Introduction to Materials - Sample Preparation Topic for Transmission Electron Microscopy - page 3

Chapter 2
Introduction to Materials
1 Introduction
1.1 Origin of Materials
Natural materials such as organic matter, mineral matter, and living matter, along
with artificial materials produced industrially, make up all of the materials found
on the Earth. They all have a chemical composition and particular structure that
give them specific properties or functions in relation to their surroundings or their
formation conditions.
Natural materials are formed in a particular environment, under the diverse con-
ditions seen in nature. These materials can be studied either in their original state or
after being modified.
An artificial material is a compound manufactured by synthesis under known
conditions that are selected to give it specific properties related to its field of applica-
tion. Metal alloys, ceramics, and polymers are some simple artificial materials. New
materials are often made of complex structures composed of mixed or composite
materials.
1.2 Evolution of Materials
As an enabler of technology, materials research has a wide range of applications
in the physical and life sciences and in our daily lives. Furthermore, the domains
of physics and biology are now growing closer together as physics generalizes the
principles and models presented by biological processes. For example, biological
materials are being integrated into molecular electronics applications, although the
complexity of new physical materials has not yet reached that of materials in the
living world.
The study of structure and properties requires material's preparation that enables
observation and characterization of the material's state at the moment of sampling.
It may be difficult to keep biological materials in their original state because they are
very often hydrated and must systematically be physically or chemically stabilized
in order to survive observation in the transmission electron microscopy (TEM).