to Manufacturing

August 2003 Summary

The Impact of Materials From Research to manufacturing

Materials research and development has made fundamental contributions to many, if not most of the technological innovations of the last half-century. In much the same way that advances in materials enabled the development of transistors and space travel, materials scientists and engineers are working to address the challenges that face society today, including the tremendously important need to combat terrorism.

Today's students will develop such exciting new materials as carbon nanotubes and materials systems that self-assemble.

— Mildred Dresselhaus, MIT

Contributions from materials science and engineering will be key in such areas as innovative sensors, personal protective equipment, and hardened structures. In addition to homeland security, a number of societal needs continue to challenge scientists and engineers to seek innovative technological solutions. These include such areas as affordable health care, crime prevention, secure energy sources, efficient transportation, environmental quality, and universal communication.

The technological leaps needed to address many of these will require two things from new materials. First, materials must have increased functionality, meaning that they must have adequate structural integrity in a variety of harsh environments as well as have more non-structural properties, such as the ability to sense pressure changes and send a signal, or even to change shape in response to a signal.

Second, materials scientists must engineer all these impressive properties while maintaining or lowering the cost of manufacturing the materials.

Materials scientists are discovering new materials and applications in the laboratory every day. However, the impact of new materials is difficult to predict. Traditionally, new ideas are presented in theory, and then many years of research are necessary to confirm

the discovery through prototype materials and finally product commercialization. In recent years, however, the interplay between fundamental research and applications has begun to diverge from this traditional path and the results of experiments have been shown to lead to applications much more quickly.

Nonetheless, just as past materials discoveries have led to such mature industries as semiconductors and magnetics, exciting new areas continue to emerge. Some of the most promising opportunities are at the confluence of traditional research fields, such as the intersection of materials science and biology. This area includes such groundbreaking developments as bioactive medical devices and microbes for mineral processing.

While it is true that incorporating scientific advances into new products can sometimes take decades and follow unpredictable paths, progress on many different paths can also bring unexpected bonuses. It is unfortunately also the case that the frequency of such unpredictable opportunities may decrease because of the shift in focus of industrial research capabilities to short-term needs. This pervasive swing away from basic research in the U.S. industrial sector is expected to have long-ranging effects.

Ultimately, society and economics will demand certain characteristics from materials of the future. The industrial sector frequently uses the words stronger, lighter, and cheaper to characterize new developments. To achieve these goals, there has been a notable increase in the interdisciplinary nature

To address this overarching issue, the National Academies formed the Committee on Materials and Society: From Research to Manufacturing. The committee convened a workshop in March 2002 to hear from leading scientists, engineers, educators, entrepreneurs, and policy makers engaged in materials research and development activities. The committee report, Materials and Society: From Research to Manufacturing, summarizes the workshop and the public policy concerns that present both opportunities and barriers to progress in this field.

2 The Impact of Materials: from Research to Manufacturing

The impact of materials on society

The incorporation of major

scientific advances into new products can take decades

and often follows unpredictable paths.

Supported by the basic scientific foundations of condensed-matter and materials physics, the

discoveries shown in this figure have enabled

breakthrough technologies in virtually every sector of the

national economy. The two-way interplay between these

discoveries and scientific foundations has proved to be

a powerful driving force in this field. The most recent fundamental advances

leading to new foundations and discoveries have yet to

realize their potential.

. Magnetic storage is now cheaper than paper storage, and

more advances are coming. All these technologies are based on improvements in materials science.

— Cherry Murray, Lucent Technologies

of materials science and engineering and the growing diversity of expertise of those researchers who participate in materials research.

In spite of the tremendous opportunities, the field faces a shortage of talented, well-trained scientists and engineers. A dramatic decrease has occurred in recent years in the percentage of U.S. citizens pursuing degrees in the physical sciences and engineering. If this problem is not

addressed, the United States will not remain in its global leadership position in materials science and engineering, or in the economically important industries that flow from the field.

