University of Washington Affiliate Professor John Cahn has been awarded the Kyoto Prize for his work in materials science and engineering. Cahn won in the advanced technology category for his work in alloy materials engineering. Cahn developed the theory of spinodal decomposition, which occurs when a high-temperature solution of two elements is cooled to a point where the two components separate into regions with different chemical and physical properties. This allowed scientists to craft alloy materials of elements, which comprise the bulk of materials use in the world today including metals, glass, semiconductors, polymers, heat-resistant, and magnetic materials.