Characterization and Control of Functionality of Advanced Materials

Dear Colleagues,

The functionality or performance of advanced materials is generally improved by optimizing their chemical composition, process conditions, and so on. These composition and process conditions are designed based on information on the microstructure and overall or microscopic composition of the materials analyzed by different methods. There are a large number of methods to observe the microstructure, to analyze the composition and structure, and to measure the physical and chemical properties. In situ measurements using quantum beams are sometimes powerful enough to understand changes of materials during processing. Experimental results obtained via these methods are often compared with results predicted by theoretical models, and the validity of mechanisms to interpret those results is also discussed. Typically, the strength and ductility of structural materials such as steels are improved by controlling heat treatments and chemical compositions based on the structure and microstructure data obtained using multiscale analytical methods. On the other hand, the optimum composition and process parameters are found through careful experiments for achieving high performance in functional materials such as magnetic materials. It is of great importance to characterize essential points dominating the functionality of advanced materials well, since their properties are influenced by a number of factors. In this Special Issue, recent research topics of characterization, control, and design of a variety of advanced materials are demonstrated.

Prof. Dr. Shigeru Suzuki
Prof. Dr. Shigeo Sato
Guest Editors

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• Materials characterization
• Materials control
• Microstructure
• Structure
• Quantum beams
• Chemical composition
• Materials design