The Role of Materials: SECURITY

Materials advances will drive advances in biowarfare detection.

— Frances Ligler, Naval Research Laboratory

The national security environment is complex and full of difficult challenges. In all of the key tasks involved in national security, materials science and engineering play an important role.

Materials for improved surveillance and threat assessment will serve as sensors for explosives, chemical agents, and biological agents as well as in a range of other surveillance equipment. Among the new requirements for detection devices in security applications systems are minimal logistical burden and sustainability, which call for longer-

lived materials or materials that can be self-replenished rather than replaced. Devices must also be the minimum size and weight, which calls for lighter materials and materials with multifunctional capabilities.

Materials science plays an integral role in every step of the national security scene. — Duane Dimos, Sandia National Laboratories

Applications for advanced materials include: microchemical analytical systems at the heart of

handheld components with multifunctional capability;

inexpensive and rugged polymers for miniaturized optics and fluidics; and

biological materials that exhibit a specific response to a particular biochemical or range of biologics.

The Impact of Materials: from Research to Manufacturing 3

While the United States develops a research and development agenda for counterterrorism, scientists and engineers from the Academies will provide a valuable contribution.

— Wm. Wulf, National Academy of Engineering

Materials for protection of assets and infrastructure will have roles for more impact-resistant aircraft, toughened containers for cargo, and buildings able to withstand attack. A key and significant challenge to attaining this goal is the reduction of cost while maintaining robustness. Applications for advanced materials include:

materials and structures with improved fire resistance;

materials that are harder to penetrate and can absorb or deflect directed energy; and

structural materials and window glass that are both fracture resistant and also shatter into dust-sized particles on breaking.

Materials in weapons for defending allies and defeating an enemy will have roles in the many components of a future combat system.

Applications for advanced materials include: very hard materials that are also lightweight for

use as earth and rock penetrators to breach targets that may be buried or protected;

miniaturized electronics for communications and sensor systems; and

lightweight, structural materials for such applications as unmanned vehicles and aircraft.

Bulk explosives detection approaches need both better sensors and must take full advantage of

available computer technologies. — Lyle Malotky, Transportation Security Administration

Aviation Security can use materials developments in all of the above areas: The goal of aviation security is to prevent an

explosive material from getting on board an airplane and, failing that, to prevent the bomb or terrorist from acting on board the aircraft. Systems are also needed to minimize the damage of any explosion or impact.

Other challenges in homeland security also cut across all of the applications outlined above. The ability to predict the reliability of materials (known as surety) is important while weapons are in long-term storage or in ensuring a nanostructured component

can support an innovative structure over a vehicle lifetime of many years. Another cross-cutting issue is the cost-effective manufacture of small numbers of very high-technology and high-performance components. This will require a solid

understanding of modeling and simulation tools for design, production, and manufacturing.

The Role of Materials: COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

Materials for lightweight components are used in the body, chassis, and power train of today's vehicles to reduce vehicle weight and improve performance. Applications include:

high-strength steel frame components; polymer composite materials for snap-on outer

panels; stronger and lighter tire materials; thin wall cast-iron exhaust manifolds;

aluminum and magnesium alloy structural components;

titanium exhaust systems; and thinner glass windshields and backlights.

Whenever cost can be reduced, that's important. — Gary Rogers, FEV Engine Technologies

Commercial Vehicle Performance has improved tremendously over the past decade, with more than 130 percent better fuel

economy for cars and 75 percent for trucks. Lightweight and functional materials have enabled this progress through improved efficiency in vehicle propulsion and reductions in vehicle weight.


Multifunctional materials can be found throughout an entire automobile. These materials have been especially useful in internal combustion engines and in after-treatment exhaust systems. Applications include:

fuels and lubricants; catalyst and particulate traps; batteries, fuel cells, and hydrogen systems for

energy storage and energy conversion; sensors, actuators, and MEMS devices for

automotive electronics; optical components; hard or corrosion-resistant coatings; and smart structural materials.

