Hello, I am a mechanical engineering student. I saw mostly scholarships have master's in material science opportunities. I want to know which niche has the most opportunities to get fully funded scholarships.
I am not interested in chemistry!
I have interest in Electric, coding, AI, and mechanical.

I'm an independent scientist looking to do some research* because of silly reasons** and wanted to see if there are organizations of researchers out there doing similar things in materials science or related fields...? I love the idea of applying my expertise towards solving a seemingly unimportant question and treating it like a full-fledged scientific endeavor. Thanks!

* chemical and structural characterization of a standard cookie formulation as prepared in the oven and microwave + a possible subsequent recipe/process optimization study of a microwave-based cookie

** I was sad to discover that the Hot Pocket crisping sleeve was discontinued 2 years ago and went down a rabbit hole to learn more about how and why microwave susceptors work with crusty doughs

Let's assume a fictional character destroys a pure concrete wall and shatters it into large rock-sized fragments, how would i determine the character's energy output on the concrete wall in Joules/cubic centimetre? And how would i determine the output for other destruction methods such as more violent fragmentation into small pebbles or vaporization. Formulas would be appreciated too

For some context, I have seen these feats alot in anime as well as power scaling communities. Im no enginner but I would just like to know. Thanks in advance!

Nearly all known quantum materials only exhibit their remarkable properties when cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero. At room temperature, heat creates constant atomic vibrations that overwhelm the delicate quantum behavior scientists are trying to harness. Keeping those vibrations in check requires bulky cryogenic refrigeration systems, making quantum materials powerful tools in the laboratory but difficult to translate into practical technologies.

In a study published in Nature, LSU physicists have developed the first room-temperature quantum material capable of distinguishing and transporting different quantum states of light, overcoming one of the biggest challenges in quantum materials research. Led by Associate Professor of Physics Omar S. Magaña-Loaiza, the work establishes a general design principle for engineering an entirely new class of quantum materials, opening new possibilities for quantum computing, secure communications, sensing technologies, and advanced energy systems.

I would like to know which laptops will be good doing light research work(running small computations and modelling) and projects.

Will be using some engineering softwares too like CAD,Ltspice etc

TL, DR:

• M30 Class 10.9 (Grade 8) bolts are snapping during dry installation at 10-50% of the target torque (failures at 200, 750, 889, and 1200 Nm vs. 1600 Nm target).
• Fractures are perfectly flat, highly crystalline (brittle), and occur mostly on the smooth, unthreaded shank.
• A remaining threaded section from a failed bolt was tested in a tensile machine. It passed the ultimate tensile strength spec (>1100 MPa / 160 ksi) with a normal, ductile failure.
• Hardness tests cross-sectionally near the fracture read 35-36 HRC.

The Problem:

Hundreds of bolts from this batch, and thousands from previous batches, have been installed using this exact procedure with no issues. The core of the smooth shank on these specific bolts acts like glass, while the threaded section of the exact same bolt retains perfect ductility and strength.

What metallurgical defects could cause localized brittleness on the unthreaded shank while the rest of the bolt meets all specifications? Seeking theories and recommendations for specific laboratory testing.

Link to a detailed Google Doc with macro photos, mill certs, and torque logs:
docs.google.com/document/

Long Version:

Summary: Catastrophic brittle failures are occurring with brand-new M30 Class 10.9 (Grade 8) bolts. They are snapping during initial dry assembly at torques significantly below the standard 1600 Nm (~1180 ft-lbs) target. The threaded portions of these exact same broken bolts pass tensile tests flawlessly, but the unthreaded shanks are failing like glass.

Bolt Specs & Assembly:

• Size: M30x350 (Core dia ~30 mm / 1-1/8"), 3.5 mm pitch (~7.2 TPI).
• Material: 42CrMo4 (AISI 4140 equivalent), Geomet 500 coated (baked at 300°C / 572°F).
• Assembly: Dry installation into a fixed, pre-tapped nut. Target torque: 1600 Nm (~1180 ft-lbs).
• Stress Check: Assuming a friction coefficient of 0.12 to 0.18 for the coating, the equivalent von Mises stress at 1600 Nm is calculated to be between 604 MPa (88 ksi) and 770 MPa (112 ksi). This is safely below the 900 MPa (130.5 ksi) yield strength.

