Architectured materials: Expanding materials space

The objective of this introduction to the viewpoint set on architectured materials is to illustrate the paradigm shift which occurs by introducing additional length scales into a material in addition to those provided by the microstructure. This provides new opportunities both to relate the processing of materials directly to design needs and to develop a variety of multifunctional materials in which both the microstructure and the overall architecture of the material are optimized. (c) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc.