beginning to be realized. However, MBE equipment is not cheap. Again, the range is $100,000 to $1 million for an “entry-level” apparatus. Once an MBE apparatus has been used for a particular class of materials, it cannot be readily converted to the preparation of unrelated materials because of the very high levels of purity required for MBE materials.

Similar expenses are encountered for high-pressure equipment for modern synthesis, for the preparation of modern ceramics, and for polymer processing facilities, among others. Even Czochralski crystal-pulling equipment typically costs more than $1000 per station, and production-size equipment, which is sometimes necessary to study factory conditions realistically, can be 100 times more expensive.

Similar examples related to other materials classes can readily be cited. For example, clean rooms for processing modern ceramics are critical at a number of stages to minimize flaw formation. This and other equipment costs (e.g., for sol-gel and laser synthesis, attrition, and hot isostatic pressing) can readily total in the range of $5 million to $10 million for a sizable laboratory. For metal processing research, rapid solidification equipment, vacuum melting and deformation equipment, and advanced instrumentation for in situ process analysis rapidly bring costs to a similar range.

Understanding of materials at the atomic through the macroscopic levels constitutes the technological base for most modern manufacturing. Only for the most rudimentary operations in manufacturing (e.g., assembly of completed parts), is it possible to control yield, quality, cost, and schedule without understanding, at the most basic level, the materials being processed. This is certainly the case with materials synthesized at the atomic or nanometer scale, but it is also increasingly the case with so-called good, old-fashioned monolithic materials.

Clearly, modern synthesis and processing are neither string and sealing wax nor beaker and Ehrlenmeyer flask activities. Synthesis and processing require substantial investment in equipment. Industrial laboratories usually realize these needs and generally support synthesis and processing activities at an appropriate level. The understanding that synthesis and processing require large expenditures in academia and government laboratories must be more widespread if materials science is to have the steady stream of trained people, new materials, and well-controlled processes that are essential for realization of its potential.

The committee, therefore, recommends substantially increased expenditures on facilities for synthesis and processing research in universities and other laboratories—for use by individual investigators and small groups of investigators. It also recommends establishment of major national centers for synthesis and processing, involving universities, industry, and government. Such centers could be expected to focus on generic synthesis and processing, or on a given materials class. Some would also be expected to

Front Matter (R1-R26)

Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations (1-18)

1. What is Materials Science and Engineering (19-34)

2. Materials Science and Engineering and National Economic and Strategic Security (35-73)

3. Research Opportunities and Functional Roles of Materials (74-109)

4. Research Opportunities and the Elements of Materials Science and Engineering (110-140)

5. Manpower and Education in Materials Science and Engineering (141-161)

6. Resources for Research in Materials Science and Engineering (162-185)

7. Comparisons of Efforts in Materials Science and Engineering of Selected Nations (186-206)

Appendix A: Synthesis (207-223)

Appendix B: Processing (224-241)

Appendix C: Performance (242-254)

Appendix D: Instrumentation (255-268)

Appendix E: Analysis and Modeling (269-280)

Index (281-294)

Plates (295-296)