Advanced Materials Chemistry
Avancerad materialkemi

KAS030F, 15 credits

Valid from: Spring 2025
Decided by: Jens Wahlström
Date of establishment: 2025-02-14

General Information

Division: Centre for Analysis and Synthesis (CAS)
Course type: Third-cycle course
Teaching language: English

Aim

The aim of the course is to give in-depth knowledge and broad understanding of materials chemistry with a focus on synthesis, properties, and characterization.

Goals

Knowledge and Understanding

For a passing grade the doctoral student must

• demonstrate understanding of and be able to describe scope and limitations of different methods for synthesis and characterization of inorganic materials.
• demonstrate understanding of theoretical and empirical descriptions of materials properties, for example surface chemistry and adsorption, or electric and magnetic properties.

Competences and Skills

For a passing grade the doctoral student must

• be able to describe and discuss orally and in writing synthesis methods for inorganic materials
• be able to use models to provide quantitative and qualitative descriptions of material properties
• be able to plan, conduct, and evaluate results from selected materials characterization methods

Judgement and Approach

For a passing grade the doctoral student must

• be able to value different materials synthesis approaches for addressing a given problem
• be able to judge the suitability and quality of output from selected characterization methods applied to, for the student, known materials
• be able to analyse applicability and limitations of models describing and explaining materials properties

Course Contents

The course is divided into three equal sections on the synthesis, properties and characterization of inorganic materials. The specific contents of the sections are set at the start of the course in dialogue with the students. The course aims to give students both in-depth knowledge in on sub-topic, as well as a broad overview of the rest; the division between in-depth and broadening aspects is set in dialogue with the students. Examples of topics that can be covered in the three sections include: Synthesis: vapour phase deposition, epitaxy, wet chemical methods, precursor selection, how control of phase, morphology and faceting can be achieved at the nanometre scale. Properties: mechanistic and quantitative descriptions of ad-, physi- and chemisorption processes, electric, magnetic and mechanic properties. Characterization: new methods for transmission electron microscopy and related spectroscopies, scattering methods using X-rays or neutrons, light optical spectroscopies, execution and interpretation of in situ and operando experiments.

Course Literature

Selected research articles and book chapters selected in dialogue with students

Instruction Details

Types of instruction: Seminars, project, self-study literature review. The forms of teaching will be varied between the three topics in the course

Examination Details

Examination formats: Written report, seminars given by participants, miscellaneous. The three topics will be examined separately with different forms of examination. Oral presentation of the project work will be included.
Grading scale: Failed, pass
Examiner: Professor Kimberly Dick Thelander

Admission Details

Admission requirements: Graduate student
Assumed prior knowledge: Fundamental materials chemistry, chemical thermodynamics, knowledge in materials synthesis and characterization from MSc-level courses
Minimum number of participants: 5
The number of participants is limited to: 10
Selection criteria: -

Further Information

Sufficient demand is five students

Course Occasion Information

Start date: 2025-01-01. Start date is approximate.
End date: 2025-12-30
Course pace: Not specified

Application Information

By email to Kimbery Dick Thelander

Contact and Other Information

Course coordinators:

• Kimberly Dick Thelander <kimberly.dick_thelander@chem.lu.se>
• Martin Ek Rosén <martin.ek_rosen@chem.lu.se>