New materials can often be critical enabling drivers for new systems and applications with significant effects. However, it may not be obvious how enabling materials affect more observable trends and applications. A common process model from materials engineering can help to show how materials appear likely to break previous barriers in the process that ultimately results in applications with potential global benefits.

Developments in materials science and engineering result from interdisciplinary materials research. This development can be conveniently represented by the schematic description of the materials engineering process from concept to product/application (see Figure 2.1). This process view is a common approach in materials research circles and similar representations may be found in the literature (see, for example, National Research Council, 1989 [123], p. 29). Current trends in materials research that could result in global effects by 2015 are categorized below according to the process description of Figure 2.1. Figure 2.2 provides an example of the development process in the area of electroactive polymers for robotic devices and artificial muscles.

Figure 2.1: The General Materials Engineering Process

Figure 2.2: Materials Engineering Process Applied to Electroactive Polymers