compositionstructureproperty
Composition, structure, and properties form a foundational framework in materials science. Composition refers to the elemental make-up of a material, including the identity and relative amounts of constituent elements, phases, and impurities. Structure covers the arrangement of atoms at the atomic and microstructural levels, such as crystal lattice type, grain size, phase distribution, and defects. Properties are the measurable traits that arise from composition and structure, including mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, and chemical characteristics.
These aspects are interdependent. A material’s composition determines which phases are stable, while processing conditions shape
Examples illustrate the framework. In steel, carbon and alloying elements create phases such as ferrite and
Characterization and design rely on linking composition, structure, and properties. Composition is measured by spectroscopy and