Modeling and simulation tools can help to optimize a material's stiffness and strength to improve the structural integrity of a vehicle. As examples, modeling has enabled:

Hydroformed frames that can double their torsional rigidity, resulting in a potential 15 percent weight savings as well as improved safety and ride quality. Hydroforming uses water pressure to efficiently and effectively force sheet metal into a die to produce complex shapes.

Thinner castings using the lost foam process to reduce the weight of an engine block dramatically. This process uses patterns made from expanded polystyrene in a cavityless mold. The foam pattern is replaced by molten metal to produce the casting.

The automotive industry is both a mature industry and a growth industry. — Alan Taub, General Motors Corporation

Future improvements in materials may include: nanocomposites that are 20 percent lighter and

provide thermal insulation or integrated sensors; reduced weight of dynamic components, leading to

reduced friction in drive trains, pistons, and bearings and higher efficiencies;

smart materials that can change their properties to respond to the engine temperature or speed;

electrode catalyst formulations for higher reaction rates and lower costs and low-temperature catalyst formulations for fuel processors;

polymer electrolyte membrane materials for proton conduction in fuel cells; and

low-cost, high-temperature heat exchangers with stable dielectric coolants

.

The Role of Materials: ENERGY SYSTEMS

The world's civilization and economy are dependent upon the secure and reliable production, distribution, and consumption of energy in forms practicable for both industrial and private use. Science and technology must respond to forecasted needs by increasing efficiency in both the generation and the use of energy.

Thin-Wall Cast-Iron

Exhaust Manifold

Thinner Glass Windshield &

Back Light

Aluminum Alloy

Driveshaft

Titanium Exhaust

Aluminum Alloy

Pistons

Materials dictate the performance of the power source, and the ranges of power dictate potential solutions. — Dan Doughty, Sandia National Laboratories

Materials to improve energy-generation efficiency will have roles in current fossil-fuel-based plants. Environmental emissions, including carbon dioxide, trace element particulates (such as mercury or radioactive dust from coal), and other byproducts, all represent inefficiencies in the energy-generation process. Applications for advanced materials include:

affordable materials to contain and control working fluids to enable higher temperature engine operation;

improved catalysts for efficient chemical transformations;

cost-effective energy storage systems to handle surges in power demand;

high-heat tolerant electrical transmission cables; and more efficient large and small motors.

Solar Energy is the ultimate source of energy for our society. Converting the sun's energy that reaches our planet into electrical and chemical energy frequently has been proposed as the only long-term solution to world energy needs. We can only achieve this goal with the development of new materials.


Power is not only technologies, but also includes the fuels, the generation, the delivery, the storage, the end-use, and all the policies, regulations, and international issues that surround them.

— William Parks, Department of Energy

Materials for portable power will have roles in batteries for internal power storage and fuel cells for external storage. While the ranges and sizes of power needed in these systems dictate the potential solutions, performance is dictated by material composition of the following:

electrolytes electrocatalysts micro- and nanotechnologies advanced energetic materials techniques for scale up technologies for safe operation

Materials for alternative power technologies will have roles in the utilization of wind, solar, and geothermal energy sources.

New materials are also needed to improve the conversion and transmission of these alternative sources. Applications for advanced materials include:

lighter-weight materials for windmill blades; advanced and affordable semiconductor materials for

photovoltaic and thermovoltaic generators; materials for more efficient production, transportation,

and storage of hydrogen; superconducting materials to eliminate transmission

losses; and improved materials processing and manufacturing for

such distributed generation technologies as small gas turbines, Stirling engines, or fuel cell systems.

Materials in Future Industries: NANOMATERIALS

While some naturally nanostructured materials have been used in commercial applications for many years, artificially manufactured nanomaterials have recently been recognized as a new class of materials. Several types of nanomaterials have demonstrated some particularly interesting and promising properties.

Nanolayered materials, composed of thin layers of different materials can: be much stronger and harder than either of the two materials alone; exhibit a high resistance to corrosion or other environmental degradation; improve the useful life of components under repeating stresses; and produce efficient electronic and optoelectronic devices such as diode

lasers.

