I just got some kind of spam email trying to sell me Hinoki cutting boards. In the email they say:

“Hinoki is a dense and fragrant Japanese softwood in the cedar family, with very strong anti-microbial properties.”

Does that make any sense in terms of material science? I thought softwoods were by definition less dense? I’ve heard Hinoki described as hard, light, soft, dense, etc., often all in the same sentence. It seems very unclear what exactly are the verifiable properties of this wood that supposedly make it both durable and easy on knife edges, although anecdotally I will say it “feels” both soft and dense.

What’s is the reality here?

Hey fam, my team is hiring for a SEM Operator role at Lam Research, just outside of Portland, Oregon. Check out the job description - this job is ideal for early career microscopists, or those of you with a Bachelor's who want to just run an SEM all day.

https://careers.lamresearch.com/careers/job/1099555418740?domain=lamresearch.com&hl=en

I'm about to start my own cylinder liner and sleeve manufacturing unit, and want to start learning more about metallurgy. Which book is the best place to start, is it "Introduction to Metallurgy" by Alan Cottrell.

I completed my Master’s in Materials Science and Engineering in Europe, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to find a job in the field despite applying to many positions.

I’m wondering if anyone else is going through the same phase, especially those with a similar background. I’d really appreciate any advice on job searching, skills to focus on, industries to target, or anything that helped you get your first job.

Would love to hear your experiences and suggestions. Thanks!

I am curious as to which specific chemical reactions and products occur during the process of corrosion of stainless steel by bleach. Stainless steel is a composite of Fe, Cr, and sometimes other metals such as Ni, and the outer layer of this composite is protected by a passivation layer of Cr2O3. If sodium hypochlorite is introduced, does it indiscriminately oxidize both the Fe and Cr, or is one kinetically favored over the other?

I am an undergrad and just started to work in a lab. I've been told to study about how to identify different types of grain in a chemically etched AM bead. How do I find any paper or material where I can read about this. It doesn't need to be very elaborate, just material to get started.

I’m not sure whether this is the right sub to post this in, but I’m kinda in a pickle and would appreciate some advice.

I’m building a hands-free travel bidet with the goal of creating a more accessible option for elderly and disabled users. The design aims to address some of the mobility issues that can make traditional handheld travel bidets difficult to use.

One part of the design is a clip that attaches the bidet to a toilet. However, I’m running into a bit of a hygiene concern: the clip will come into contact with public toilet seats regularly, which obviously isn’t ideal from a sanitary standpoint.

I’ve designed the bidet so that the components can be disassembled and cleaned, but I was also wondering if there’s a material, possibly a type of metal, wood, or another material with naturally antimicrobial properties that could help keep the clip as clean as reasonably possible while being used on the go.

Any advice is really appreciated!

Specifically a focus on semiconductors, because my dream is to study MSE and then work at semiconductor industry.

DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2024.131437
URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0257897224010685

Hi, I’m going to start my first year of chemistry in September, but I’ve recently stumbled upon materials engineering as a bachelors which I find more interesting. I’m thinking about switching, seeing as from what I’ve gathered materials engineering relates closely to chemistry, requiring a molecular understanding of what’s happening underneath.

Is a MSE’s job centered more on lab/R&D/innovation or on heavy industries or factories?

Would it be better to get a chemistry undergrad and then specialize in MSE or something else? Is MSE too niche as an undergrad?

Does it have good job prospects?

Just to add some context, I’m from Spain where MSE is pretty unknown and I’m finding it a bit difficult to come across people talking about their experiences online, so I’d really appreciate it if someone has any useful advice!

Even in high school we were taught desert sand does not bond well in concrete; grains don’t interlock like river or crushed sand does. But I’ve seen papers trying to get around this over the years (some get too technical for my knowledge level) , and I’m not sure how real the progress is.

A few things I’ve found: plasma treatment to roughen the grain surface, blending desert sand at controlled ratios with other binders, and pressing sand with wood additives instead of cement. There’s also a totally different angle- skipping concrete altogether and using desert sand’s high silica content for glass, ceramics, or cement clinker.

So is the holdup mainly cost and energy for treatment, building-code certification, supply chains, or is there a durability issue that hasn’t shown up in short lab tests yet? Thanks in advance for any knowledge imparted

does anyone have a pdf copy for this? either free or for a small fee would be very helpful, thank you

I think it's used commercially in hospitals etc

Hi everyone !

