Preface

Materials are important to mankind because of the benefits that can be derived from the manipulation of their properties. Examples include electrical conductivity, dielectric constant, magnetization, optical transmittance, strength and toughness. All of these properties originate from the internal structures of the materials. Structural features of materials include their types of atoms, the local configurations of the atoms,and the arrangements of these configurations into microstructures.

Materials can be divided into various classes which may constitute separate fields such as metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, semiconductors, bio-materials and nanomaterials. Materials science is a broad field and can be considered to be an interdisciplinary area. Included within it are the studies of the structure and properties of any material, the creation of new types of materials, and the manipulation of a material's properties to suit the needs of specific application.

The basis of materials science involves relating the desired properties and relative performance of a material in a certain application to the structure of the atoms and phases in that material through characterization. Physical properties of materials usually play an important role in the selection of material for a particular application. This involves many factors such as material composition and structure, fracture and stress analysis, conductivity, optical, and thermal properties, to name a few. It also involves design, modeling, simulation, processing, and production methods. Research in the field of materials science involves many peripheral areas including crystallography, microscopy, lithography, mineralogy, photonics, and powder diffraction.

The contributors of the chapters in this book have various areas of expertise. Therefore, this book is interdisciplinary and is written for readers with a background in physical science. I believe that this book will be of interest to university students, lecturers and researchers who are interested in the fields of materials science, engineering and technology and, specifically, in advanced ceramic materials, metal, polymer composite, nanomaterials, bio-materials and optical materials. As it deals with many basic concepts that are of concern in the relevant fields, this book can also be used as a primer for studies in materials science and engineering.

The book consists of fourteen chapters that have been divided into four sections. Section one includes five chapters on advanced materials and processing. This section

#### X Preface

deals with the development of new high temperature composites based on zirconium cements for application in various consumer industries, crystal structure analysis and piezoelectricity mechanism of langasite, morphological analysis of the interface between two conducting oxides created by a single photolithography process and subsequent self-aligned pattern transfer, design and experimental analysis of composite multi leaf spring using glass fiber reinforced polymer for light passenger vehicles, modeling, simulation and experimental studies of distortions, residual stresses, and hydrogen diffusion during laser welding of as-rolled steel.

Section two includes two chapters on bio-materials which deal with the preparation of new types of collagen nanostructured bio-materials in the form of spongeous, microporous matrices, nontoxic and biocompatible with osteoblast cells, and modification of magnetite particles with different functionalizations specific for desired applications such as biomedical and industrial applications.

Section three consists of three chapters on nanomaterials, specifically on the study of carbon nanotubes, nano-machining and nanoparticles. It includes discussions on carbon nanotubes-imprinted polymers composites as useful innovative materials for the analytical determination of target analytes in complex matrices, mechanism of nano-machining and mechanical behavior of nanostructures by conducting the integrated molecular dynamics simulation of scratching and shearing with the same specimen, and development of a novel process for preparation of super-paramagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles with high crystallinity in a water system.

Section four includes four chapters on the structural investigation of crystal growth phenomena in rewritable optical recording media using an X-ray pinpoint structural measurement system, development of novel EuMoO4 microstructures synthesized via a facile simple and mild hydrothermal route, a review on plasma switching by laser ablation (PLASLA) including introduction to PLASLA phenomenon, PLASLA formation method, PLASLA properties, the interaction of PLASLA with a magnetic field and the significance of PLASLA in materials science, and the development of a method to determine the molecular weight (MW) and molecular weight distribution (MWD) prediction of cellulose by means of a rheology-based method.

As Editor, I would like to thank all the contributors of the chapters in this book for their tremendous efforts in producing excellent work. Last but not least, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Ms Dragana Manestar, publishing process manager, for the effective communication and assistance given during the preparation of this book.

> **Sabar D. Hutagalung** University Sains Malaysia Malaysia

X Preface

deals with the development of new high temperature composites based on zirconium cements for application in various consumer industries, crystal structure analysis and piezoelectricity mechanism of langasite, morphological analysis of the interface between two conducting oxides created by a single photolithography process and subsequent self-aligned pattern transfer, design and experimental analysis of composite multi leaf spring using glass fiber reinforced polymer for light passenger vehicles, modeling, simulation and experimental studies of distortions, residual

Section two includes two chapters on bio-materials which deal with the preparation of new types of collagen nanostructured bio-materials in the form of spongeous, microporous matrices, nontoxic and biocompatible with osteoblast cells, and modification of magnetite particles with different functionalizations specific for

Section three consists of three chapters on nanomaterials, specifically on the study of carbon nanotubes, nano-machining and nanoparticles. It includes discussions on carbon nanotubes-imprinted polymers composites as useful innovative materials for the analytical determination of target analytes in complex matrices, mechanism of nano-machining and mechanical behavior of nanostructures by conducting the integrated molecular dynamics simulation of scratching and shearing with the same specimen, and development of a novel process for preparation of super-paramagnetic

Section four includes four chapters on the structural investigation of crystal growth phenomena in rewritable optical recording media using an X-ray pinpoint structural measurement system, development of novel EuMoO4 microstructures synthesized via a facile simple and mild hydrothermal route, a review on plasma switching by laser ablation (PLASLA) including introduction to PLASLA phenomenon, PLASLA formation method, PLASLA properties, the interaction of PLASLA with a magnetic field and the significance of PLASLA in materials science, and the development of a method to determine the molecular weight (MW) and molecular weight distribution

As Editor, I would like to thank all the contributors of the chapters in this book for their tremendous efforts in producing excellent work. Last but not least, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Ms Dragana Manestar, publishing process manager, for the effective communication and assistance given during the preparation of this book.

> **Sabar D. Hutagalung** University Sains Malaysia

> > Malaysia

stresses, and hydrogen diffusion during laser welding of as-rolled steel.

desired applications such as biomedical and industrial applications.

Fe3O4 nanoparticles with high crystallinity in a water system.

(MWD) prediction of cellulose by means of a rheology-based method.

**Part 1** 

**Advanced Materials and Processing** 
