Materials and Nanotechnology Vocabulary Flashcards

A list of vocabulary flashcards related to materials science and nanotechnology.

Materials Science

The study of the properties, performance, and processing of materials including metals, ceramics, and polymers.

Nanotechnology

The branch of science devoted to designing, producing, and using structures at the nanoscale, usually at dimensions of 100 nanometers or less.

Crystalline Materials

Materials that have a well-ordered structure and a repeating pattern at the atomic level.

Amorphous Materials

Materials that lack a distinct crystalline structure and have a random arrangement of atoms.

Metals

Elements that are typically hard, shiny, malleable, ductile, and good conductors of heat and electricity.

Alloys

Mixtures of two or more elements, where at least one is a metal, to improve the properties of the base metal.

Ceramics

Inorganic, non-metallic materials that are typically hard, brittle, and resistant to heat and corrosion.

Polymers

Large molecules formed from the bonding of many smaller units called monomers, known for their plasticity.

Composites

Materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties.

Mechanical Properties

Characteristics of materials that describe their behavior under applied forces, including elasticity and ductility.

Thermal Properties

Properties that define how a material responds to changes in temperature, such as thermal conductivity and expansion.

Magnetic Properties

Characteristics of materials that determine their response to magnetic fields, including ferromagnetism and paramagnetism.

Electrical Properties

The behavior of a material when an electric field is applied, including conductivity and resistivity.

Optical Properties

How a material interacts with light, including transparency, reflectivity, and refractive index.

Diffusion

The process by which particles spread from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration.

Nanoscale

A scale that refers to structures that are 1 to 100 nanometers in size, where unique properties emerge.

Interatomic Forces

The forces that act between atoms, which determine the structure and properties of materials.

Covalent Bond

A type of chemical bond where atoms share pairs of electrons.

Ionic Bond

A type of chemical bond formed between oppositely charged ions.

Metallic Bond

The force of attraction between free-floating valence electrons and positively charged metal ions.

Phase Transition

A change from one state of matter to another, such as solid to liquid.

Crystal Structure

The ordered arrangement of atoms in a crystalline solid.

Unit Cell

The smallest repeating unit of a crystal lattice which shows the full symmetry of the structure.

Lattice Points

The points that make up the periodic arrangement of atoms or molecules in a crystal.

Coordination Number

The number of nearest neighboring atoms surrounding a central atom in a crystal structure.

Solid Solutions

Homogeneous mixtures of two or more elements that have the same crystal structure.

Substitutional Alloy

An alloy in which one atom in the metal lattice is replaced by a different atom.

Interstitial Alloy

An alloy formed when smaller atoms fill the spaces between larger metal atoms.

Dislocation

A type of defect in a crystal structure that can severely affect the mechanical properties of a material.

Grain Boundary

The interface between two grains, or crystals, in a polycrystalline material.

Schottky Defect

A vacancy in a crystal lattice that involves the absence of both a cation and an anion.

Frenkel Defect

A defect in an ionic crystal where an ion is displaced from its lattice position to an interstitial site.

Thermal Expansion

The tendency of matter to change in volume in response to changes in temperature.

Elasticity

The ability of a material to return to its original shape after the removal of an applied stress.

Plasticity

The ability of a material to undergo permanent deformation without breaking.

Ductility

The ability of a material to be stretched or deformed without breaking.

Brittleness

A material property describing the tendency to fracture or break without significant deformation.

Toughness

The ability of a material to absorb energy and plastically deform without fracturing.

Stiffness

The rigidity of an object; the extent to which it resists deformation.

Resilience

The ability of a material to absorb energy and deform elastically.

Conduction

The process of heat transfer through material without the overall movement of material.

Convection

The transfer of heat through fluids (liquids and gases) by the motion of the fluid itself.

Radiation

The transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves.

Electrolytic Conductivity

The capacity of a material to conduct electricity due to the movement of ions.

Thermoregulation

The process by which biological systems maintain their core internal temperature.

Elastic Modulus

The ratio of stress to strain in a material, indicating its elasticity.

Yield Strength

The stress at which a material begins to deform plastically.

Ultimate Strength

The maximum stress a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before necking.

Fracture Toughness

A property that describes the ability of a material to resist crack propagation.

Creep

The tendency of a material to deform permanently under the influence of constant stress.

Fatigue

The weakening of a material caused by repeated loading and unloading.

Sintering

A process of forming solid materials from powders by heating without melting.

Solubility Limit

The maximum concentration of a solute that can be dissolved in a solvent.

Homogeneous Mixture

A mixture that has a uniform composition throughout.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture composed of components that remain physically separate.

Decantation

A separation technique that involves pouring off a liquid without disturbing the solid settled at the bottom.

Filtration

A method for separating solids from liquids or gases using a porous material.

Evaporation

The process where liquid transitions to a gas due to heat energy.

Crystallization

A technique for separating substance in a pure form by the formation of crystals.

Nucleation

The initial step in the formation of a crystal, where a small number of atoms or molecules come together.

Solidification

The process where a liquid turns into a solid when cooled.

Vaporization

The process of converting a liquid into vapor.

Thermal Conductivity

The property of a material to conduct heat.

Coupling

In material science, it often refers to the interaction between different phases or components.

ISO Standards

International standards that specify the requirements for various materials and processes.

Fracture Mechanics

The field of study that analyzes the propagation of cracks in materials.

Recrystallization

The process of forming a new crystal structure in a material that has been deformed or strained.

Mechanical Testing

Methods used to determine the mechanical properties of materials.

Rheology

The study of the flow and deformation of matter, often used in the characterization of polymers.

Electron Microscopy

A technique that uses a beam of electrons to create an image of the specimen, typically at very high magnification.

Spectroscopy

An analytical technique used to measure the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation.

Microstructure

The structure of a material observed at the microscopic level, including the arrangement of its constituents.

Nanomaterials

Materials with structural components at the nanoscale, which often exhibit unique properties.

Composite Materials

Materials made from two or more constituent materials with different physical or chemical properties, creating a material with superior characteristics.