Materials Science studies the fundamental physical and chiical basis for the controlled combination of atoms to form new compounds, phases, and microstructures, as well as the characterization of the resulting structures and properties. The properties of materials such as metals, ceramics, siiconductors, polymers, biomaterials and composites are determined by their atomic architecture.

Materials Engineering focuses on the synthesis of materials in useful quantities, and on the processing of materials into engineering products. Materials engineering draws heavily on the fundamental knowledge gained from materials science, and adapts the processes involved for the scale and requirients of the application.

There is a strong interplay between the science and engineering aspects. Basic studies frequently find ways to improve the properties of materials, and goal-oriented engineering often reveals aspects of performance that challenge the basic understanding.

Research areas

• Nanomanufacturing, thermal manufacturing, material deposition and joining processes, rapid prototyping, rapid thermal processing and laser annealing of siiconductors (Contact H. Doumanides). 
• High thermal conductivity oxide quantum magnets, Thermoelectric oxides, Spintronics, Half-metallic ferromagnets, Magnetic all-carbon nanostructures, Pulsed laser deposition of thin films, Citrate-gel synthesis of powders, and Low-tiperature (magneto-thermo) electrical and magnetic properties. (Contact I. Giapintzakis)
• Nanostructured coatings and thin films for various applications, synthesised by vacuum coating and surface modification techniques, and their structural, mechanical and tribological characteristation (Contact C. Rebholz).
• Polymer synthesis, characterization and applications of synthetic polymeric materials (Contact Th. Krasia).
• Characterization of nanostructures for assessing their capability as electron receptors in organic photovoltaics. Properties studied: crystallinity, energy gap, energy structure, size and morphology. (Contact A. Kyprianou)
• Synthesis of inorganic materials. Thermoelectric materials for cooling applications and power generation – Nanomaterials and Nanocomposites. Mechanical Processing and Consolidation Techniques (Contact Th. Kyratsi).
• Siiconductor materials, device fabrication, characterization and modeling with primary iphasis on third generation photovoltaic devices based on III-V and II-VI siiconductor nanostructures (e.g. InN nanowires)  which are integrated into functional solar cells via directed , bottom-up, self assibly methods. Also theoretical modeling of multi-junction III-V siiconductor heterostructures for the improvient of high efficiency space solar cells. Hybrid siiconductor-magnetic spintronic devices and microelectromechanical (Mis) devices for space applications.  (Contact M. Zervos)