Nanoparticle materials composed of very fine powders can: be used for nano-abrasive polishing; enable highly targeted drug delivery; and be used in cosmetics such as sun block.

Nanograined materials, or three-dimensional materials with very fine structures, can:

exhibit significant strength increases; and be made into molecular sieves with nanohole porosity

Nanotube materials, which are composed of sheets of carbon atoms seamlessly wrapped in cylinders. They are only a few nanometers in diameter and up to a millimeter long and can:

be made either semiconducting or conducting; both strengthen polymers and change their electrical properties; and be made into tips or probes for microscopy.


Nanomaterials are an exciting but very disparate class of materials which come in an ever increasing array of forms

with a wide variety of applications. — Julia Weertman, Northwestern University

Nanomaterials show great promise in new products as well as for new manufacturing processes, but many problems and challenges remain. Barriers to the development and application of nanomaterials include the development of techniques to:

producenanoscale particles of high quality in sufficient quantities and at a low cost;

improve the low fracture toughness and poor ductility of nanoscale materials;

assemble nanocomponents into devices; and improve the thermal stability of nanostructures.

Materials in Future Industries: BIOMATERIALS

Biomaterials include, among many things, the medical implants carried by millions of Americans. The potential for newly engineered materials to solve many of the challenges for new devices is enormous. There are also tremendous new opportunities in bioresearch and in bio-based fabrication in nonmedical industries.

Many biomaterials advances in the past have been opportune applications of known materials, such as polymethyl methacrylate (superglue), used for sutures and intraocular lenses today, or shape-memory alloys, once a curiosity, now used to keep aortal stents round. We are only beginning to understand the potential for engineered biomaterials.

Some of these applications include:

Materials to improve individual health will enable the compatibility and functionality of implanted devices. Applications for advanced materials include:

bioactive medical devices that react to the body's real-time needs;

drug delivery systems that use polymeric materials that dissolve or diffuse drugs;

microneedles, currently made from silicon, which can inject drugs painlessly; and

an implanted "pharmacy on a chip," where lithography can make reservoirs for drugs on a chip and electrical impulses are used to selectively rupture a membrane and deliver the required dose of a chosen drug.

Materials to improve research on biological systems:

materials with new surface properties for arrays in genomic and proteomic studies;

materials to improve the speed and efficiency of microfluidic devices to separate cells;

materials to enable bio-based manufacturing processes;

materials with lowered human immune responses; and

biological systems for water treatment and mineral processing.

The assembly of hybrid organic and inorganic materials can exploit the functionality of a small amount of organic material to organize the inorganic component of a hybrid material. An exciting example of an application for this type of structure is the use of peptides to distinguish gallium arsenide from silicon and silicate.

Biomaterials encompass the traditional bioengineering of medical implants to newer areas of drug delivery, tissue engineering, materials for array technologies, microfluidics, and hybrid materials. — David Tirrell, California Institute of Technology

Biomaterials show great promise in new applications and new manufacturing processes, but many problems and challenges remain. Some barriers to the application of biomaterials include the development of techniques to:

improve biocompatibility; preserve biological functions; and improve communication between physical scientists

and biological scientists.

Materials in Future Industries: MATERIALS FOR OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS Materials advances have enabled some of the great leaps in electronic switching and communication over the past 30 years. To continue this inspiring trend,

today's devices are moving steadily toward materials that use optical characteristics to increase their functionality. Moving from hard-wired systems to optical systems will


increase agility and flexibility and can dramatically reduce infrastructure costs.