The Failures: Out of a large batch, four bolts snapped:

• 1200 Nm (~885 ft-lbs): Failed at the threads. Flat, light gray brittle surface.
• 200 Nm (~147 ft-lbs): Failed near the thread-to-shank transition step.
• 750 Nm (~553 ft-lbs) & 890 Nm (~656 ft-lbs): Snapped on the completely smooth cylindrical shank.

The shank fractures show a dark gray "cup and cone" shear lip on the outer edge, with a light gray, perfectly flat center featuring radial lines pointing toward the core.

Lab Results So Far:

• Tensile: The surviving threaded portion of the 200 Nm failed bolt was tensile tested. It broke at ~1070 MPa (~155 ksi) with a textbook ductile failure.
• Hardness: Cross-sections near the fracture measure 35-36 HRC consistently.
• Mill Cert: Actual tested chemistry is exceptionally clean (S = 0.002%, P = 0.010%). Charpy V-notch values are solid (avg 43 J at -20°C / 31.7 ft-lbs at -4°F).

What could cause the smooth shank to become extremely brittle (failing at radial stresses) while the threaded portion remains fully ductile? Any specific metallurgical tests recommended?

Edit for /Askengineers: I am from Poland

I've got a HTF Heating, refractory lined furnace box, where the burner is firing HFO. We're seeing spots of erosion on the outer shell where a white crust is left behind. Some say it's localised heat, I believe otherwise. Any ideas?

Hi everyone. I am doing a research project about physical attributes with machine learning of any object. For this i need a dataset where there will be the mesh version of that object and metadata that contains the Lab calculated physical data like weight, volume, center of mass etc.

Can anyone help me with this? Is there any dataset available? If you know please help me? I am in such a hurry!!

What material is this panel made of?

The panel shown in the photos is approximately 5 meters long, 0.5 meters wide, and 2 centimeters thick. It comes from a furniture manufacturing company and is estimated to be about 20 years old. It was placed at the head of the bed to create a shelf before the reinforced concrete wall.

The material is unknown. There are no visible writing, numbers, labels, or symbols. It doesn't appear to be reinforced concrete or brick.

I'd like to know what material it's made of because I'd like to attach a two-meter aluminum profile for an LED strip to it and then decide how to secure it.

I tested it with a small M5 self-tapping screw and managed to screw it in; it seems to be very secure.

Hi everyone,

I'm an MS Materials Science student(intl) in the US and I'm a bit confused about which career path to focus on (Ultimately need a job preferably in core engg or R&D which is achievable with a MS and not requiring a PhD).

My background is mostly in battery materials, including:

Na-ion and Li-ion battery research,

NMC811 cathode process scale-up.

Recently, I also worked as a TA in a semiconductor fabrication lab, gaining hands-on experience with many processes and got some hands-on experience in the equipment and teaching.

I have a few questions:

Does my resume look too broad (batteries + semiconductors + DFT + ML)?

Should I create separate resumes for battery and semiconductor roles?

Is my profile competitive for semiconductor internships despite my research being battery-focused?

What battery/materials companies (besides Tesla) are good internship targets, especially for international students?

I'd appreciate any honest feedback on my resume and career direction. If there's anything you'd remove or improve, please let me know. Thanks!

Reposting in this community also hoping for some help

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for a study partner who wants to self-study machine learning in materials science. I'm a PhD in experimental materials science (ceramics) and currently work in industry. I want to dive into machine learning for materials science, maybe even work on some cool projects and publish. I found a great resource I'm thinking of using, but I really need a serious and motivating study buddy. Anybody?

https://github.com/WardLT/applied-ai-for-materials

I'm starting a new project and keep going back and forth between different supplier websites to check specs and compare materials. It's taking a lot longer than I expected.

