TABLE OF CONTENTS Materials research is so important that the historical ages of human civilizations have been named after the materials that enabled that age (stone age, bronze age, iron age, etc). Even today, the information age is based on silicon-based semiconducting materials. Materials science and technology is seen as one of the most important disciplines along with information technology and life science that will pave the way to technology in the newly 21 st century.
Previously, a great deal of effort worldwide has being directed toward developing new materials. The knowledge and technology of materials have been accumulated that most demands of industry can be met. Accordingly, most elemental materials have been studied thoroughly and many single-phase materials have been successfully manufactured. Recent trends of materials research approach two aspects: compositional refinement and structural integration of existing materials. Structural integration of materials belongs to two or more functionally different materials in monolithic form, such as functional gradient materials, intelligent materials, or smart structures. A composite is one or more distinctive components dispersed in a continuous matrix creating a compositional heterogeneity of the final solid structure. A typical conventional composite is glass-fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) that is widely used in aircrafts, large containers, and automotive parts. "Nanocomposite" is defined as a composite in which the distinctive component, or Gibbsian solid phase, is in the nanometer range. The accepted length for the nanophase is less than 100 nm in at least one dimension. The continuous matrices can be ceramic, metallic...
