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Older, established disciplines, such as physics and chemistry, cover clearly identifiable fields. Is materials science a similarly coherent discipline, or is it rather an expedient and ephemeral label? And should materials science departments define a stable curriculum, or instead adapt and readapt to an ever-changing market?
Building shapes are making exciting departures from the rectilinear boxes that have dominated in architectural history, leading people to draw similes with the natural world. But there is the potential for architects to learn more deeply from nature, and use biomimetic materials and technologies in improved buildings for the future.
Intense competition exists in the realm of research and development in nanotechnology. The government of Japan, one of the countries most advanced in this field, has been actively promoting this form of R&D in cooperation with industrial and academic circles. The hope is that success in nanotechnology will also revitalize Japan's economy. Here, we outline the current status of national projects and future trends of nanotechnology in Japan.
For almost all performance measures, there is some carbon-based material that performs better than silicon. Yet it has proved tough to exploit these carbons in electronics, apart from niche applications. Could hybrid carbon-based materials be more successful?
