Recent Investigations of Structural Materials Using Synchrotron Radiation

To obtain the best possible performance from engineering materials, it is necessary to optimize their intrinsic properties, the processing involved in their production, and their performance in actual applications. To this end, the concept of the “materials science tetrahedron” was proposed [1 Committee on the Survey of Materials Science and Engineering (COSMAT) report (1974). [Google Scholar]]. Subsequently, an important environmental aspect, proposed by Doyama (1988), was added to the concept, giving a “materials science octahedron,” which has since been a guideline for R&;D in the field of engineering materials (Figure 1). The structure of engineering materials governs the properties, process, and performance of these materials. Synchrotron radiation has been widely used to successfully reveal structural information and its relationship to properties, performance, processing, and environment.