The enormous advances in optical communication systems over the past five years are largely due to materials

advances on many fronts. — Rod Alferness, Lucent Technologies

Fiber-optic materials that work over long distances can overcome intrinsic fiber material nonlinearities that fundamentally limit system performance. New materials and approaches that will allow designers to overcome these limitations and customize properties include

erbium-doped fibers, which are currently being implemented in communication systems, permit ting optical signals to be amplified without the use of electronics and leading to increases in capacity of close to a factor of 1000;

materials that allow sensor response amplification through property transitions—such as in the realignment and reorientation of liquid crystalline domains for displays;

new photonic band gap materials; "holey" fibers, which will require revolutionary

fabrication technologies to drill tiny holes along their length, tailored for specific applications; and

new microsensors utilizing the optical, electrical, piezoelectrical, and mechanical properties of materials.

New systems are increasingly needed for routing communications along these high-capacity networks. These systems now resemble highways with complex interchanges where signals are split and rerouted toward their final destination.

Optical systems often include a variety of different materials to add functionality and reduce volume and weight in a microsystem (or nanosystem). These systems often consist of inorganic materials that have high processing temperatures and structural rigidity in combination with organic or biologic materials that cannot tolerate high temperatures, that have poor structural stability, and that have enhanced sensitivity to ambient conditions. Technologies needed include:

MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) is one enabling technology that can make high capacity switches with very low losses and switching densities unmatched by electronic switches; nanosystems will improve on these;

integrated packaging and thermal management; and

advances in gate materials: optical signal devices also hold great promise to replace electronic switching devices; because optical signals are weaker than electrical signals, a new nonlinear gate material is needed to control optical switching in order to boost the signal and increase efficiency.

Materials in Future Industries: COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS SCIENCE

Computational approaches have resulted in tremendous progress at all length scales relevant to materials. These include the macroscale (human dimensions), the microscale (atomic dimensions), and the mesoscale, which bridges these two regimes.

At the macroscale, researchers have long used such traditional methods as finite element analysis to predict mechanical and other properties of materials. These methods are now being coupled with image processing approaches to impart additional physical detail into the models.

At the smallest scales, quantum mechanical ab initio (or electronic structure) calculations have predicted optical spectra in nanoscopic quantum dots. These models also predict the great mechanical strength of carbon nanotubes.

Despite the excitement surrounding such new materials simulation capabilities, these relatively new methods are currently limited to small calculations typically for less than a thousand atoms. Improved algorithms and computer speeds will be needed to model larger systems.

Molecular and mesoscale simulation methods are bridging the considerable gap between quantum mechanical simulations of small collections of atoms and macroscale calculations of materials properties. These may include tens of thousands to a billion atoms simulated using particle-based or field-based methods. Such methods can provide insight into materials phenomena on the scale of several nanometers to several hundreds of microns, and on time scales from picoseconds to seconds or even hours depending on the material or process modeled. The processes of dendritic growth during solidification and

Materials for the Future will be the same ones the United States was built on: steel, aluminum, glass, cast iron, and plastics. They will be used in innovative combinations and made in innovative ways. Though these industries are still responsible for much of our growth,

the basis for our future industries may be the same as for our past industrial base: materials.

8 The Impact of Materials: from Research to Manufacturing polymer phase separation, for example, are often modeled with these types of methods.

A goal for computational materials science is to play the same role in materials as molecular modeling does in the pharmaceutical industry. Challenges to reaching this goal include:

developing approaches to seamlessly integrate multiscale simulation methods;

developing techniques to handle large quantities of data;

training researchers; and sustaining the multidisciplinary infrastructure

needed to attack and solve the problems.

In general, the development of reliable mesoscale theory and methods will aid the better understanding and development of complex materials, but many problems and chal-lenges remain. Barriers to the application of computational

materials science include the development of techniques to:

model and understand self-assembled nanotubes and quantum dots;

incorporate bioinspired and biological materials with traditional structures; and

nanoengineer materials by designing them molecule by molecule.

Computational approaches to simulate materials and anticipate behavior enable a modern approach to materials

design, discovery, and optimization. — Sharon Glotzer, University of Michigan

Over the next decade, the use of computational methods to design, discover, and optimize nanomaterials, biomaterials, and optical materials, will become increasingly prevalent.

