Nanotechnology is the handling of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale.  The interesting aspect about nanotechnology is that the properties of many materials alter when the size scale of their dimensions approaches nanometers. Materials scientists and engineers work to understand those property changes and utilize them in the processing and manufacture of materials at the nanoscale level. The field of materials science covers the discovery, characterization, properties, and use of nanoscale materials. Nanomaterials research takes a materials science-based approach to nanotechnology, influencing advances in materials metrology and synthesis which have been developed in support of microfabrication research. Materials with structure at the nanoscale level o have unique optical, electronic, or mechanical properties. Although much of nanotechnology's potential still remains un-utilized, investment in the field is booming. The U.S. government distributed more than a billion dollars to nanotechnology research in 2005 to find new developments in nanotechnology. China, Japan and the European Union have spent similar amounts. The hopes are the same on all fronts: to push oneself off a surface on a growing global market that the National Science Foundation estimates will be worth a trillion dollars. The global market for activated carbon totaled $1.9 billion, in 2013, driven primarily by Asia-Pacific and North American region for applications in water treatment and air purification.

Biomaterials from healthcare viewpoint can be defined as “materials those possess some novel properties that makes them appropriate to come in immediate association with the living tissue without eliciting any adverse immune rejection reactions.  Biomaterials are in the service of mankind through ancient times but subsequent evolution has made them more versatile and has increased their usage. Biomaterials have transformed the areas like bioengineering and tissue engineering for the development of strategies to counter life threatening diseases.  These concepts and technologies are being used for the treatment of different diseases like cardiac failure, fractures, deep skin injuries, etc.  Research is being performed to improve the existing methods and for the innovation of new approaches. With the current progress in biomaterials we can expect a future healthcare which will be economically feasible to us. Equipment and consumables was worth US$ 47.7 billion in 2014 and is further expected to reach US$ 55.5 billion in 2020 with a CAGR (2015 to 2020) of 3%. The dental equipment is the fastest growing market due to continuous technological innovations. The overall market is driven by increasing demand for professional dental services and growing consumer awareness. The major players in the Global Dental market are 3M ESPE, Danaher Corporation, Biolase Inc., Carestream Health Inc., GC Corporation, Straumann, Patterson Companies Inc., Sirona Dental Systems Inc., Planmeca Oy, DENTSPLY International Inc. A-Dec Inc

Material science has a wider range of applications which includes ceramics, composites and polymer materials. Bonding in ceramics and glasses uses both covalent and ionic-covalent types with SiO2 as a basic building block. Ceramics are as soft as clay or as hard as stone and concrete. Usually, they are crystalline in form. Most glasses contain a metal oxide fused with silica. Applications range from structural elements such as steel-reinforced concrete, to the gorilla glass. Polymers are also an important part of materials science. Polymers are the raw materials which are used to make what we commonly call plastics.  Specialty plastics are materials with distinctive characteristics, such as ultra-high strength, electrical conductivity, electro-fluorescence, high thermal stability. Plastics are divided not on the basis of their material but on its properties and applications. The global market for carbon fiber reached $1.8 billion in 2014, and further the market is expected to grow at a five-year CAGR (2015 to 2020) of 11.4%, to reach $3.5 billion in 2020. Carbon fiber reinforced plastic market reached $17.3 billion in 2014, and further the market is expected to grow at a five-year CAGR (2015 to 2020) of 12.3%, to reach $34.2 billion in 2020. The competition in the global carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced plastic market is intense within a few large players, such as Toray Toho, Mitsubishi, Hexcel, Formosa, SGL carbon, Cytec, Aksa, Hyosung, Sabic, etc.

Materials chemistry involves the synthesis and study of materials that have interesting and potentially useful electronic, magnetic, optical, and mechanical properties. Material chemistry is one of the most talked topics in the last few years. They are the new branch of materials science which take advantage of new developments in chemistry. In fact, chemistry may provide a complete new board of materials for materials scientists and engineers to use. Chemistry began, and largely continues today, to be inextricably associated with preparing, processing, and utilizing materials. Much of the focus of materials chemistry in discovering and developing materials that may be exploited for desired applications. Today, many materials chemists are synthesizing functional device materials, and the discipline is often seen as directed towards producing materials with function—electrical, optical, or magnetic. Material chemistry is involved in the designing and processing of materials. Global market for catalysts is expected to reach $28.5 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR (2015 to 2020) of over 3%. Asia-Pacific is having the largest market for catalysts accounting for more than 35% share. Major players for Catalysts are Albemarle, Arkema, BASF, Chevron, Clariant, Dupont, Zeolyst International and others.

