Frontiers in materials research

New advanced materials are being rapidly developed, thanks to the progress of science. These are making our daily life more convenient. The Institute for Materials Research (IMR) at Tohoku University has greatly contributed for to the creation and development of various advanced materials and the progress in the ? eld of material science for almost a century. For example, our early research achievements on the physical metallurgy of iron carbon alloys led to the innovation of technology for making high-quality steels, which has greatly contributed to the advancement of the steel and related industry in Japan and rest of the world. IMR has focused on basic research that can be translated into applications in the future, for the bene? t of mankind. With this tradition, we have established the ? rst high-magnetic ? eld as well as low-temperature technologies in Japan, which were essential to the - vancement of magnetism and superconductivity. Recently, IMR has expanded its research in the ? eld of advanced materials including metallic glasses, - ramics, nano-structural metals, semiconductors, solar cell crystals, new op- andspin-electronicsmaterials, organicmaterials, hydrogenstoragealloys, and shaped crystals. Inthefaceofthecrisisofthedestructionoftheglobalenvironment, the- pletion of world-wide natural resources, and the exhaustion of energy sources in the twenty-? rst century, we all have an acute/serious desire for a b- ter/safer world in the future. IMR has been and will continue the pursuit of research aimed at solving global problems and furthering eco-friendly dev- opment.