Entry requirements

Alternative 1: 120 credits with 60 credits in chemistry, including 10 credits in inorganic chemistry and 10 credits in physical chemistry. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.

Alternative 2: 120 credits with 75 credits in physics or chemistry, and 30 credits materials science. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• explain the principles of different methods for producing solid materials from solid phase, solution, melts, and gas phase
• explain the principles behind and the type of information that different characterisation techniques provide
• evaluate the strengths and limitations of a few synthesis and characterisation methods
• propose technical applications for materials produced by different synthesis methods
• critically analyse how and why the nature of chemical bonding in a material influences the synthetic pathway and the resulting material properties
• assess the suitability of different characterisation techniques for a particular material, perform the measurements and analyse the data
• evaluate suitable characterisation tools to determine material form, purity and properties
• propose synthesis and characterisation methodology for a particular application and critically evaluate the suitability of the different methodologies for the given application

Content

Solid state synthesis, solution based synthesis (co-precipitation, solvothermal, sol-gel, microwave synthesis), synthesis from the melt, combustion synthesis, thin films (PVD, CVD, sputtering), polymer synthesis. 

Scattering techniques (e.g. XRD, PDF), Spectroscopy (e.g. IR, Raman, XPS, UV-vis), Imaging (e.g. SEM, AFM, TEM), methods for studying materials properties such as electrochemical, mechanical and magnetic characterisation (e.g. SQUID, MOKE, NMR).

Instruction

Lectures, tutorials and laboratory work

Assessment

Written test corresponds to 6 credits. A pass in the laboratory course is also required and correspond to 4 credits.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.