66943 - Applied Inorganic Chemistry

Academic Year 2025/2026

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Chemistry and Materials Chemistry (cod. 8006)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will have a general understanding of the importance of inorganic chemistry in today’s world. In particular, they will be familiar with the economic relevance, preparation methods, applications of the main inorganic compounds produced on an industrial scale.

Course contents

Module 1 – Advanced Inorganic Materials: General overview; Ceramics, glasses, and metal oxides: structure and properties; Perovskite compounds in optoelectronics and photonics; Synthetic approaches to inorganic nanomaterials.

Module 2 – Inorganic Compounds for Medicine: Antitumor agents (cisplatin), antimicrobial and diagnostic compounds; Imaging and theranostics with luminescent or radioactive metal complexes; Radiosensitizers.

Module 3 – Materials for Sustainable Energy: Photovoltaics, Batteries, Insulating Coatings.

Module 4 – Microelectronic Processes and Silicon Chemistry: Crystalline and Amorphous Silicon: Electronic, Structural and Optical Properties;Silicon Purification; Thin Film Technologies and Patterning; Lithography and Photolithography; Silicon Doping; thermal Oxidation and Controlled Growth of SiO₂; Surface Cleaning and Passivation;Chemical Approaches to Device Fabrication.

Module 5 – Applications of Silicon: Advanced Devices: Diodes, transistors, MOSFETs: structure, function, operating principles; Semiconductor sensors: gas, temperature, pressure; MEMS devices; Silicon-based photovoltaics: monocrystalline, polycrystalline, thin film.

Module 6 – Lab-on-Chip Applications: Overview; Biosensors; Microarray devices; Devices for nucleic acid analysis; Silicon–biomaterial integration and frontiers of inorganic sensing.

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture notes will be made available by the teacher. For further study, the following references are recommended:

Miessler & Fischer – Chimica Inorganica (Pearson)

Weller et al. – Inorganic Chemistry (Oxford)

S. M. Sze, K. K. Ng – Physics of Semiconductor Devices (Wiley)

De Gruyter - Materials for Medical Application (Edited by Robert Heimann)


Teaching methods

Lectures in which the course topics are presented and discussed. Optional seminar with experts in the field of microelectronics or sensors

Assessment methods

At the end of the course, students will take an oral exam covering the topics addressed during the course.

Teaching tools

Video projector, PC, internet connections

Office hours

See the website of Sabrina Conoci