Materials for the 21st century: What will we dream up next?
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“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” —Abraham Lincoln
Introduction If you are reading this article in the second half of the 21st century and are wondering how you came to live in a world where buildings harvest their own energy, bridges heal themselves, clothes monitor your health, and centenarians compete in a world tennis tournament, then I hope to explain the thinking that made your present a reality. Alternatively, if your world does not resemble this description, if you are in the grip of mass migrations, water shortages, and energy blackouts, then let me describe to you why an alternative future was a possibility in 2015. But first, I need to talk about why materials science and engineering are so influential in shaping civilizations. The ancient Egyptians used glass only for decoration and ornamentation and could not have known that the material would provide the platform for the inventions of modern physics, chemistry, biology, and much more. Even the Romans, who were great innovators in glass and who invented the glass window, did not predict how important the material would be. It was the invention of the glass lens that turned out to be crucial for the birth of science, leading to the development of astrophysics and biology, through the development
of the telescope and the microscope, respectively.1 Other innovations in glass had huge impacts, such as the development of borosilicate glass (e.g., Pyrex) and the test tube, without which the subject of chemistry would essentially not exist. In modern times, the glass optical fiber has revolutionized telecommunications and is the backbone of the Internet, which would grind to a halt without it.2 Glass is just one of many influential materials that have played decisive roles in our history. Materials are not just the stuff we make things from; they are expressions of our needs and desires. Reinforced concrete, for instance, is an expression not just of our need for shelter from the elements but also of our desire for infrastructure that is cheap enough to benefit all. Fifty percent of everything that gets made in 2015 will be made of concrete.3 It is, by weight, easily mankind’s most popular material, underpinning all of our lives. Will we still be using it in 2050? Probably, because we will still need shelter and we will still want the creative architectural freedom the material provides, but it is likely to be a version that is more sustainable and heals itself.2 In this account of the trajectory of our material world from 2015 to 2050, I take as my compass human needs such as sustainable cities, energy security, food security, and health care, and I unpack the characteristics of the materials technologies and communities that will be key to achieving them. But there are other important influences too, such as aesthetics.
Mark Miodownik, University College London, UK; [email protected] DOI: 10.1557/mrs.2015.267
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MRS BULLETIN • VOLUME 40 • DECEMBER 2015 • www.mrs.org/bulletin
© 2015 Materials Research Society
MATERIALS FOR THE 21S
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