FRONTIERS OF MATERIALS RESEACH: A DECADAL SURVEY

该项目是由美国国家科学院进行的材料研究（MR）的广泛调查，以确定对美国重要的关键战略材料研究领域。MR试图了解普通材料的元素如何大量组合形成我们的日常物品。这类研究的广度是巨大的，包括金属、玻璃、晶体、木材和塑料，以及新的纳米材料。进步需要当今研究界的许多组成部分的相互作用——基础理论的进步、新研究工具的持续发展、计算能力以及大型和小型设施。这种进步的结果是令人印象深刻的——现代社会的大多数技术进步都高度依赖于材料性能的进步。美国现在只是这一领域国际舞台上的众多领导者之一，因为许多国家已经开始在这一领域进行大量投资，期望这些努力将有助于推动其国家经济发展。本研究评估了过去十年MR的进展，并确定了2020-2030年MR有希望的新方向。该研究还广泛地讨论了MR对新兴技术、国家需求和科学已经产生和预计将产生的影响。最后，该研究使用了选定领域的案例研究，这些领域已经或预计会有近期增长，评估美国材料研究（MR）与国外类似研究的最新投资趋势，并建议有助于确保美国在MR的适当子领域的领导地位和加强国际合作或协调的步骤。委员会成员也在密切相关的领域或领域工作美国。这项研究得到了美国国家科学院专业人员中经验丰富的成员的支持，并由一个由大约20-23名成员组成的特设委员会进行，其中大多数成员具有广泛构成MR的领域的专业知识，也有在密切相关领域或依赖MR的领域工作的委员会成员，来自依赖MR进步的行业的成员，以及从事类似研究的国际组织的成员。在进行这项研究时，委员会将举行五次全体委员会会议，邀请MR社区发表演讲，并将进行广泛的社区互动和数据收集，包括通过市政厅等努力寻求全国各地的反馈。在首先评估过去十年MR的进展和成就之后，该报告将确定过去十年MR研究和开发领域的主要变化，无论是在美国还是在国际上，以及这些变化如何影响MR社区。然后，它将确定在2020-2030年期间提供有前景的投资机会和新方向的领域。该报告还将使用数量有限的案例研究来评价美国材料研究投资的最新趋势，并与国际上正在进行的类似研究进行比较。根据这些趋势，该报告将建议美国可能采取的步骤，以确保领导地位或加强对材料研究的确定子领域的此类研究支持的合作与协调。报告的结论和建议将酌情分发给主办机构、公众、开展MR的研究和技术界以及州和地方政府。该报告的免费电子版将通过美国国家科学院出版社网站提供。

Non Technical AbstractThis project is a broad survey of materials research (MR) conducted by the National Academies to identify key strategic materials research areas important to the United States. MR seeks to understand how the elements of ordinary materials combine in large numbers to form our everyday objects. The breadth of such research is enormous, encompassing metals, glasses, crystals, wood, and plastics, as well as new nanomaterials. Progress requires the interplay of many components of today's research community - advances in fundamental theory, the continued development of new research tools, computational capabilities and both large and small facilities. The results of that progress have been impressive - most technological advances that characterize modern society have been highly dependent upon advances in materials' capabilities. The United States is now just one of many leaders on the international scene in this field, as many countries have begun investing significantly in this area with the expectation that such efforts will help fuel their national economic development. This study assesses the progress in MR over the past decade and identifies promising new directions in MR for the period 2020-2030. The study also discusses the impacts that MR has had and is expected to have on emerging technologies, national needs, and science, broadly. Finally, the study uses case studies of selected fields that have had or are anticipated to have near-term growth, to evaluate recent investment trends in MR in the United States relative to similar research taking place abroad and recommends steps for helping to secure U.S. leadership and for enhancing international collaboration or coordination in appropriate subfields of MR. There are also committee members who work in closely related fields or in fieldsTechnical AbstractThis project is a 24-month study by the National Academies on the current status and future directions of materials research (MR) in the United States. The study is supported by experienced members of the National Academies' professional staff and conducted by an ad-hoc committee of approximately 20-23 members, most of whom have expertise in the fields that broadly make up MR. There are also committee members who work in closely related fields or in fields that rely upon MR, members from industries that rely upon advances in MR, as well as members from international communities that engage in similar research. In conducting the study, the committee will hold five full committee meetings with invited presentations from the MR community, and will engage in extensive community interaction and data gathering, including pursuing feedback from across the country through efforts such as town halls. After first assessing the progress and achievements in MR over the past decade, the report will identify the principal changes in the research and development landscape for MR over the past decade, both in the United States and internationally, and how those changes have impacted the MR community. It will then identify areas that offer promising investment opportunities and new directions for the period 2020-2030. The report will also use a limited number of case studies to evaluate recent trends in investments in materials research in the United States relative to similar research that is taking place internationally. Based on those trends, the report will recommend steps the United States might take to either secure leadership or to enhance collaboration and coordination of such research support for identified subfields of materials research. The conclusions and recommendations of the report will be disseminated to sponsoring agencies, the public, the research and technical communities that conduct MR, and state and local governments, as appropriate. Free electronic versions of the report will be available via the National Academies Press website.