Is there an easier way to do this? What do you all use to find and compare raw materials without searching every supplier one by one?

Hi,

I have been getting recommended these south East Asian carrom videos a lot lately. It looks super fun, but here in America these large, low friction carrom boards are completely non-existent. Because of this, I am going to try and build one myself.

The Carrom board in the video is made from marble, polished, buffed, and coated with fine powder. This gives an extremely low friction surface, almost like an air hockey table. This seems to be the standard for these large carrom boards.

Marble is way too expensive for me to use, but I believe I could achieve a similar surface using glass. This is where I am hoping that you guys can help.

What sort of things can I do to make a glass top carrom board as low friction possible? I was thinking that I could spray a ceramic coating on it, or maybe a Teflon coating?

If I use glass powder to lower the friction, could that cause micro scratches on the glass board? Would a Teflon or ceramic coating help with this? Any advice is appreciated, I want this thing to glide like ice.

I am looking for something soft and flexible that I can place between my back teeth.

The important points are:

- I should be able to bite down on it comfortably.

- My lower jaw should still be able to move slightly left, right, forward, and backward.

- The material should not force my jaw into one fixed position.

- It should be soft, reasonably shape-stable, and suitable for use inside the mouth.

- Ideally, it would have a similar shape and feel to a dental cotton roll.

Dental cotton rolls work quite well in principle because they adapt to the bite and do not force the jaw into one fixed position. The problem is that cotton, cellulose, and similar materials absorb a lot of saliva and may dry out the mouth.

I am therefore looking for a less absorbent or preferably hydrophobic material with similar softness and flexibility, such as a suitable medical foam, nonwoven material, silicone, or another dental material.

Does anyone know a specific material or product that could work for this?

I would also like to know who would be the right person to ask about this kind of material question: a dental technician, dental materials specialist, materials engineer, manufacturer of dental products, or someone else?

I am a rising junior in high school interested in pursuing a career in materials science and engineering. For a science fair, I am planning to synthesize CQD’s at home/basic lab equipment at high school. So that it does not raise red flags, it should not have any toxic materials, expensive equipment, or high heat.

I read about how I can microwave anhydrous food-grade citric acid at 1200 watts for 3-4 minutes and filter out the charcoal, I could make CQD’s.

Help i need: 
Bio-Products: ammonia(when doping with urea) and trace amounts of Carbon Monoxide.
Bio-Product remediation: Let the smoke clear out through the microwave's direct exhaust and use the kitchen exhaust system (wearing googles and a mask)

Purity Concern: I obviously can’t make 100% pure CQD’s in a microwave, but I need help making them as pure as possible. Would a simple DI water wash work? Or is anything else required? I don’t need the CQD’s to be 100% pure, but purer the better. 

My testing method: Shining a 365 nm UV light to test the glow of quantum dots

Any feedback or alternative ideas would be great!

Rising High School Junior/Interested in Materials Science and Engineering in top colleges! Taking rigorous courses that the school has to offer, and doing some paid research with a local professor.

Questions:

1. I am not so sure about career opportunities and specific fields (like nuclear, nano, quantum, etc), and also specific industries that I would like, so I need advice on getting real insights about career opportunities.

2. People in the college/jobs/business now, when you look back, what would you recommend a high schooler?

Some that I can think of are (of course) Reddit, LinkedIn (not sure what to ask!), Reach out to students currently in MS&E college, Professors (not sure if they respond to high schoolers)

Please advise.

[Concept] The Titanotube Material Family – A Theoretical Nanomaterial System I Designed Using Real Materials Science Concepts

Hi everyone,

I've been working on a speculative materials science concept for a hard science fiction/worldbuilding project, and I wanted to share it here to get feedback from people who know more about nanotechnology, materials science, solid-state physics, or engineering.

