Technologies of Modern Functional Materials

Functional materials are materials that are designed and manufactured with a specific objective in mind - to give them specific properties that allow them to fulfil their desired functions and applications. The functional materials industry is becoming increasingly specialised in the design and production of functional materials. If you want to create intelligent materials, such as self-repairing and shape-memory materials, as well as materials with specific surface properties, then this is the course for you. After graduation, you'll create solutions to make everyday life easier, such as modifying usable glass surfaces to become 'self-cleaning', producing more efficient light emitters that use less electricity, or increasing the sensitivity and range of detectors in automatic vehicle parking systems. You will be able to produce self-repairing coatings to protect the surface of metals, or packaging equipped with markers to show the freshness of the packaged product. On the other hand, thanks to modern surface engineering techniques, you will be able to refine infrared-reflective layers for work uniforms, helmets with visors for firefighters, or layers for medical implants to prevent ion penetration into the human body. This is just a small part of the enormous possibilities offered by the functionalisation of materials.