Abstract:
Materials have been an integral part of human society since the time immemorial.
The various ages of humankind are usually referred to by the materials that were in
vogue such as the Stone Age, the Iron Age, and the current Silicon age, etc. The
development of many technologies such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, advanced
electronics etc.; that make our living comfortable has been intricately associated with
the availability of suitable materials. But the challenges of the current world are
constantly fuelling the discovery and development of new kinds of materials with
desired properties and at the right cost to meet the challenges of the current day
world. Advancement in the understanding of a material type is often the forerunner
to the stepwise progression of technology.