Material physics is the application of physics to describe the physical properties of materials. It is a combination of physical sciences such as solid mechanics, solid state physics, and materials science. Materials physics is considered a subset of condensed matter physics and applies fundamental condensed matter concepts to complex multiphase media.  They have a wide usage in various fields which includes the development of Optoelectronic Materials and Devices and make use of quantum dots which are prevalent in semiconductors. A wide spectrum of topics constitutes material physics which are Photocatalysis, laser physics, particle physics and analytical physics. The market for printable or potentially printable photovoltaic is expected to rise from 260 million euros (2011) to roughly 5.7 billion euros by 2021. The global market for semiconductor component market reached $335.8 billion in 2014, further during the forecasted period from 2015 to 2020; the market is expected to reach $593.6 billion by 2020 at a five year CAGR of 10.1%. The memory products continue to drive the overall market besides the micro components, ICs, discrete and optical products. he competition in the global semiconductor market is intense within a few large players, such as, AMD, Amkor, Broadcom, Cabot Microelectronics, Elpida, Fairchild, Freescale, Fujitsu, Global Foundries, Infineon, Intel, Marvell, Media Tek, Micron, NEC, NVIDIA, NXP, Qualcomm etc.

Different geophysical and social pressures are providing a shift from conventional fossil fuels to renewable and sustainable energy sources. We must create the materials that will support emergent energy technologies. Solar energy is a top priority of the department, and we are devoting extensive resources to developing photovoltaic cells that are both more efficient and less costly than current technology. We also have extensive research around next-generation battery technology. Materials performance lies at the heart of the development and optimization of green energy technologies and computational methods now plays a major role in modeling and predicting the properties of complex materials. The global market for supercapacitor is expected to grow from $1.8 billion in 2014 to $2.0 billion in 2015 at a year-on-year (YOY) growth rate of 9.2%. In addition, the market is expected to grow at a five-year CAGR (2015 to 2020) of 19.1%, to reach $4.8 billion in 2020. The competition in the global super capacitor market is intense within a few large players, such as, AVX Corp., Axion Power International, Inc., Beijing HCC Energy Tech. Co., Ltd., CAP-XX, Elna Co. Ltd., Elton, Graphene Laboratories INC., Jianghai Capacitor Co., Ltd, Jiangsu Shuangdeng Group Co., Ltd., Jinzhou Kaimei Power Co., Ltd, KEMET, LS MTRON, Maxwell Technologies INC., Nesscap Energy Inc., Nippon Chemi-Con Corp., Panasonic Co., Ltd., Shanghai Aowei Technology Development Co., Ltd., Skeleton Technologies, Supreme Power Systems Co., Ltd., XG Sciences.

Material science plays a important role in metallurgy too. Powder metallurgy is a term covering a wide range of ways in which materials or components are made from metal powders. They can avoid, or greatly reduce, the need to use metal removal processes and can reduce the costs. Pyro metallurgy includes thermal treatment of minerals and metallurgical ores and concentrates to bring about physical and chemical transformations in the materials to enable recovery of valuable metals. A complete knowledge of metallurgy can help us to extract the metal in a more feasible way and can used to a wider range. Global Metallurgy market will develop at a modest 5.4% CAGR from 2014 to 2020. This will result in an increase in the market’s valuation from US$6 bn in 2013 to US$8.7 bn by 2020.  The global market for powder metallurgy parts and powder shipments was 4.3 billion pounds (valued at $20.7 billion) in 2011 and grew to nearly 4.5 billion pounds ($20.5 billion) in 2012. This market is expected to reach 5.4 billion pounds (a value of nearly $26.5 billion) by 2017.

Ability of a nation to harness nature as well as its ability to cope up with the challenges posed by it is determined by its complete knowledge of materials and its ability to develop and produce them for various applications. Advanced Materials are at the heart of many technological developments that touch our lives. Electronic materials for communication and information technology, optical fibers, laser fibers sensors for intelligent environment, energy materials for renewable energy and environment, light alloys for better transportation, materials for strategic applications and more. Advance materials have a wider role to play in the upcoming future years because of its multiple uses and can be of a greater help for whole humanity. The global market for conformal coating on electronics market the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% from 2015 to 2020. The global market for polyurethanes has been growing at a CAGR (2016-2021) of 6.9%, driven by various application industries, such as, automotive; bedding and furniture; building and construction; packaging; electronics and footwear. In 2015, Asia-Pacific dominated the global polyurethanes market, followed by Europe and North America. BASF, Bayer, Dow Chemical, Mitsui Chemicals, Nippon Polyurethanes, Trelleborg, Woodbridge are some of the major manufacturers of polyurethanes across regions.

Characterization, when used in materials science, refers to the broader and wider process by which a material's structure and properties are checked and measured. It is a fundamental process in the field of materials science, without which no scientific understanding of engineering materials could be as curtained. Spectroscopy refers to the measurement of radiation intensity as a function of wavelength. Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye.   Characterization and testing of material is very important before the usage of materials. Proper testing of material can make the material more flexible and durable. Research indicates the global material testing equipment market generated revenues of $510.8 million in 2011, growing at a marginal rate of 3.1% over the previous year. The market is dominated by the ‘big three’ Tier 1 competitors, namely MTS Systems Corporation, Instron Corporation, and Zwick/Roell, while other participants have performed better regionally, such as Tinus Olsen in North America and Shimadzu Corporation in Asia Pacific.