Why are old materials catching current attention?
The cutting edge of new materials technology is represented by surprisingly mundane and old forms of matter. Consider diamond (the gem) and graphite (the main component of pencil leads). Although both have been known for many years, recent newspaper and magazine headlines (see Figure 1.1) demonstrate tremendous current interest in these materials. For example, diamond was named “molecule of the year” by Science magazine in 1990. Also, a material closely related to graphite, carbon fiber, recently has entered our everyday lives in the form of reinforcing material in bicycle frames, tennis racquets, and even the B-2 Stealth bomber.