Engineers and scientists are developing many new types of materials such as carbon nanotubes, ceramic-matrix nanocomposites (and their metal-matrix and polymer-matrix equivalents), and new carbon fibers.

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While there are only a handful of types of crystals that can be used for lasers, materials scientists can bake any manner of ceramic that can produce lasers of different wavelengths, power and efficiency.

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These walls were a testing ground where Aalto experimented with different textures, materials and designs, playing with brick, stone and ceramic swatches and setting them against various finishes and ornamental plants.

BBC: An Alvar Aalto tour of Finland