Perspectives: WORKFORCE AND EDUCATION

A growing obstacle reported by many U.S. industries is finding qualified scientists and engineers to fulfill their research and development needs and maintain the U.S. lead as a technology innovator. At the beginning of the 21st century, when the United States is poised for a new industrial revolution driven by innovations such as nanotechnology, significant workforce challenges remain to realizing this opportunity. Trends in federal research support by discipline, FY1970-2002, show funding in mathematics and physical sciences flat or declining, while funding in biological sciences has increased.

For many reasons, recruitment into the materials science and related fields is a struggle. Women especially are not often sufficiently encouraged to study materials science. The perception that many of the brightest U.S. students are choosing legal, banking, investment, business, or medical jobs may in some part be due to a belief that salaries in these fields are significantly higher than for scientists and engineers. Also, students may stay away from materials

science because the historical payback time for a material to penetrate the market is estimated at 20 to 30 years. This type of statistic will turn away entrepreneurial students.

The biggest problem we face is finding the right people. — R. Stanley Williams, Hewlett Packard

Significant challenges must be overcome to guarantee the continuing supply of an educated and trained workforce for the materials research, development, and manufacturing complex. The consequences of inaction could be serious for the long-term health of the U.S. economy and the solutions will involve educators, industry and government. If the United States is not a developer of technology, it is in danger of becoming an importer and buyer of technology.

There is a drain of the U.S. brain trust away from physical sciences and engineering.

— Andrew Hunt, Microcoating Technolog


— Andrew Hunt, Microcoating Technolog


— Andrew Hunt, Microcoating Technologies ies ies

Filling slots for undergraduate biological sciences has been likened to fishing with a net: one simply scoops them up. In the physical sciences—including materials science—recruiting undergraduate majors is much harder, more like fly fishing for one fish at a time.: — Gregory Farrington, Lehigh University

It is the workforce that turns technology into products. — John Moran, Workforce Specialist


Perspectives: U.S. CONGRESS The Senate budget committee increased the discretionary cap for the Department of Energy's basic and applied

research by $4 billion over the next 10 years—so at least on the Senate side there is support for increased levels of

funding physical sciences research. — Jonathan Epstein, Professional Staff, Senator Jeff

Bingaman

Many members of Congress and their staff members see funding for science and technology as critical to the nation's future, for the following reasons:

The economy depends on such areas as information technology and nanotechnology;

National security depends on work on such vital areas as cybersecurity;

The population's health and well-being depend on genomics research and climate change research; and

Improved math, science, and engineering education depends on federal support, from the kindergarten classroom to the postdoctoral laboratory.

Congressional leaders are also concerned about workforce issues in the United States. The elected leadership is aware that hiring qualified workers remains difficult, both domestically and abroad. The Technology Talent Act, which provides funding to institutions of higher education to increase both the number and quality of science and engineering graduates, is intended to increase the size and the talent level of the science and engineering workforce. The focus of research is another issue discussed regularly on Capitol Hill. For example, most new Department of Defense research is interdisciplinary, with both nano- and biomaterials playing a major role. Members of Congress are interested in striking the appropriate funding balance not only between different scientific fields or disciplines, but also between basic and applied research, and between core programs and special initiatives. Congress looks to the scientific community for guidance in determining appropriate funding levels based on the research demands and potential for advancement within that discipline.

The materials research community, by making Congress and the public aware not only of past successes but also of short-term and long-term research goals and of the potential impact of materials science, could greatly

increase the visibility of materials science and engineering. These discoveries have impacted our quality of life, improved health-care delivery, enabled technological advancement, and improved national security.

Growth in science and engineering degrees

In the same way that sequencing the human genome generated awareness and understanding of a once-obscure laboratory procedure, the potential for revolutionary advances from nanomaterials and other state-of-the-art technologies could attract similar awareness and understanding of materials science. Right now, the leaders on Capitol Hill are interested in how research can make everything lighter, faster, and stronger, and they need to understand how advances in materials science will advance science and technology to that end.

