Selection of Applications for a Material

Abstract Finding an application for a given (not necessarily new) material is an elusive problem. Methods for material selection to fill a given application are now well developed. But the inverse problem – that of finding applications for a new material – has no such established methodology. The article discusses some general approaches to the problem and demonstrates recent progress in implementing them. Finding an application for a given (not necessarily new) material is an elusive problem. Methods for material selection to fill a given application are now well developed. But the inverse problem – that of finding applications for a new material – has no such established methodology. The article discusses some general approaches to the problem and demonstrates recent progress in implementing them.