INNOVATION

Not much more than 100 years ago, the range of materials used by engineers in products and systems was extremely limited: natural materials, many of which had been used since prehistory; a limited number of metals in uncomplicated metallurgical forms; and a few plastics and ceramics. 

The developments of the 20th century expanded greatly the number of materials and our knowledge of their properties and brought materials science much closer to manufacturing as we sought to design the properties we wanted from engineered products. 

In the 21st century, the ability to design new materials and to modify existing ones is still only in its infancy - and the potential is limitless and exciting. The possibility of influencing material composition and properties at the atomic scale creates opportunities we are only just starting to explore; the convergence of biology, physics and chemistry is breaking down barriers. Innovation in materials is transforming engineering and the world we live in. 

MPE is working on a range of projects which reflect the top 10 material industry trends. These include but are not limited to: 

-  Sustainable Materials.

-  Responsive & Smart Materials.

-  Nanotechnology.

-  Additive Manufacturing.

-  Lightweighting. 

-  Material Informatics. 

-  Advanced Composites.

-  Graphene & 2D Materials.

Key sectors for the collaborative development of  materials for the 21st Century and beyond include: 

Medical/Marine.

Propulsion- Aerospace/Space Exploration.

Environmental/Energy.