Structural Chemistry & Crystallography Communication

The Dawning of the Age of Materials and its collision course with humanities sustainable future

Statement of the Problem: From the beginning of the dawn of civilization materials have been used to create products needed for life. Materials by themselves are not particularly useful. The usefulness of many products created from materials can be debated. What is not in question is human beings desire the services or benefits delivered by materials once converted into products.The material requirements need to advance as humanities technology advances. Among these requirements include not only the materials properties which affect their selection but reducing the impact of extraction, disposal, and processes associated with converting materials to products. As society becomes more sustainable not only will our processes need to be modified but the materials which comprise technology will need to evolve. The process which materials are created will need a radical shift to ensure the problems of tomorrow can be solved. Using a biomimetic process, which simulates nature, future materials engineers will able to design novel materials which will enable the creation the products which will be the cornerstone of the sustainable future. The materials of our sustainable future will require the scientists and engineers of tomorrow to embrace the complexity and anticipate potential trade-offs in order optimize to the services which benefits everyone.

Author(s): Tony Green

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