Best Papers Awarded in 2021 by <i>Materials Transactions</i>

This paper introduces the 11 best papers awarded in 2021 by Materials Transactions. Their brief summaries are given to overview current research areas. The best papers were carefully selected from the 6 different research areas such as (1) materials physics, (2) microstructures of materials, (3) mechanics of materials, (4) materials chemistry, (5) materials processing, and (6) engineering materials and their applications. Six out of the 11 best papers are those specially selected for young scientists whose ages are 35 or below. An important trend in the year of 2020 is that four out of the 11 best papers are concerned with high-entropy alloys, reflecting current research based on a national project.