Brief introduction of new materials

With the development of science and technology, people have developed new materials based on traditional materials and the research results of modern science and technology. The new materials are divided into four categories: metallic materials, inorganic non-metallic materials (such as ceramics, gallium arsenide semiconductors, etc.), organic polymer materials, and advanced composite materials. According to material properties, it is divided into structural materials and functional materials. Structural materials mainly use the mechanical and physical and chemical properties of materials to meet the performance requirements of high strength, high stiffness, high hardness, high temperature resistance, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and radiation resistance; functional materials mainly use the electrical and magnetic properties of the material. , Sound, light, heat and other effects to achieve certain functions, such as semiconductor materials, magnetic materials, photosensitive materials, heat-sensitive materials, stealth materials, and nuclear materials for atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs. New materials play an important role in national defense construction. For example, the successful development of ultrapure silicon and gallium arsenide led to the birth of large-scale and very large-scale integrated circuits, which increased the computing speed from hundreds of thousands of operations per second to more than tens of billions per second; Increasing 100°C can increase thrust by 24%; stealth materials can absorb electromagnetic waves or reduce the infrared radiation of weapons and equipment, making it difficult for enemy detection systems to detect, and so on.

One of the main directions of scientific and technological development in the 21st century is the development and application of new materials. The research of new materials is an advance of human beings towards a deeper understanding and application of material properties.