In this blog post, we will look at how materials engineering has enabled the development of various technologies, highlighting its infinite possibilities and importance in the future of industry.
There is a drink called Red Bull that you sometimes come across. It says, “Red Bull, give me wings.” Like Red Bull, materials engineering is a discipline that gives wings to other engineering and technology fields. As materials engineering advances, technologies in other fields also develop and grow. Since the Stone Age, humans have been continuously developing new materials. In particular, materials play a huge role in the history of humanity, to the extent that the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age were divided according to the materials used. In modern times, it has become a discipline that affects everything from small everyday appliances to spaceships in outer space, as mentioned above.
The Department of Materials Engineering is a subject that lacks a clear focus. My original major was ship and ocean engineering, and the focus of all the major subjects was on designing an ideal ship, which is very different from the direction of my current studies. In the Department of Ocean and Naval Architecture, students focus on ship design and the stability of offshore structures, and the department has a relatively clear goal. However, in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, which has already changed its name to the Department of Advanced Materials Engineering at other schools, students conduct research with different focuses in various fields. Therefore, in the undergraduate program, students study materials engineering in a general way as a liberal arts subject. It was only after I entered graduate school that I began to study in depth in three fields: metal engineering, semiconductors called ceramics, and display-related fields, and polymer compounds called polymers, which were once the basis of textile engineering. The subjects I studied in my undergraduate degree were the real basics, the required liberal arts courses, and the foundation of my academic studies.
This was the reason I transferred. It was because it was a major that allowed me to study various fields before focusing on the part I really wanted to study, rather than focusing on shipbuilding engineering. I wanted to make my choice after learning more than I did in my undergraduate years. However, as there are many choices, it is difficult to define and explain each field easily because it covers many different areas. Materials engineering studies the arrangement of atoms in materials through three major categories of approaches: the method of finding the crystal structure, i.e. the regular arrangement, and the phase transition process (in simple terms, the process of water changing into ice and then water vapor). Through this research, the physical and chemical properties of the arrangement are found, and the most necessary properties are identified and utilized.
The aforementioned metallurgy analyzes the atomic structure of various metals to develop effective refining methods and create the various alloys that we require in our daily lives. Aluminum alloy duralumin, which is used as the material for airplanes, is a material developed in this field of metallurgy. Secondly, ceramic engineering covers a wide range of subjects, from compounds containing Si (silicon), ceramics, and cement to advanced science such as semiconductor and display materials and materials related to human medicine. In particular, since silicon, the raw material for ceramics, is the largest component of the earth’s crust, this is an area where tremendous added value is generated when new technologies are discovered and new materials are developed. Finally, we will introduce the third area, which is the field of polymer compounds. In the past, we used to deal with the fragmentary field of fibers, but nowadays, it is called the field of carbon compounds. We use organic compounds to make materials used in medicine, from vinyl-related PVC, PET, and plastics. Moreover, due to the nature of carbon compounds, there is a great deal of potential for development as there are a huge number of compounds with a great deal of variation.
As such, materials engineering is involved in every aspect of our daily lives, from the foundations of large structures such as steel and metal to micro-materials ranging from semiconductors to plastics. It is an engineering field that has had an absolutely huge impact on humanity, and the importance of materials engineering is growing as it plays a fundamental role in all fields. And as the demand for new materials increases with each passing century, the availability of these materials has become so important that it can determine the development of a country.
In particular, in the field of display research, which I want to pursue, a display called AMOLED, which has recently been led by Samsung and LG, is in the spotlight. AMOLED is a type of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) that has the characteristic of emitting light by itself. It is clearer and has better colors than the existing liquid crystal display (LCD), has a faster response speed and reduces visual fatigue, and also reduces power consumption. And unlike LCD, it is self-luminous, so it does not require a backlight, making it possible to achieve a thin size. In the past, LCDs and PDPs were the mainstay of the field, but these days, the trend is shifting as polymer and organic compounds are being used in various fields. Samsung and LG, the companies that developed the technology in line with this trend, have gained a large market share, which is a big difference from other companies.
Looking at this trend, I think it is impossible to overstate the importance of materials engineering. My dream is to change the world for the better, even if only a little, while I am alive. It is a short thought, but I think I can achieve that dream while majoring in materials engineering. Isn’t it fascinating that the materials engineering that gives wings to the technology hidden in our daily lives?
Furthermore, materials engineering plays an important role in solving future energy problems. To solve the energy problems we currently face, we need efficient energy storage and conversion technologies. For example, next-generation battery technology, solar panels, and fuel cells all depend on the development of materials engineering. These technologies can contribute to protecting the global environment by providing more efficient and eco-friendly energy solutions.
Biomaterials engineering is also an important part of materials engineering. It is important that biomaterials such as artificial organs and bones are biocompatible with the human body. This is leading to the development of innovative medical technologies that replace or restore the functions of the human body. For example, artificial joints, artificial blood vessels, and tissue engineering are all made possible by advances in materials engineering.
Therefore, materials engineering is not just about developing new materials, but also about improving the quality of life for humanity and becoming a key technology for a sustainable future. This is why it is very meaningful to major in materials engineering. Doesn’t it excite you to think about how materials engineering can change the future of humanity? Look forward to the infinite possibilities of materials engineering!
