Fundamentals of Materials Science: From Basic Theories to Critical Properties

This book introduces the fundamentals of materials science and is intended to be used by undergraduate students in materials-related majors mainly in China. The book focusses on the basic theories of the three primary types of solid state materials (metals, ceramics and polymers) and composites and emphasizes the relationships between the structures and properties of materials. In addition, it presents the crystal structure, imperfections, microstructure, material processing and performance of the materials from the electronic and atomic levels. The physicochemical processes in materials such as diffusion, phase diagram and phase transition are also explained from the thermodynamic point of view. To highlight the fundamental role of the materials science to the modern technologies and the development of the society, the materials science-related content about Nobel Prizes is introduced in this book. Exercises and questions are included at the end of each chapter for students to practice and gain hands-on experience. Given its scope, this book is of interest to undergraduate students major in materials science and engineering and other related areas and is also beneficial for researchers, graduates and engineers with interdisciplinary backgrounds.

Prof. Zhengming Sun is a distinguished professor and the dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China. He has worked for over 20 years in Austria, Japan, and USA. His research interests cover the research and development of metallic materials, intermetallic compounds, ceramics and composites. In the past decade, he devoted most of his energy to the MAX phase materials, a family of ternary compounds, and their derivatives, MXenes, an emerging new family of 2D materials. He has authored over 250 SCI indexed papers and applied over 40 patents. He was offered the fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (1995). He was offered the tile of State Specially Recruited Experts by the central government of China.

Peigen Zhang is an Associate Professor at Southeast University. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University. Dr. Zhang’s research centers on lead-free electronic packaging materials, advanced ceramic materials, and two-dimensional materials, with applications spanning reliable electronic interconnection, electromagnetic protection, thermal management, and emerging energy technologies. He has been awarded three grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals.

Wei Liu is a professor at the State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He obtained his bachelor degree and Ph.D. degree in Materials Science at Jilin University. In 2007-2009, he was a visiting Ph.D. student at the University of California, Davis. In 2010−2014, he was an Alexander von Humboldt fellow and research scientist at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin. In 2014-2023, he was a professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology. His main research interests focus on the accurate modeling of the surfaces and interfaces of complex alloys and information materials. He has published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals. Up to now, he has received five grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Wei He is an Associate Professor at Southeast University. He earned his Bachelor’s degrees from Hefei University of Technology and received his Ph.D. degree from University of Science and Technology of China. Dr. He’s research focuses on single-atom catalysts and two-dimensional materials, with applications in energy storage and conversion. He has published over 60 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals.