Which materials changed the History ? For example, carved stone, bronze and iron changed the History in its own moment, leading to the corresponding Ages of Stone, Bronze and Iron of the Mankind. These Materials allowed the fabrication of better tools that allowed in turn to control the environment (more intensive agriculture, more sofisticated manufactured goods). Cooked clays permitted storage that in turn permitted longer life shelf and water transportation, and the first buildings and writing pieces in Mesopotamia. Paper was another material that changed the History, allowing to keep the written words and then spread the knowledge. Then plastics, that made everything cheap but that become a nightmare latter (thus changing again the History).

Which materials will change the future? Not talking which compounds, but the types of materials we could mention: Bioinspired materials made with the architectures, functionalities and raw sources from biological things and smart materials that will react to the needs of the user or to the changes in the environmental conditions. These materials should come from sustainable sources or have to be so specialized that would allow their use in a profitable scale.

Hope you find these comments useful.

Hi all

In my opinion graphene is the futur of materials and geopolymers will change the history of materials

regards

Stone, bronze, iron. Since then materials started to multiply and no single one was as important historically as those three.

Dear Hossein Homayoun ,

No material other than Graphene (with sp2 hybridised carbon, massless Pi- electrons, Zero band gap, ultra-high carrier mobility, ultra-high mechanical strength, high optical transparency, ultra-high conductivity and many more). Graphene is the master member of 2D materials.

The history of civilization is related to the ability of people to use the materials available on our planet. Five materials changed, until now, the history: stone, wood, bronze, steel, uranium and silicon.

First of all, carbon changed a histore of the Earth, since organic being arisen.

The second is, of course, wood: due to its possibility to be burned and produce a fire by this way.

The third is stone (buildings)

The fours is is a copper and its natural alloys like bronze and brass (weapons)

The fifth is iron and its alloys (weapons and machines).

The sixth is aluminum and titanium (aerospace).

The seventh is silicon (computers).

Present: compositionally and functionally graded and composite materials; amorphous materials; high-entropy materials; graphene (2D structures).

Future: artificially made biological structures and self-reproducing artificial organs for implantation.

I think the semi-conductor materials change the modern world in future time..

Silicon changed the history. GaAs, graphene, carbon fibres, fullerenes and some organic polymers still being explored. Maybe I am wrong but which material for which application would be a good question. Thanks.

2D materials.

Cement is not mentioned in the list of revolutionary materials. Meanwhile, without it there would not be much to which we are accustomed. As for graphene, I envy the optimism of those who mentioned it. But its role will be visible after many years, or will not ...

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Advanced Modern Research and Its Implication are responsible to Change the Future

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@ Alexander Katz-Demyanetz

Carbon does not change the history of the world. History begins with writing.

@mentioning of graphene. It's importance still unknown. Too early to talk about it's importance. For today it's importance is mostly in getting grants.

Thanks to all

I received your opinions. I think the most important materials are advanced materials which are using in the biomedical applications and memory alloys and Nanomaterials such as CNT or Graphene ...

Maybe Graphene because of its unique properties will change the future or maybe a new material with more advantage will be fabricated or introduce. Please, discuss them and their significance

Best Regards

I agree with your answer. But in future, which materials will be used for energy production, storage and medical application, that material/materials is the ultimate.

I strongly believe DNA biopolymer might be replace silicon for multidisciplinary applications in near future. Even though some limitations persists like melting temperature etc., which needs to be focus..

Composites or nano composites

As for metallic materials I think they are not exhausted fully, there will be created new ones with exotic compositions and unexpected properties.

Silica is one of the great material which is changed the world up till now. Because, there is no electronic device found without silica. In future, graphene is the promising material which is going to occupy in each and every electronic devices.

Future does not depend on the materials it depends upon the necessity of our requirements. Alternate sources are the highlights in the recent years so we are using to do the research in Silica and Carbon nanostrutures. If our applications/requirements are in different way in different mechanism then we will switch over to that materials placed in the periodic table

Graphene,Fullerene

The ability to separate, contain and recycle molecular matter from mixed feed streams. Current membrane technology has been unable to completely remove xenobiotics from our utility water nor leaked tritium from nuclear power plants. The answer lies in the emerging advanced materials, for example metamaterial presents new opportunities in fiber optics and electrothermal power generation.

Nanomaterials.

Nanomaterials and Composites,

best

Nanomaterials and materials used in MEMS (microelectro-mechanical systems) have changed technology to a large extent. Gold nanoparticles are actively being pursued in cancer treatment in conjunction with photodynamic therapy (PDT). Micromachines are used to inject precise quantities of insulin automatically to the patient. These MEMS are embedded inside the patient and can monitor the sugar level of blood delivering insulin on demand.

We are far beyond a point when a single material can change history of a mankind. Today nothing can come even close to discovery of iron (steel). New materials can be exciting for materials scientists, they can be very useful in their niche application, but nothing even close to changing history.

In this discussion most often composites and nanomaterials were mentioned. But composites were used by ancient Egyptians (and first synthetic composite is more than 100 years old). Nanomaterials should are useful in a few special applications, but they shell prove they can change life dramatically.

OK, on the second thought there was a recent history changing group of materials - doped semiconductors.

This question is very broad. I believe it is better to discuss this question under different fields. For example a material that has a superior magnetocaloric performance may change the future of refrigeration but the same material is likely not suitable in magnetic recording or magnetic hyperthermia (because of hysteresis loops). In recent years nanomaterials have attracted much research because of the properties and effects that they exhibit which are not present in their bulk counterparts.

@ Hossein Homayoun

I think there will be no specific answer. Because we were switching from polymer age to nano age. But still the previous works are being modified. So each field has its own history which are getting modified day to day with the help of new search ideas.

Madhu Bala

Hi,

Can you say more about them? Which type of composites will make the future or future of Materials?

Thank you

Amir Aslani

Hi,

Thank you for your comment, I agree with you but we discuss generally. I want to know recent years what will be called in the future? Nanomaterials age or composites age or Biomaterials age or Advanced materials age or ...

Arnab Mukherjee

Hi, Thank you for comment

I agree with you, We can call the recent years as Nano age but the other kind of materials has their own application and performances.

In the near future,

Composites seem to be doing pretty well in the structural and mechanical aspect of materials.

Bio materials and complex organic materials seem to have a prominent future in medical applications.

Graphene has excellent properties that can revolutionize electrical devices.

Silicon will most probably be replaced by Gallium Nitride.

Nano materials seem to be good at just about everything, almost like tailoring properties to specific applications.

But now that we know we can make nanomaterials, next will just be picomaterials... i guess.

In the distant future,

We barely explored the first half of our periodic table. Possible research on other elements may just change everything. Or we get eaten by aliens.

But, lets not kid ourselves, we are not going to survive Global Warming..... right?

Which materials changed the History ? For example, carved stone, bronze and iron changed the History in its own moment, leading to the corresponding Ages of Stone, Bronze and Iron of the Mankind. These Materials allowed the fabrication of better tools that allowed in turn to control the environment (more intensive agriculture, more sofisticated manufactured goods). Cooked clays permitted storage that in turn permitted longer life shelf and water transportation, and the first buildings and writing pieces in Mesopotamia. Paper was another material that changed the History, allowing to keep the written words and then spread the knowledge. Then plastics, that made everything cheap but that become a nightmare latter (thus changing again the History).

Which materials will change the future? Not talking which compounds, but the types of materials we could mention: Bioinspired materials made with the architectures, functionalities and raw sources from biological things and smart materials that will react to the needs of the user or to the changes in the environmental conditions. These materials should come from sustainable sources or have to be so specialized that would allow their use in a profitable scale.

Hope you find these comments useful.

Apart from the more obvious items such as iron, i think the key is a material or group of materials that fundamentally change our way of life.

I like to think that a catalyst material that allows CO2 to be economically reduced to carbon and oxygen will be the next game changer.

DNA-based seeds.

In future you would buy in a store a seed of a two story five bedroom house, plant it in sunny place, supply a few truckloads of nutrients (pyrite, coal, chalcopyrite, etc.) and water as needed.

Or you can buy a seed of a Ford model T...

Following.

Interesting imputs, following

Magnetic thin layers improved sensors and the early magnetic storage of information... Si technology is at the heart of the IT revolution that changed the world in the last century... These are interconnected from my point of view. The contribution of magnetic materials in the development of electromagnetism had also applications in many other domains.

Polymers/plastics have a big impact in our daily life today, as metals had their contribution in the early times. Nuclear materials may still destroy us, so maybe they are still the most important...

For the future, I think materials needed in the fusion reactors, for space traveling or even for quantum computers may have a similar impact...

F. Caballero-Briones

Hi Dear Dr,

Thank you so much for your comprehensive and complete answer. Based on your opinion biological and smart materials are very important for the future...

Can you say more about them especially about bioinspired materials?

Mihai Gabureac

Hi Dear Dr, Thank you so much. your opinion is very interesting for me. Materials needed in quantum computers and space traveling will be more important now and in the future.

Please represent some of these materials names.

Best Regards

BAM (AlMgB14): ultra-hard, slick like Teflon, about half the density of steel.

Along with AM, IoT, and AI, materials like this will usher in the 4th industrial revolution... imagine "friction-less" engines... I realize this is an exaggeration, I'm just sharing some food for thought. Cheers!

http://newtechceramics.com/bam-articles

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/

Composite Materials

This is such an interesting discussion. In the realm of material science, there is one emerging materials instead of graphene called MXenes (2D transition metals). So many researchers working in this direction. It has amazing EMI shielding properties. I recommend to have a look at that material. I, myself, works on polymer nanocomposites. In my field, the research direction goes toward maximising the impact of nanofiller, thus the new synthesis methods are needed to accommodate a good dispersion of high filler content in polymer composite. Please kindly have a look at my recent review paper published in Nanoscale. Article Polymer Nanocomposites Having a High Filler Content: Synthes...

graphene

Digital

Graphene aerogels and shape memory alloys.

High quality synthetic meat, that's the revolution. And fish.

Polymers

Those interested at this discussion may possibly find interesting this RG thread: https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_are_your_thoughts_on_Golden_Ages_and_Silver_Ages_as_viable_historical_categories

water

porous Si

Sebastien kiesgen de richter

Hi Dear researcher

Can you say more about your comment? Why water?

Thank you

Maintaining our limited potable water supply presents one of the greatest challenges of the future, as to how we can remove the xenobiotics, radioactive medical wastes, fracking, agricultural and industrial chemicals and other trace contaminants from our wastewater. Our utility sewer systems have enabled these contaminates to merge into unknown substances which our current purification technology can not remove and the long and short term health effects are unknown.

On history of porcelain technology:

Article The Discovery of European Porcelain Technology

It depends on what is the purpose.

Nylon, D2O, glyphosate, aspirin, PTFE, enriched uranium, crude oil, steam, penicillin, leather, Kevlar, carbon fiber, semiconductors, tungsten wire...

Silicon and advanced materials such as ZnO and GaN and nanostructure fabricated based on these materials.

Nano materials

Worked in medical and biophysics field rather than radiation and health physics

Graphene has changed the history and it will rule in the future too.

Dear Meenaketan Sethi , are you sure that Graphene has changed the history? Can you prove it? Do you have examples of graphene applications that changed ways of life?

Dear Vladimir Dusevich Sir, I just want to convey that, due to its peculiar properties graphene has got more attention globally. Also, some Industries are trying to build airplanes by using the much lighter and stronger graphene, in order to prevent the huge fuel cost. Some other possible utilities of this wonder material are in infection detectors, solar cells, smart insole monitoring for athletes, bulletproof jackets, supercapacitors, graphene cement, batteries, etc. I believe that this material is possessing huge potential and maybe widely used in the near future.

Thank you, Sir, for your good question.

i think bronze was changed history because, bronze is used for many kind of tools and it is easily formed. and talking about future nano materials like graphene will change the future because of it's extraordinary properties

Dear Hossain,

Materials have changed the history

Wood, fiber and cloth, ceramics, bronze, iron and steel, paper, glass, plastic and rubber, aluminum and semiconductors have changed the history.

Material will change the history

Researchers are developing cutting-edge foams, coatings, metals and other substances to make our homes, vehicles and gadgets more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

1. Bio-inspired plastics- Light enough to permit light to thin enough to accommodate flexibility and strong enough to protect the host, natural insect cuticle,

2. Ultrathin platinum-Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles could provide clean transportation in future, but they remain expensive in the part because they use precious metal facilitate the chemical reactions that produce electricity within the cell.

3. Cheaper, lighter carbon fiber-autos the future will require strong, lightweight carbon fiber composite structures to enhance efficiency and driving range, but low cost fiber will need for market success.

4. Mega Magnets- Rare earth metals are vital to manufacture wind turbines, electric and hybrid car and consumer electronics due to the powerful magnetic properties.

5. Designer Nano-crystals- designer atoms into novel materials with a broad range of potentially useful properties and functions

6. Rock- Solid Coating- for industrial drill bits, bores and cutters to make their equipment more resistance to break even heavy loads

7. Waste- to- energy thermoelectric- converting waste heat to electricity.

8. Electric Ink- Quantum electric ink can strange but useful semiconductors that are insulators on the inside and conductors on the surface. The bulk of the metals act as a insulators that block electron flow whereas the surface is very good, metals like conductors that allows the electron to travel freely like light-speed, unaffected by impurities, hinder electron motion through materials

9. Fungal Foam-Cost effective, environmental friendly and high performance alternative to Styrofoam, evocative design makes it mushroom packaging from agricultural crop waste-plant stalks, risk and wheat husk-bonded with mushroom.

Hope it work out for you.

Ashish

In our Era silicon is the material that had great influence on our life and it will continue for long time making deep changes as it is the material of the Electronics and Energy. The future of the renewable energy will be shaped by Silicon as it is the major material in photovoltaic energy generation.

Best wishes

Dear Abdelhalim Zekry ,

I am agree with you in totality.

Although this technology has been developing since the late 1960s, the miniaturization of circuits seems to have reached a possible end point, since transistors can only be shrunk down to a certain size and no further.

Now, graphene and related two-dimensional (2-D) materials offer prospects for unprecedented advances in device performance at the atomic limit.

Silicon semiconductor technology has done marvels for the advancement of our society, which has benefited tremendously from its versatile use and amazing capabilities. The development of electronics, automation, computers, digital cameras and recent smartphones based on this material and its underpinning technology has skyrocketed, downscaling the physical size of devices and wires to the nanometre regime.

The first 2-D material-CMOS roadmap gives an exciting glimpse in the future, with the first pilot production to be expected just a few years from now.

Ashish

In the past:

* stone

* copper

* bronze

* iron

* concrete

* silicon

* ...

The future? We'll have to wait and see which material(s) will have an impact comparable to the above mentioned.

"Predictions are difficult - especially regarding the future."

Dear Dreher,

Yes. Offcourse stone and copper age was very much historical important before a latest technological development, indeed it played a splendid job in materials history. However, since late 60, Silicon semiconductor technology has done marvels for the advancement of our society, which has benefited tremendously from its versatile use and amazing capabilities.

Ashish

One might add the "petroleum age" - although this might be too short-lived to consider it an "age".

I believe that not only materials will dominate in the future, but together with the technologies for their production, since they can fundamentally change the properties of the same material. Silicon is really a promising material, but also carbon, if we keep in mind graphene. In addition, fullerene and its derivatives, nanotubes, as reinforcing elements of composites.

Dear Dr. Vera,

yes you are correct. There are few upcoming materials and its technologies can dominate in materials domain. you can enlist some more of of them are such meta materials, bulk diamond, bulk fullerenes, amorphos metal, superalloys, metal foam, transparent alumina, e-textiles, aerogel, carbon nanotubes. they can change the materials science on high level.

Most futuristic materials which can change the domain and researchers are developing cutting-edge foams, coatings, metals and other substances to make our homes, vehicles and gadgets more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. couple of them important material are mega-magnets, rock solid coating, electric ink, waste to energy thermoelectric, urethane platinum, fungal foam, bio- inspired plastics

Hope it works.

Ashish

Nano materials

Dear Ahamed,

Yes off course nano materials. You are correct.

Some other are also very important changed the materials history.

