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Materials science includes those parts of chemistry, physics, geology, and even biology that deal with the physical, chemical or biological properties of materials. It is usually considered an applied science, in which the properties under study have some industrial purpose.

Materials science encompasses all four classes of materials, the study of each of which may be considered a separate field: metals (1) and metallurgy, ceramics(2), semiconductors and other electronic materials, polymers(3), composites (4), and biomaterials which may consist of the materials classes 1-4. Metallurgy and ceramics have long and separate histories as engineering disciplines, but because the science that underlies these disciplines applies to all classes of materials, materials science is recognized as a distinct discipline.

Materials science is related to materials engineering, which tends to focus on processing techniques (casting, rolling, welding, ion implantation, crystal growth, thin-film deposition, sintering, glassblowing, etc.), analytical techniques (electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, calorimetry, nuclear microscopy (HEFIB) etc.), materials design, and cost/benefit tradeoffs in industrial production of materials.

Sub-fields of materials science

Nanotechnology --- the creation and study of molecularly engineered materials (nanomaterials) with structures on the length scale of nanometers.
Crystallography --- the study of the physics of crystals, including
- defects in crystals, such as grain boundaries and dislocations, and their effects on physical properties;
- diffraction techniques, for phase identification.
Metallurgy --- the study of metals
Ceramics
Biomaterials
Solid-state chemistry --- the study of chemistry taking place within solids
Solid-state physics --- usually considered the study of quantum effects in solid material, such as semiconduction or superconduction.
Continuum mechanics --- the study of solids and fluids, assuming that they are continuous materials (rather than made of atoms).

Note that some practitioners often consider rheology a sub-field of materials science, because it can cover any material that flows. However, a typical rheology paper covers non-Newtonian fluid dynamics, so we place it as a sub-field of Continuum mechanics. See also granular material.

v t e Branches of chemistry
Glossary of chemical formulae List of biomolecules List of inorganic compounds Periodic table
Analytical	Instrumental chemistry Electroanalytical methods Spectroscopy IR Raman UV-Vis NMR Mass spectrometry EI ICP MALDI Separation process Chromatography GC HPLC Crystallography Characterization Titration Wet chemistry Calorimetry Elemental analysis
Theoretical	Quantum chemistry Computational chemistry Mathematical chemistry Molecular modelling Molecular mechanics Molecular dynamics Molecular geometry VSEPR theory
Physical	Electrochemistry Spectroelectrochemistry Photoelectrochemistry Thermochemistry Chemical thermodynamics Surface science Interface and colloid science Micromeritics Cryochemistry Sonochemistry Structural chemistry Chemical physics Molecular physics Femtochemistry Chemical kinetics Spectroscopy Photochemistry Spin chemistry Microwave chemistry Equilibrium chemistry Mechanochemistry
Inorganic	Coordination chemistry Magnetochemistry Organometallic chemistry Organolanthanide chemistry Cluster chemistry Solid-state chemistry Ceramic chemistry
Organic	Stereochemistry Alkane stereochemistry Physical organic chemistry Organic reactions Organic synthesis Retrosynthetic analysis Enantioselective synthesis Total synthesis / Semisynthesis Fullerene chemistry Polymer chemistry Petrochemistry Dynamic covalent chemistry
Biological	Biochemistry Molecular biology Cell biology Chemical biology Bioorthogonal chemistry Medicinal chemistry Pharmacology Clinical chemistry Neurochemistry Bioorganic chemistry Bioorganometallic chemistry Bioinorganic chemistry Biophysical chemistry
Interdisciplinarity	Nuclear chemistry Radiochemistry Radiation chemistry Actinide chemistry Cosmochemistry / Astrochemistry / Stellar chemistry Geochemistry Biogeochemistry Photogeochemistry Environmental chemistry Atmospheric chemistry Ocean chemistry Clay chemistry Carbochemistry Food chemistry Carbohydrate chemistry Food physical chemistry Agricultural chemistry Soil chemistry Chemistry education Amateur chemistry General chemistry Clandestine chemistry Forensic chemistry Forensic toxicology Post-mortem chemistry Nanochemistry Supramolecular chemistry Chemical synthesis Green chemistry Click chemistry Combinatorial chemistry Biosynthesis Chemical engineering Stoichiometry Materials science Metallurgy Ceramic engineering Polymer science
See also	History of chemistry Nobel Prize in Chemistry Timeline of chemistry of element discoveries "The central science" Chemical reaction Catalysis Chemical element Chemical compound Atom Molecule Ion Chemical substance Chemical bond Alchemy Quantum mechanics
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