Microscope images of chiral layers of carbon based polymers

From stone, bronze, and iron, to silicon, lithium, copper and cobalt, materials have been used to increase human wellbeing, health and prosperity. 

Metals and minerals are in everything, everywhere: from phones and computers to cars, trains, buses and planes, from electric cables to batteries, from medical instruments to space shuttles. We need materials to move, work, communicate and power our societies.

Challenges in the materials industry

While material use has driven progress, today’s materials industry lacks transparency and a sustainable approach to the use of energy and resources like water.  Another challenge is the impact on communities and the environment. The benefits of materials use and extraction often don’t reach the communities whose land is used.

The role of the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials

In an effort to tackle these challenges, the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials will fund a series of interdisciplinary, international and inclusive research programmes over the next ten years to tackle grand challenges in the materials industry and find innovative ways to provide the materials needed for a regenerative future.