What about mega-magnets, rock solid coating, electric ink, waste to energy thermoelectric, urethane platinum, fungal foam, bio- inspired plastics?? shall they not change the future?

Bulk diamond, bulk fullerenes, amorphos metal, superalloys, metal foam, transparent alumina, e-textiles, aerogel, carbon nanotubes. they can change the materials science on high level. Have they not changed they future?

Ashish

Nanoscale materials.

Change the future

I see a lot of people say "nano materials". Sure, these materials has a potential. But what about today? Can anybody tell us something about revolutionary application of nano materials? Not just improving this and increasing that, but, yes, revolutionary?

Very important for all application in field of physics

Dear Vladimir,

You may be correct partially. Nanoparticles are now being used. Offcourse there is intense fture scope remains for Nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is a rapidly advancing field that is expected to have a revolutionary impact on many industries, including medicine. Nanoparticle research is a fascinating branch of physical, chemical, mechanical, electrical, optical, biological and electronic science. Nanoparticle research is currently an area of intense scientific research, due to a wide variety of potential applications in biomedical, optical, and electronic fields. Nanoparticles are of great scientific interest as they are effectively a bridge between bulk materials and atomic or molecular structures. It is a high interest of current physics. Yes some side effects are noted from scientific community. The most exciting concept in nanomedical research may be the design and development of multifunctional nanoparticle (NP) complexes that can simultaneously deliver diagnostic and therapeutic agents to targeted sites. Example of Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanocrystals that range in size from 2 to 10 nm and usually consist of 10 to 50 atoms. They have long blood circulation times and can fluoresce for several months in vivo. Superparamagnetic NPs, like iron oxide (SPIO) and magnetite, have been used for years as nontargeted contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Carbon nanotubes are composed of a distinct molecular form of carbon atoms that give them unusual thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties. In mice, carbon nanoshells and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) thermal ablation therapy completely eliminated colon carcinoma cell tumors in vivo. Current as well as upcoming future is there for nanotechnology era.(some future and current user specially in nano-medicine talk)

Nanoparticles are now being used in the manufacture of scratchproof eyeglasses, crack- resistant paints, anti-graffiti coatings for walls, water absorber, transparent sunscreens, stain-repellent fabrics, self-cleaning windows and ceramic coatings for solar cells. (Current used)

Future- Nanotechnology can be applied in the production, processing, safety and packaging of food. It is possible that nanotechnology will allow the manipulation of the molecular forms of food to provide more capability, lower costs and greater sustainability than at present. A nanocomposite coating process should improve food packaging by placing anti-microbial agents directly on the surface of the coated film and could increase or decrease gas permeability as required for different products. They can also improve the mechanical and heat-resistance properties and lower the oxygen transmission rate. It should also be possible to apply nanotechnology to the detection of chemical and biological substances for sensing biochemical changes in foods, extending to the whole food chain in the future.

Hope it work out .

Ashish

All mentioned applications of nano materials are evolutionary, not revolutionary. We still do not see something really new, except, of course, number of grants on nano research.

Dear Hossein Homayoun

I think this question is not clear in the present form:

Which materials changed the history or will change the future?

This form of question is amazing and mix with the past and future in unclear way. As you see the answers are very different. Therefore, if one answers that nanoscale martials, it is true and not, because these materials are new for today technology, you can see the amazing!

I think the questions should be:

Which materials will change the history or will change the future?

Rafid A. Abdullah

Dear Dr. Rafid A. Abdullah

You are right but I'd like to know either about future or past, But some researchers talked about now and recent years. It's no matter. Avery one can say his or her opinion. The varity of answers is good in my opinion because we can see different opinions by researchers around the world because they think difference about this question.

Thank you so much all dear researchers

The answer to this question is multiple. It depends on the application. In the aircraft industry for example, Aluminum alloys revolutionized and changed the design and manufacturing of aircrafts. Even with the increasing use of composite fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) today, the industry of Aluminium is suggesting new alloys such as Al-Li and Al-Sc alloys to beat composite at different levels: specific strength, cost, recycling.

So yes, Aluminum defeated wood when it was supposed to be the main material for aircraft structures, and seems to still be the candidate to beat composite materials given the continuous effort to develop new alloys.