Bronze and iron are materials that have formed and developed mankind. Recently, semiconductors such as silicon and geranium have paved the way for today's information society. In materials science, the properties of materials are tailored for special needs. Studies of old materials such as cellulose, or new Dirac materials like graphene, are important to create new and sustainable materials.
Meet Albert Mihranya at Uppsala University who is developing new materials for purifying water and filtering out viruses and other microorganisms, or Alexander Balatsky at KTH, working on materials for next-generation electronics.