This is not a claim of a real discovery or published research. It's a theoretical design inspired by existing research on carbon nanotubes, titanium carbide, β-Ti₃Au intermetallics, strain engineering, and spin-orbit coupling. I used AI as a brainstorming and simulation assistant to help explore whether the overall concept was internally consistent.

The Idea

The concept is called the Titanotube Material Family.

The basic idea is simple:

A defect-free titanium (or β-Ti₃Au) nanowire enclosed inside a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT), forming a hybrid material that combines structural strength, electrical conductivity, thermal transport, and environmental protection.

From that basic building block, I expanded the idea into four related materials.

1. Titanotube

An individual nanostrand consisting of:

• Single-crystal titanium core

• Atomically thin TiC interface

• Single-walled carbon nanotube shell

Designed as an ultra-light structural conductor.

Potential uses:

• Nanoelectronics

• Aerospace wiring

• Medical nanorobotics

• High-current conductors

───

1. Ti-Nanocable

A macroscopic cable woven from billions of Titanotubes.

Key concepts:

• Hexagonal close-packed bundles

• Van der Waals interactions

• Localized TiC nano-bridges

• Load redistribution through microscopic strand sliding

Intended applications:

• Power transmission

• Space structures

• Robotics

• Suspension systems

───

1. Auro-Titanotube

A quantum-focused variant.

The titanium core is replaced with β-Ti₃Au, allowing stronger spin-orbit coupling due to the presence of gold.

Potential applications:

• Spintronics

• Quantum interconnects

• Quantum sensors

• Neuromorphic hardware

───

1. Auro-Titanocable

A macroscopic version built from Auro-Titanotubes.

Designed to function simultaneously as:

• Structural cable

• Electrical conductor

• Quantum data bus

• Mechanical spring

• Impact absorber

───

Theoretical Properties

Some predicted targets include:

Titanotube

• Diameter: 1–3 nm

• Tensile strength: 150–250 GPa

• Young's modulus: 2–3 TPa

• Current density: >10¹¹ A/cm²

• Excellent corrosion resistance

Ti-Nanocable

• Tensile strength: 80–150 GPa

• Fault-tolerant current distribution

• Outstanding fatigue resistance

Auro-Titanotube

• Strong spin-orbit coupling

• Quantum coherence pathways

• High hardness

• Excellent fatigue resistance

Auro-Titanocable

• Quantum communication backbone

• High-impact resistance

• Ultra-long fatigue life

• Structural + electrical multifunctionality

───

Scientific Inspiration

The concept draws inspiration from existing research areas, including:

• Carbon nanotubes

• Graphene confinement

• Titanium carbide interfaces

• β-Ti₃Au intermetallic compounds

• Spin-orbit coupling

• Nanocomposites

• Strain engineering

Many of the performance numbers are speculative engineering targets rather than experimentally verified values.

───

Why I Made This

I had an idea and wanted to see how far it could be pushed while staying inspired by real materials science. I used AI as a brainstorming and simulation assistant to explore the concept, identify possible strengths and weaknesses, and refine the theoretical design.

The result is the Titanotube Material Family—a speculative framework intended for hard science fiction and futuristic engineering concepts, rather than a claim of an actual material.

───

I'd Love Feedback

I'm especially interested in hearing from people with backgrounds in:

• Materials science

• Nanotechnology

• Solid-state physics

• Mechanical engineering

• Electrical engineering

• Quantum materials

Some questions I have:

• Which parts seem physically plausible?

• Which assumptions stretch current physics too far?

• Is there a better candidate than titanium or β-Ti₃Au for this kind of hybrid nanowire?

• Would the TiC interface likely help or hinder performance?

• What would be the biggest manufacturing challenge?

Constructive criticism is very welcome—I'd like to make the concept as scientifically grounded as possible while keeping it speculative.

Licensing & Usage

This work, The Titanotube Material Family, was created by me and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) .

Feel free to use this material family, adapt it, or write it into your own lore! Just make sure to credit Shahin Green as the creator, keep it non-commercial, and share your creations under the same license.

To view a copy of this license, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/