Prospect of materials research methodology by combinatorial approach

Prospect of materials research methodology by combinatorial approach Shigeyuki Kimura * National Institute for Research in Inorganic Materials, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan One of the most pronounced developments of the concept of materials in the 20th century is the aware- ness of the functions. Previously, the materials, to whatever they may have been employed or applied, were regarded to have certain strength and stiffness. Thus metals, particularly iron and steel, played main roles in the ®eld of materials. Diversi®cation of human technology in 20th century forced the concept of materials to be changed. The main issue became to cope quickly with new technologies that burgeoned one after another. The strength is no longer a decisive factor. The properties that can be effectively utilized for realization of devices became important. Such properties were enthusiastically surveyed after, with a powerful aid of new physics and chemistry that were engined by the development of quantum mechanics. The global materials survey activity gave a large number of new functional devices that in turn helped create new technology and hence new world where we live today. The materials survey still continues in an unprece- dentedly competitive atmosphere. Of course the target is a new functional material of a high performance. A more effective way for survey is invoked for a faster completion of the job. The approach through the combinatorial chemistry is clearly one of the outstanding answers. As the participants of the present workshop are well aware, the combinatorial chemistry introduces a convenient way for materials survey with drastically reduced research resources. An automated materials search through this technique will enable one to ®nd the best materials for his or her purposes. Thus, the materials of the maximum performance will be found in an unconventionally short time provided once the area for search is de®ned. With this fact alone this approach will contribute to the scene of materials survey practice to a considerable degree. The current approach is not limited within the de®ned search area. One should be reminded that this approach can even establish a phase diagram through a careful experi- ment design. The de®nition of a new search area for a new property is always possible. We move into the 21st century. The materials to be requested will no longer be the same as in the past century. The burden to the natural environment by a new material has to be minimized. Recycling is an important concept for the future devices. The compo- nent materials for such devices have to suit this concept to an advanced degree. There will be many more new concepts to be introduced in the name of social needs as we go deeply into the 21st century. We, the materials scientists and engineers, have to be ready for such requests. The methodology that is implemen- ted by the combinatorial chemistry is full of variety. Any of the new social needs may be taken care of by this methodology. Challenging new frontiers will come up through our persistent effort in response to such needs. In the foreseeable future, the material development will be roughly of twofold. One is the realization of the maximum performance with a single composition. This approach includes the fact that a single composition material can show a variety of properties when it Applied Surface Science 189 (2002) 177±178 * Tel.: 81-298-55-3440; fax: 81-298-52-7449. E-mail address: [email protected] (S. Kimura). 0169-4332/02/$ ± see front matter # 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. PII:S0169-4332(01)00999-0

Prospect of materials research methodology by combinatorial approach

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