Most new Department of Defense research is interdisciplinary. The life sciences community and physical sciences community need to get talking. — Carolyn Hanna, Senate Armed Services Committee

Perspectives: FEDERAL AGENCIES Many programs in the federal agencies are responding to such major drivers as our national and homeland security, an aging infrastructure, and growing social needs. For example, changes within the Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the Department of Energy have included funding for larger interdisciplinary groups and interdisciplinary conferences; investments in nanoscience

Material researchers need to amplify the message that materials represent an enabling technology to mission

oriented agencies. — Leslie Smith, Nat'l Institute of Standards and Technology

10 The Impact of Materials: from Research to Manufacturing centers; and development of such user facilities as neutron scattering, light sources, and scanning probe microscopy.

Both the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation are looking at ways of enabling scientists around the world to work together. The National Science Foundation funds research ranging from fundamental science to device development. The five priority areas driving the Foundation are information technology, nanoscale science and engineering, biomaterials, 21st century workforce, and mathematics.

The goal to contribute to national needs is shared by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST is responsible for standards and measurement systems and develops enabling technologies for the entire economy. Growing research areas at the Institute are biological applications, array technologies, and combinatorial methods.

Materials represent an enabling technology to mission-oriented agencies. For these agencies, both researchers and program managers must focus not only on new science, but also on how materials perform within the constraints of the design space. All military departments that have a science and technology component participate in some way in materials research. Some defense materials programs focus mainly on achieving advances in

basic science; others focus on enabling the accomplishment of mission goals or helping to provide new military capability.

NASA is a mission agency and focuses on systems rather than disciplines. This is reflected in its investment strategy

and research portfolio. — Charlie Harris, National Aeronautics and Space

Administration

Funding for basic and applied research at NASA has been slow to grow over the past 10 years because of flat budgets and budget shortfalls for such large projects as the International Space Station. This situation presents enormous challenges to NASA, and the agency is committed to new ways of doing business. The agency plans to engage a wider group of participants and stakeholders to increase science, research, and development efforts. Drivers for NASA research and development include the need to get new innovations in materials into production more quickly than the current average of 14 to 15 years.

The National Institutes of Health has a research budget approaching $27 billion. Novel enabling materials are needed to realize many health initiatives including

This year, about $500 million is targeted for materials science and techthat supports the mission of the Department of Defense. — Lewis Sloter, Department of Defense

A major challenge for NIH is getting talented bioengineering and materials scientists to enter public service.

— John Watson, National Institutes of Health

A new infusion of $25 million generated 750 proposals,but only 75 could be funded. — Patricia Dehmer, Department of Energy

H

Trends in federal research and development funding

NI
tissue engineering, nanoscience, and reparative medicine. However, materials science is scattered throughout the Institutes and is not optimally coor-dinated. Some is focused in the newly formed National Institute for Biological Imaging and Bioengineering while the USDA
NSF

majority is distributed among the other Institutes and Centers.

NASA
DoD DOE
nology, representing a large, robust, and stable portfolio


WORKSHOP SUMMARY COMMENTS

The presentations, displays, and discussions held during the workshop emphasized the pivotal role of materials in enabling advances and new technology in areas as diverse as national security, energy, vehicles, biomaterials, and optical networks and communications. Many presentations linked past and ongoing materials successes with future needs for materials and revealed fertile ground for future materials research and development.

It was suggested that insufficient funding and the decline in the available workforce with training in physical sciences will limit progress in promising areas of materials research. Materials science and engineering is an amalgam of many of the physical sciences but with a specific focus on the application of science and engineering to materials, and on the application of materials to science and engineering. The many studies and surveys discussed at the workshop documented the decrease in students, especially domestic students, studying these disciplines. Anecdotal evidence presented by both large and small companies reinforced these observations.