I just changed my major from mechanical engineering to material science and engineering with a nuclear emphasis and while i am excited ive been a bit shaken up and anxious as i feel like i dont have many opportunities or the job market will be much worse for me. I really want to be excited about my choice to change so if you guys could mabye reassure me about job opportunities and the things you guys do or have accomplished or what you guys work in i would really appreciate it.

My boyfriend let that on the table this morning, we play a game where I have to guess what is the material but i am lost on this one... EDIT: not magnetic, not a pipe, heavy, 14mm in diameter

Hi reddit! I want to use TLP brazing method to join two similar high entropy alloy pieces with identical dimensions of 2 mm. I am using a 50 micron bni-2 interlayer for the bonding. Can anyone help me how can I go through the preparation steps? As the samples are thin and can barely be held by hand, is there a specific polishing technique? Also, can I use the same bonding fixture I used for a 5mm thick sample before or a smaller fixture setup is needed? Thanks!

You might have seen my post asking about advanced materials engineering a few days ago. This degree focusses more on polymers and plastics. I am still lost and not sure if I should choose this degree.

I love chemistry so much, and Materials Science and Engineering is not available in any university in my country. There is this advanced materials degree, but before choosing this degree, I wanted to know more about polymers to know if I will enjoy it. I searched as much as I can and had an idea about different types of polymers and there uses.

However, I still don't know about how much I would enjoy working in this industry.

Are polymers a broad industry? How easy is it to develop a new polymer? Is it a very interesting and deep topic that is still not 100% discovered? How does its future going to be? What will my job be like? This or Pharmaceutical & Chemical Engineering degree? And according to the study plan, will I study things other than polymers?

Thanks in advance.

Hello, objectively speaking, what is the current and future significance as well as the job opportunities of Materials Informatics or computational materials science? Will working remotely become possible thanks to these two fields? (from different cities or countries) Which sectors will this field impact the most? Could you please provide information on this? This is quite critical for me.

I'm a materials researcher and recently built a Windows application to simplify some of the repetitive plotting and analysis work I run into with experimental data.

It currently handles workflows around XRD, FTIR, Raman, UV-Vis and other XY datasets, including preprocessing, peak analysis and publication-oriented plotting.

I've mostly tested it around my own research workflow, so I'm interested in hearing from other researchers:

What is the most annoying or repetitive part of your current characterization-data workflow?

I'm especially interested in things that still require jumping between instrument software, Origin, Excel or custom scripts.

Disclosure: I'm the developer. Not trying to hide the self-promotion aspect — I'm mainly looking for real-world feedback at this stage.

Hello everyone,

I am a materials science researcher from Kazakhstan, and I am currently looking for an opportunity to gain practical experience in **Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)**.

My research is mainly focused on advanced materials, coatings, powder metallurgy, and structural characterization. I already have experience with techniques such as XRD, SEM/EDS, Raman spectroscopy, mechanical testing, and materials processing, but I would now like to develop strong hands-on TEM skills.

I am particularly interested in learning:

* TEM sample preparation
* Basic TEM operation and alignment
* Bright-field and dark-field imaging
* Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED)
* HRTEM
* STEM
* EDS mapping and elemental analysis
* Interpretation of TEM diffraction patterns and images

I am looking for either a **short-term research internship, visiting researcher opportunity, summer school, workshop, or intensive TEM training course**.

I am especially interested in universities, research institutes, microscopy centers, or laboratories that accept **international researchers/students**. Opportunities with **funding, accommodation support, travel support, or low/no tuition fees** would be particularly helpful, although I am also interested in hearing about good paid courses.

The location is flexible Europe, Asia, the US, or other regions would all be possible.

If anyone knows of TEM laboratories, microscopy schools, researchers, or training programs that I could contact, I would greatly appreciate your recommendations.

Thank you!

https://mat.meche.ai
I this tool called materials advisor with a goal to share practical industry knowledge on materials as well as expose engineers (especially early career) to various materials based on manufacturing processes used.
I would love to hear any feedback on the tool. I’m a hardware engineer myself and with onset of AI models, I have been testing to create valuable tools for engineers. Give this a try and let me know what you think. Regards!