Combinatorial Materials Science: What's New Since Edison?

Published

April 1, 2002

Author(s)

Eric J. Amis, X D. Xiang, J C. Zhao

Abstract

Combinatorial methods, or high throughput experimentations, have captured the attention of the materials industry due to the promise of providing new discoveries faster, better, and cheaper. However, in the scientific community combinatorial methods have often met with less enthusiasm, perhaps due to a perception of the combinatorial methodology as an Edisonian approach to science. The facts are quite to the contrary. In addition to the impressive successes from applications of combinatorial methods to materials discovery, results coming out of systematic high-throughput investigations of complex materials phenomena (which would otherwise be too time-consuming or expensive to undertake) provide data leading to theories and models of materials chemistry and physics. Indeed, rather than increasing the dependence of materials design on serendipitous observations, combinatorial methods provide a new paradigm for advancing a central scientific goal -- fundamental understanding of structure-property relationships of materials behavior.

Citation

Mrs Bulletin

Volume

27

Issue

No. 4

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

combinatorial methods, high throughput experimentation, phase behavior

Citation

Amis, E. , Xiang, X. and Zhao, J. (2002), Combinatorial Materials Science: What's New Since Edison?, Mrs Bulletin, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=851984 (Accessed May 17, 2026)

Additional citation formats