Reasons proposed at the workshop for the decline in the available workforce included funding shortfalls, a failure to engage potential students at the right time, the perception that the physical sciences are difficult, and the long training period. Several presenters and discussants mentioned the interdisciplinary nature of materials science and engineering that requires students who not only are capable of such study but also are willing to take on the challenge of enduring long-time scales for on-the-job training to gain experience in the field.

Several presentations reported that research funding for physical sciences has not grown at the same rate as that for the biological sciences. However, it was not made clear that funding parity was an appropriate goal, but it was instead, it was stated that a "correct" level of funding, based on economic, societal, and technical needs must be identified.

This workshop identified some unfilled research, development, and technology needs in the field. However, several speakers and participants at the workshop discussed the need for a more in-depth analysis. Some speakers referred to the National Academies' decadal survey on astronomy and astrophysics and indicated its

considerable usefulness to Congress in supporting research initiatives in that field.

The National Academies has published a number of decadal studies, including those in materials science and engineering in 1974 and 1989, and in condensed matter and materials physics in 1999. Many changes in the study of materials science and engineering over this time period were presented at the workshop, highlighting the changes in the field as it gained an identity and matured into a respected field of study. Several presentations emphasized the increasing diversity of the field and the multi- and interdisciplinary nature of the expertise of those people who participate in materials science and engineering.

The 'dot.com bust' demonstrates eloquently that we do not live in a virtual world, and that

everything is made of something. — Venkatesh Narayanamurti, Harvard University

Several speakers and panel members stated that a study identifying new directions in materials science and engineering and prioritizing materials research needs would be useful to both the community and to Congress. Similar to previous assessments of the field, these speakers viewed the understanding and application of the basis of materials science and engineering—the relationships among synthesis, process, structure, and properties of all materials—as key components.

The status of education and the workforce in materials science and engineering was discussed throughout the workshop, running the gamut from kindergarten through grade 12, technical training, undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education and retraining of the current workforce. Many discussants provided anecdotes or suggested actions that could be taken to address the decreasing numbers of trained professionals and overall workforce deficiencies. However, these participants also suggested that a better assessment and definition of the supply and demand for persons with training in materials would benefit the field considerably.

Enhancing Society's Awareness of the role of materials in the technology people use every day is crucial to creating a climate

which will enable materials scientists and engineers to continue to make these contributions.

COMMITTEE ON MATERIALS AND SOCIETY: FROM RESEARCH TO MANUFACTURING

SYLVIA M. JOHNSON, NASA Ames Research Center, Chair HARRY E. COOK, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign FRANCIS J. DISALVO, Cornell University JAY LEE, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee LINDA J. (LEE) MAGID, University of Tennessee, Knoxville ROBERT C. PFAHL, JR., National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative JULIA M. PHILLIPS, Sandia National Laboratories HENRY J. RACK, Clemson University ASHOK SAXENA, Georgia Institute of Technology JOEL S. YUDKEN, AFL-CIO Project Staff TONI MARECHAUX, Director, National Materials Advisory Board TERI THOROWGOOD, Research Associate, National Materials Advisory Board MICHAEL MOLONEY, Program Officer, Solid State Sciences Committee EMILY ANN MEYER, Research Associate, National Materials Advisory Board

For More Information... Copies of the full report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; Internet, http://www.nap.edu. The full text of this summary is available online at http://www.nationalacademies.org/nmab. This study was supported by Contract/Grant No. MDA 972-01-D-001 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of Defense. The Solid State Sciences Committee is supported by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. For more information on the National Research Council, visit the home page of the National Academies at http://www.national-academies.org. Copyright 2003 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Materials...................................... 1 The Role of Materials Security ....................................................... 2 Commercial Vehicles .................................. 3 Energy Systems .......................................... 4 Materials in Future Industries Nanomaterials ............................................. 5 Biomaterials ................................................ 6 Materials for Optical Communication .......... 6 Computational Materials Science................ 7 Perspectives Workforce and Education ............................ 8 U.S. Congress............................................. 9 Federal Agencies ........................................ 9 Workshop Summary Comments....................... 11

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