COST 507 - Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto

INTRODUCTION
All of us are aware of the rapid changes in our world caused by scientific discoveries and
technological developments. Scientists and technologists contribute decisively to our modern
society and have to master not only the advantages but also the disadvantages of present and
future discoveries and technologies. This is in full accordance with the words of Albert Einstein:
"Awareness of the human being and his fate should always be the ultimate concern in specialized
scientific endeavors. One should never lose sight of this among al diagrams and equations".
Since all of us are more or less concerned with materials in some way, I would like to focus in
my presentation especially the role of materials in the socio-economic-context of technology,
especially in view of the increasing meaning of the ecological situation. The topic chosen
reflects an attempt to illustrate one of the many facets of materials science.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
The implementation of technological ideas and concepts relies on the existence of suitable
materials which in turn are constantly being improved by the demands of these new
technologies. This reciprocal relation has always had a decisive effect on human progress.
Between man, materials and technology is a steady interaction ongoing for millions of years.
The base of progress is an unalterable interconnected three-way relationship as simplified shown
schematically in Fig. 1 [1].
The earth's population has been continuously multiplying since early man first appealed about
two million years BC. E.g. the population grew by a factor of 100 in about 100 000 years, from
estimated 100 000 to 10 million, and this was reached about 4000 BC. Despite natural
catastrophes, plagues and decimating wars, by 1820 the population had grown again by a factor
of 100 to 1 billion people, this time in less than 6000 years.