Material sciences, technology and engineering

This field focuses on understanding, designing, and manufacturing materials with specific properties, as well as developing new technologies and engineering solutions. It spans from atomic-scale manipulation of matter to large-scale manufacturing processes, encompassing metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, and novel quantum materials.

Major challenges include creating materials with unprecedented properties, developing sustainable manufacturing processes, and enabling new technologies through advanced materials design. The field is increasingly computational, using modeling and simulation to predict material properties and guide experimental work toward desired outcomes.

The 10 material sciences, technology and engineering problems

  • Programmable Matter

  • Perfect Energy Storage Material

  • Atomically Precise Manufacturing

  • Fully Circular Materials Economy

  • Universal Molecular Assembler

  • Room-Temperature Quantum Computing Materials

  • Self-Healing Infrastructure Materials

  • Thermal Energy Management Metamaterials

  • Artificial General Intelligence Hardware

  • Gravity Modification Materials

Material sciences, technology and engineering problem sample

* These are just preliminary ideas and do not represent final problems of the Berkeley 100 Challenge. The final problems will be determined by our Scientific Committees.

Atomically Precise Manufacturing

Problem Statement:

Develop a manufacturing system capable of positioning atoms with sub-angstrom precision to build macroscopic structures and devices with atomic precision, operating at economically viable throughput and scale.

Evaluation Criteria:

  • Positional accuracy <0.1 Å for individual atoms or molecules

  • Ability to work with at least 20 different elements across the periodic table

  • Manufacturing throughput >109 atoms per second

  • Error rates <1 per 1012 operations

  • Scalability to create structures of at least 1 mm3

  • Closed-loop verification of atomic placement accuracy

  • Demonstration of at least three functional devices impossible to create with conventional manufacturing

Feasibility Assessment: 

Extremely challenging, likely requiring 20-30 years. Current scanning probe techniques can position individual atoms but are far too slow for practical manufacturing. Requires revolutionary approaches to parallel manipulation of atoms. Progress in self-assembly techniques, advanced scanning probe technologies, and molecular machine design would be important precursors.

Impact on the Field: 

Would transform manufacturing from statistical to deterministic processes. Would enable materials with theoretically perfect properties and defect-free devices. May allow creation of metamaterials with properties not found in nature and quantum devices operating at room temperature.

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