66935 - Materials Chemistry Lab

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student is expected to possess a basic knowledge of the main classes of functional and structural materials, their properties and applications.

Course contents

PREREQUISITES: General Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry.

INTRODUCTION

Course structure, laboratory, exam, teaching materials. Introduction to materials chemistry.

Part 1 – Basic concepts

Defects and diffusion in solids. Review of two- and three-component phase diagrams. Comparison between metallic solids and ceramic materials.
Defects and mechanical properties. Comparison between metallic solids and ceramic materials.

Part 2 – Synthesis of inorganic materials

Introduction: Ceramic materials as reagents and as products.

Synthesis of solids from melt and solution:

• Crystallization, TTT diagrams

• Oxide-based glasses

• Common techniques for crystallization from solution

• Solvothermal processes

• Sol-gel techniques

Formation of solids from gas phase:

• CVT (Chemical Vapor Transport)

• CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition)

• Gas-phase synthesis

Solid-state processes:

• Reactions between solids

• Solid-gas reactions

• Ceramic processes

• (Intercalation reactions)

• Nanomaterials (overview)

CLASSROOM EXERCISES

Scientific literature.
Literature on superconductor, perovskite, scheelite experiments.
Literature on ferrofluids and liquid crystals experiments.
Discussion of X-ray results (data collected by tutors) on  perovskites and scheelites obtained in the laboratory.
Discussion of results on superconductors and ferrofluids.
Laboratory reports: guidelines and writing (group work).

Laboratories – compulsory attendance

COMPUTER LAB

Students will be divided into two groups; each group will attend the computer lab for one afternoon.

The work will be carried out individually and will consist of using the Mercury software to:

1. Visualize and analyze the structures of the compounds to be prepared in the synthesis lab;

2. Produce simulated diffraction patterns to compare with the experimental patterns measured on samples produced in the synthesis lab.

SYNTHESIS LAB

Students will be divided into two groups; each group will perform five experiments. The experiments will be carried out in pairs.

The obtained solid compounds will be characterized by X-ray diffraction: patterns will be collected by the tutors, and students will have to analyze the resulting data.

Each pair — or up to three pairs — of students will write a report on two of the experiments carried out: one chosen by the instructor and one chosen by the group. The reports, in the form of a short scientific article, must be uploaded to the VLE at the end of the laboratories, by the deadline announced by the instructor in class and on VLE (usually by mid-December).

EXPERIMENT 1:
Solid-state synthesis of the luminescent material Scheelite CaWO₄, its analogue SrWO₄, and their solid solutions, and verification of fluorescence properties as a function of the cation and temperature.

EXPERIMENT 2:
Solution synthesis of a transition metal fluoride perovskite (Fe, Mn, Cu), followed by characterization using X-ray diffraction of microcrystalline powders.

EXPERIMENT 3:
Solution synthesis of a ferrofluid (various methods), and demonstration of its paramagnetic properties.

EXPERIMENT 4:
Synthesis of a superconductor.

EXPERIMENT 5:
Liquid crystals.

-------

Please note that:

“Activities in the chemical laboratory are part of the course. In order to participate in lab experiences, all students must have attended health and safety Modules 1 and 2 [e-learning mode at https://www.unibo.it/it/servizi-e-opportunita/salute-e-assistenza/salute-e-sicurezza/sicurezza-e-salute-nei-luoghi-di-studio-e-tirocinio] and Module 3 [in presence]. Information about Module 3 dates and locations will be published in the <Chimica and Chimica dei Materiali> website. “

Readings/Bibliography

Materials provided by the instructor

Slides from lectures (which serve as a reference point but NOT as study material) and selected chapters from reference texts will be uploaded to the VLE.

The uploaded chapters are to be used for exam preparation.
The books indicated as reference texts provide further in-depth information on topics covered in lectures and on topics only briefly mentioned.

Reference texts:

• Callister, Materials Science and Engineering, EDISES, paperback, second or third edition, or (this second text is an excerpt from the previous): Callister, Rethwisch, Materials for Civil and Industrial Engineering, EDISES, paperback.

• Synthesis of Inorganic Materials, 4th Edition, Ulrich S. Schubert, Nicola Hüsing, Wiley, ISBN: 978-3-527-34457-4

Teaching methods

Lectures, laboratory, classroom exercises (preparation for and follow-up on the laboratories).

Assessment methods

Students attending the course in the academic year 2025/2026 and who submit the laboratory reports by the deadline may take a partial exam in December, at the end of third-year lectures, on the theoretical part of the course (details will be provided in class).

The exam is normally written, and consists of three open-ended questions on theoretical topics from the course. Students who do not submit the reports by the deadline must answer a fourth question concerning laboratory topics.

Upon request, the exam can be oral and will follow the same structure.

Evaluation criteria: 

1. 10 points for the laboratory report. Criteria: clarity, appropriate use of scientific language, accuracy of content.

2. 20 points for the written (or oral) exam. Criteria: ability to structure the discussion, accuracy of content, scientific language, clarity of presentation.

At the instructor's discretion, honors (lode) may be awarded to students achieving a score of 30/30.

It is strongly recommended to take this exam after passing the Inorganic Chemistry exam.

NOTICE: In case the written exam is not legible, the instructor will email a scan to the student, who must then return a computer-typed copy (plain text in email or as a doc/pdf file).

Recording of grades:

1. Written exam. The exam grade is published on Almaesami, and the instructor will send a written notification. The grade can be rejected via email. The "silence = consent" rule applies. Three days after the publication on Almaesami, the instructor will record the grade.

2. Oral exam. The grade is recorded immediately, if possible, or within a maximum of two days.

Students who are registered for an exam session, but decide not to take it, must withdraw from the list or inform the instructor via email. Otherwise, they will be recorded as "withdrawn" for that session.

-----------------------------------

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

--------------------------------------

Teaching tools

powerpoint, blackboard, graphic softwares

Office hours

See the website of Fabrizia Grepioni