What is materials science & engineering?
This field is focused on the development of new and better materials for the next generation of engineering applications that improve the world around us. It covers the fundamentals of biomaterials, nanomaterials, ceramics, metals, polymers, electronic materials, and composites, emphasising the relationships between atomic structure and microstructure as well as the properties, processing, and performance of these materials. In this century, sustainability and environmental impact lie at the core of materials development and application.
Skills and expertise
Materials science and engineering combines chemistry, physics and biology with mathematics and the principles of mechanical, chemical and electrical engineering. As a result, materials engineers are highly marketable.
Along with a solid technical foundation, you will be equipped with communication, project management, time management, organisational and computing skills.
Our research
The field of materials science and engineering offers unlimited possibilities for innovation and development.
Study with us
Whether you are still in high school, considering tertiary study, changing career paths or considering undertaking postgraduate study, we will try to answer all your questions about studying in the School of Materials Science & Engineering at UNSW Sydney.
Interesting materials research around the world
8 New Materials with Game-Changing Properties
As advanced manufacturing technologies develop, so does the work of researchers developing new materials. Some may eventually be commercialized and replace materials now being used.
Lead zirconate titanate ceramics with aligned crystallite grains
Lead zirconate titanate piezoelectrics are important for making transducers, sensors, and other components for electromechanical applications. To expand the usable temperature range and electromechanical coupling factor, Li et al. introduce a texturing process for lead zirconate titanate–based materials.
Spherical ferroelectric solitons
Spherical ferroelectric domains, such as electrical bubbles, polar skyrmion bubbles and hopfions, share a single and unique feature—their homogeneously polarized cores are surrounded by a vortex ring of polarization whose outer shells form a spherical domain boundary.
Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear fusion tech
HB11 Energy is a spin-out company that originated at the University of New South Wales, and it announced today a swag of patents through Japan, China and the USA protecting its unique approach to fusion energy generation.
Ground-up e-waste could be used to make steel stronger
Electronic waste can be difficult to repurpose, as it often consists of two or more mixed materials. Now, however, Australian scientists have developed a method of converting so-called e-waste into a protective coating for steel.
Snail slime inspires reversible, super-strong glue
The promise of reusable sticky things, from Post-it Notes to Blu Tack, has never quite been fulfilled. They're just never quite as sticky the second time around, or the third.
Electricity-free cooling material is inspired by camel fur
Materials stay cooler when water evaporates off of them, but once all the water is gone, the cooling effect stops. Bearing this in mind, MIT scientists have developed a camel fur-inspired material that could keep items cool without using electricity.
Luminescent wood can light up a room
By manipulating the complex makeup of wood, scientists have demonstrated how it can be made see-through and even store and release heat.
Corrosion-resistant desalination device can handle super-salty water
Desalination systems play an important role in improving access to fresh water, but some types of the natural resource are too salty for current solutions to handle.