Materials science has traditionally been an important research area at KTH with strong ties to Swedish industry. In fact, one of the very first departments at KTH was founded to supply the mining industry with skilled engineers. In addition to the research and education in traditional materials such as metal alloys and wood, KTH is very active in the fields of polymers, electronic and photonic materials, biomedical materials, nanostructured materials and magnetic materials.

Many of the ongoing projects aim at contributing to a sustainable development, by, e.g., finding replacements for toxic substances and critical raw materials, develop environmentally friendly water cleaning technologies, or develop materials for energy technologies such as thermoelectrics and solar energy. 

Materials research at KTH is inherently multidisciplinary with strong ties to mechanics, process technology, design, product development, and life cycle analysis.