An Introduction to Materials Science , Wenceslao González-Viñas and Héctor L. Mancini Princeton U. Press, Princeton, NJ, 2004. $60.00 (180 pp.). ISBN 0-691-07097-0
An Introduction to Materials Science by Wenceslao González-Viñas and Héctor Mancini is a concise and informative entry-level text for students in any area of materials science. It has an ambitious scope and thorough table of contents, with 12 chapters on such topics as crystalline solids; imperfections; electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties; magnetic materials; superconductivity; optical, noncrystalline, and polymeric materials; and surface science. The authors cover these topics in a range of detail, from the comprehensive presentation on processes within optical materials in chapter 8 to the more succinct descriptions of crystalline solids and surface science in chapters 2 and 11, respectively.
The strengths of the text include chapter 10 on polymeric materials. The authors present an excellent introduction, followed by classification schemes and a relatively in-depth treatment of molecular structure. Physical properties of polymeric materials receive an extensive review, and references to earlier portions of the text are useful and appropriate. Also notable is chapter 9 on noncrystalline materials, which, combined with chapter 8, makes for a very thorough presentation on noncrystalline solids in general. The authors note in the preface that they strive to focus on more current, developing topics (new materials, biomaterials, devices, and so forth) and have thus chosen to omit more classical topics such as metallurgy and ceramics. Their decision is appropriate, in my opinion, and omitting those topics from the text is by no means detrimental to its vision.
The book, however, is not without its shortcomings; some of them are rather troubling. In general, I get the impression that the authors have not properly decided on an audience. The preface mentions that “this book tries to reach undergraduate students,” yet much of the text and its corresponding mathematics are often presented at such disparate levels of difficulty that one must wonder about the authors” stated objective. Examples of this disparity are rampant in chapter 2, where equations are presented without derivation, origin, or even definitions of some terms. I can understand that the book, as an entry-level text, needs to be concise, but some key concepts are lost in the interest of brevity.
One could argue that the authors” approach will inspire students to pursue more rigorous texts. Indeed, the breadth of topics covered in this volume is welcome, but the bibliography and chapter references fall a bit short in guiding students to the classic texts. As a result, the authors miss an opportunity to have their introductory textbook be among the standards. The writing style throughout the book is also a bit choppy, with a number of grammatical errors. According to the overleaf, the text is translated from Spanish; in my opinion, the translation has room for improvement.
An Introduction to Materials Science will serve well as supplemental reading for an introductory or advanced materials-science course. It might not make a good primary text without significant supplementation. Faculty from non-materials-science departments who teach more traditional courses—for example, inorganic chemistry—may find this book particularly useful for optical and magnetic materials, and for electrical and thermal properties. I would compare it with The Physics and Chemistry of Materials (Wiley, 2001) by Joel I. Gersten and Frederick W. Smith, which is a significantly more comprehensive and advanced text (see the book review in Physics Today, July 2002, page 59,). The objectives of Gersten and Smith are different from those of González-Viñas and Mancini, but I believe the two books somewhat complement one another. Any shortcomings in depth or derivations in An Introduction to Materials Science could be offset by references to Gersten and Smith’s book. Concomitantly, the brevity of González-Viñas and Mancini’s book may help students sort through The Physics and Chemistry of Materials.
In summary, An Introduction to Materials Science is a useful addition to the texts in the field. Its broad range of topics and brevity of coverage are both assets and, in some cases, liabilities. With that said, the book should not be overlooked; its contribution to a materials-science course or its ability to motivate individual study is likely to be significant.