73512 - Materials Chemistry M

Learning outcomes

This course is intended to provide (engineering students) with a good comprehension of the principles of chemistry and shows how they apply in describing the behaviour of the solid state. A relationship between electronic structure, chemical bonding, and crystal structure is developed.

Course contents

Amorphous and crystalline solids. Symmetry; the main symmetry elements. Lattices; unit cell; Bravais lattices. Miller indices for planes and lattice directions.
Review on packing of atoms, close-packed structures. ionic crystals and their main structures (rocksalt, fluorite, blende, wurtzite, rutile, ReO3; mixed oxides: perosvkite and spinels). Silicates.

Bonding in solids. Ionic solids; the role of ion size; Shannon-Prewitt model for ions. Transition metal compounds and non-bonding electron effects. Crystal field theory. Band model for metals and semiconductors.

Crystal defects and non-stoichiometry. Role of point defects in diffusion in solids. Ionic conductivity. Some important solid state electrolytes for batteries and fuel cells.

Catalysts for polymer production: radical initiators, Ziegler-Natta and metallocene catalyst in polyolefin production. Branching in polyethylenes: origin and influence on polymer properties. Catalysts for step-growth polymerization: transition metals in polyester production.

Biobased and/or biodegradable polymers: production, properties and main applications.

Carbon based materials: conducting polymers, structure and properties. Polymer electrolyte for Li batteries. Proton conducting polymers for fuel cells electrolytes. Fullerenes and fullerides, synthesis and properties. Carbon nanotubes, graphene and their application in polymer nanocomposites. 

Layered solids: layered double hydroxides, clays and their modification to improve the compatibility with polymers. Preparation of polymer nanocomposites using organoclays. Flame retardant properties of LDH and organoclay based polymer nanocomposites.

Readings/Bibliography

C. E. Carraher, Polymer Chemistry, 9th ed. CRC Press (2010)

B. D. Fahlman "Materials Chemistry" 2nd ed, Springer (2011)

A. R. West " Solid State Chemistry and its Applications" 2nd ed. Wiley (2014)

Teaching methods

Learning objectives are defined on a weekly base. Several innovative topics are better focused on by reading papers published on scientific journals

Assessment methods

Writtent test at the end of the course

Office hours

See the website of Maurizio Fiorini