My parents never felt that I was college 'material'. [=that I was someone who should go to college]
Her boss regards her as executive 'material'. [=as someone who would make a good executive]
The comedian gets his 'material' from things that have happened to him.
(..) Which way? If we begin firing in there, we may hit the warp core. Our goal should be to puncture one of the plasma coolant tanks. Plasma coolant will liquefy organic material on contact. The Borg cannot survive without their organic components. All weapons will be set on a rotating modulation. (..)1996 Star Trek: First Contact