Editing Materials science (section)

====Microstructure====
{{Main|Microstructure}}
[[File:Pearlite.jpg|thumb|right|Microstructure of pearlite]]
Microstructure is defined as the structure of a prepared surface or thin foil of material as revealed by a microscope above 25× magnification. It deals with objects from 100&nbsp;nm to a few cm. The microstructure of a material (which can be broadly classified into metallic, polymeric, ceramic and composite) can strongly influence physical properties such as strength, toughness, ductility, hardness, corrosion resistance, high/low temperature behavior, wear resistance, and so on.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Filip |first1=R |last2=Kubiak |first2=K |last3=Ziaja |first3=W |last4=Sieniawski |first4=J |date=2003 |title=The effect of microstructure on the mechanical properties of two-phase titanium alloys |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0924-0136(02)00248-0 |journal=Journal of Materials Processing Technology |volume=133 |issue=1–2 |pages=84–89 |doi=10.1016/s0924-0136(02)00248-0 |issn=0924-0136}}</ref> Most of the traditional materials (such as metals and ceramics) are microstructured.

The manufacture of a perfect [[crystal]] of a material is physically impossible. For example, any crystalline material will contain [[crystallographic defect|defects]] such as [[Precipitation (chemistry)|precipitates]], grain boundaries ([[Hall–Petch|Hall–Petch relationship]]), vacancies, interstitial atoms or substitutional atoms.<ref>{{Citation |title=Crystal Structure Defects and Imperfections |date=2021-10-01 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.31399/asm.tb.ciktmse.t56020001 |work=Crystalline Imperfections: Key Topics in Materials Science and Engineering |pages=1–12 |access-date=2023-10-29 |publisher=ASM International|doi=10.31399/asm.tb.ciktmse.t56020001 |isbn=978-1-62708-389-8 |s2cid=244023491 }}</ref> The microstructure of materials reveals these larger defects and advances in simulation have allowed an increased understanding of how defects can be used to enhance material properties.