Materials technology is the "Mother of Industry," covering a broad spectrum including metals, ceramics, polymers, composite materials, thin-film materials, nanomaterials, and functional materials. These materials find critical applications in semiconductors, electronics, optoelectronics, biomedicine, and the increasingly vital clean energy industries. The analysis, design, development, and application of the physical, chemical, and microstructural properties of various materials all fall within the scope of materials research.

The academic research of our department has not only ranked first in the university evaluations for two consecutive years but has also consistently impressed various academic and industrial organizations. According to evaluations by the Department of Library and Information Science at National Taiwan University, based on academic citation databases such as SCI, SSCI, A&HCI, and Highly Cited Researchers, the field of materials science at NCKU is rated as the top in the nation, ranking 31st globally (reported in China Times, 2004.9.23). NSTC publication statistics in the metallurgy and ceramics division also rank our department first in the country. Furthermore, according to the "Academic Achievement Index Analysis of Famous Universities and Departments Globally," commissioned by the College of Engineering and the Office of R&D and led by Professor Ji-Chuan Huang of the Engineering Science Department, our department ranks fifth in Asia.

The research development direction of the department is primarily planned and formulated in the form of individual researchers or research groups, in alignment with national technological development needs and the department's unique strengths. Key aspects are highlighted as follows:

(1) Metallic Materials:

The department has a long and distinguished history in metal-related research, with achievements highly acclaimed by both industry and academia. Our development directions focus on the research of special alloys with lightweight, high-strength, high-ductility, and high-toughness properties, along with in-depth studies on processes such as casting, powder metallurgy, welding, deformation processing, and heat treatment. Computer simulation is also widely applied to metallurgical process development and alloy design. Application fields span heavy industries like steel, smelting, aerospace, and automobiles, as well as high-tech fields including electronic packaging, biomedicine, and clean energy.

(2) Ceramic Materials:

The department's faculty in the ceramics field is unmatched in Taiwan and enjoys an outstanding international reputation. Ceramic materials are mainly divided into advanced ceramics and conventional ceramics. Advanced ceramics are the new favorite of the 21st-century materials field due to their unique properties of high-temperature and corrosion resistance, which are actively developed globally. The department continues to progress in powder synthesis, sintering technology, electronic ceramics, structural ceramics, and bioceramics, applying these to advanced electronic components, medical devices, and green materials.

(3) Polymer Materials:

Current research in polymer technology focuses on optoelectronic polymer materials (such as polymer LEDs, polymer solar cells, and photoresists for lithography), low-dimensional structural polymers, polymer crystallization and physical properties, and organic-inorganic nanocomposites. Future research will further expand into polymer materials related to environmental protection and energy.

(4) Composite Materials:

Single-phase materials can no longer fully satisfy rapidly evolving technological requirements. Composite materials offer unique and superior combined properties to fill this gap. The department actively researches the development and application of metal-matrix and ceramic-matrix composites. Application areas include aerospace structures, automotive engine components, wear-resistant materials, and microelectronic packaging materials.

(5) Optoelectronic and Electronic Materials:

Optoelectronics and electronics are key industries supported by the government. The department invests significant R&D energy across the entire value chain of electronic and optoelectronic materials, achieving outstanding results. Key topics include the fabrication of electronic components in ICs, electronic thin films, dielectric materials, optoelectronic devices, light-emitting materials, eco-friendly green packaging materials, next-generation nanomaterials for electronic/optoelectronic devices, and inkjet printing interconnection technologies.

(6) Biomaterials:

The department has a long-standing history of research in biomaterials and medical devices. We integrate medical research resources from the NCKU College of Medicine to build a specialized biomedical applications R&D team. Current core research areas include hard-tissue materials (such as bone replacements or repair materials for orthopedics and dentistry), tissue engineering, soft-tissue materials, and innovative medical device development.

(7) Energy Materials:

Green energy is a critical area that advanced countries worldwide are actively developing. The development of key materials is one of the most critical technologies for realizing clean energy. The department conducts extensive research on materials for fuel cells, solar cells, and lithium-ion batteries, accumulating technological strength and cultivating talent for future star industries.

(8) Magnetic Materials:

Our department boasts the strongest magnetic materials research faculty among all domestic universities. Current and future research focuses on alignment with national technology development plans, including microwave communication components, permanent magnets, magnetic memory materials (magnetic tapes, write heads, hard disks), and magneto-optical materials.

(9) High-temperature Superconductors:

Superconductivity refers to the property where materials exhibit zero electrical resistance at specific temperatures. Its potential applications are extremely vast, including high-speed maglev trains, powerful electromagnets, power transmission grids, brain wave detection (SQUIDs), integrated circuits, and military hardware. Our department actively conducts research in this field, using various methods such as thin-film deposition, powder synthesis, and single-crystal growth to develop stabilized high-temperature superconductor materials.

(10) Corrosion Engineering and Surface Treatment:

Corrosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon, and the massive annual economic losses it inflicts are unmatched by most other natural phenomena. The department has long been a key center for corrosion research, solving numerous problems for the industrial sector. Current research focuses on stress corrosion cracking (SCC), corrosion fatigue, and high-temperature corrosion of aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, stainless steels, and superalloys, as well as metal surface treatment technologies. Surface treatment methods include chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), plasma spraying, laser surface modification, and hot-dip coating.

(11) Advanced Materials Characterization:

Materials characterization is the key technology for investigating material properties. As novel materials and components shrink in scale, high-resolution and high-precision analytical techniques become essential. The department's expertise in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), surface probe analysis, and crystal orientation mapping (EBSD) is leading in Taiwan, with multiple achievements in practical applications across various materials fields.

(12) Computer Simulations:

As modern computer processing power grows exponentially, computer-aided materials design and process development have become mainstream research methodologies. In addition to reducing the substantial time and financial costs associated with laboratory experiments, simulations can provide valuable insights that are difficult to obtain experimentally. The department conducts extensive research in thermodynamic and kinetic computational modeling, forming a highly distinguished computational materials research group in Taiwan.