Graduate Courses
(F=Fall, S=Spring, in parenthesis is number of credits)
CORE COURSES (these are taken by most students)
16:635:513 (F) Mechanical Behavior of Materials I (3)
Mechanical behavior and properties of a diverse range of materials, emphasizing fracture, microstructure, and environment. Differences in plastic behavior and elastic behaviors related to creep, wear resistance, and hardness.
16:635:527 (F) Thermodynamics of Materials Systems (3)
Emphasis on special thermodynamic considerations for oxides and nonoxides: chemical thermodynamics; solution thermodynamics; and thermodynamics related to phase diagrams, surfaces, and point defects.
16:635:503 (S) Theory of Solid-State Materials (3)
Dispersion theory: Theory of linear dielectrics, the classical theory of electrical conduction, equivalent circuits, and plasma oscillations;
Elements of Quantum Mechanics: Electrical conduction in solids, quantum mechanical oscillator, tunneling phenomena, band theory of solids;
Elements of Statistical Mechanics: Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, and Fermi-Direct statistics, Bose-Einstein condensation.
Superconductivity: Thermodynamics of superconductivity, London-London Theory, Landau-Ginzburg Theory.
Ferroelectricity (time permitting): Thermodynamics of nonlinear dielectrics, Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory of ferroelectricity.
16:635:532 (S) Kinetics of Materials Systems (3)
Diffusion in solids. Solutions to Fick's first and second laws under important boundary conditions. Ionic diffusion. Diffusion applied to sintering. Solid-state reaction kinetics. Nucleation, crystal growth, and precipitation. Prerequisite: Differential equations.
ELECTIVE COURSES
The following is a complete list of graduate level elective courses that are offered in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Not all courses will be offered each semester. Please check the course catalog for the current offerings.
16:635:501 (F) Advanced Powder Processing I (3)
Examination and comparison of classical and high-technology processing systems using chemical thermodynamics and kinetics; understanding the approaches for chemically synthesizing ceramic material, co-precipitation, sol-gel processing, hydrothermal synthesis, plasma, and CVD. Prerequisite: 16:635:531.
16:635:502 (F) Advanced Powder Processing II (3)
Microstructure development: powder; consolidation behavior; and sintering process, including thermodynamics compared with kinetics, and solid state compared with liquid phase or reactive densification.
16:635:504 (F) Structural Defects in Solids (3)
Atomistic aspects of defects in solids, including point defects, dislocations, and grain boundaries; nature of partial dislocations; grain boundary dislocation interactions; grain boundary migration and segregation phenomena; nature of interfaces. Prerequisite: 16:635:551 or equivalent.
16:635:505 (F) Advanced Optical Materials (3)
Advanced topics in glass science and engineering. Major emphasis on the structure and transport properties of oxide and selected non-oxide glasses. Detailed discussion of glass structure, structural modeling, and the relationship between structure and properties.
16:635:506 (S) Advanced Glass II (3)
The first part of the course discusses the fundamentals of glass science, for example, volume–temperature diagram, batch components and calculations, structural theories of glass formation, phase separation and crystallization, etc. In the second part, these fundamentals are used as the foundation to understand the design of functional glasses for technological applications, for example, Gorilla Glass (the screen of iPhone), window glass, optical fibers, glass–to–metal/ceramic sealants, artificial teeth, bioactive glasses, and nuclear waste glasses.
16:635:508 Advanced Ceramic-Metal Systems (3)
Physical and chemical principles of interactions between metals and ceramic materials. Solid, liquid, and interfacial energies. The effect of microstructure in cermet bodies and its relationship to the exhibited properties. Practical systems such as oxide base cermets, carbides, and composite materials.
16:635:509 (F) Advanced Electronic Materials(3)
Electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of materials based on their electronic structure, defect chemistry, and transport processes.
16:635:510 (S) Physical Properties of Crystals (3)
Physical properties of crystals in tensor notation. What tensors are and how they are used. Common mathematical basis of tensor properties; thermodynamic relations among them.
16:635:511 Thermal Analysis of Materials (3)
Description of equipment used for differential thermal analysis (DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Calibration techniques. Interpretation of results. Relationships among sample thermal properties, particle size, sample size, crucible materials, heating rates, and atmospheres. Lehman. Course offered in alternate years.
16:635:512 (S) Advanced Optical Microscopy (3)
Use of optical microscopy for the study of microstructures. Advanced techniques, including image analysis for studying both polished sections and thin sections. Techniques in photomicroscopy with application to a particular problem of interest to each student. Prerequisite: 14:635:407.
16:635:514 (S) Mechanical Behavior of Materials II (3)
In-depth usage of advanced topics concerned with mechanical properties of materials, including thin films, fibers, and stress effects on properties. Prerequisite: 16:635:513.
16:635:515 (F) Properties of Optical Materials (3)
Waveguide propagation starting with Maxwell's equations, slab and cylindrical waveguides, active waveguides, fiber laser materials and configurations, infrared fiber waveguides, optical power delivery, fiber-optic sensors. Prerequisites: 16:635:505, 506.
16:635:516 (S) Molecular Behavior of Glasses (3)
Atomic structure and properties of non-crystalline solids. Molecular mechanisms of macroscopic behavior. Topics include nature of the glass transition, structure/composition relations in oxide glasses, diffusion, and glass surfaces and interfaces. Prerequisites: Glass engineering or equivalent and 16:635:505, 506.
16:635:517 (F) Advanced Refractories (3)
Role of the phase equilibria and microstructure in the corrosion of refractories. Stability and behavior in selected environments, including ferrous and nonferrous metals, glass, and advanced energy systems.
16:635:520 (S) X-Ray and Spectrographic Methods in Materials (3)
Principles, operation, and application: X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, analytical electron microscopy, microprobe analysis, high-temperature X-ray image and backscatter electron analysis, qualitative diffraction, and quantitative chemical and phase analysis.
16:635:521 (S) X-Ray and Spectroscopic Methods Laboratory (1)
Qualitative and quantitative chemical and phase analysis by X-ray fluorescence and diffraction methods, automated diffractometry, microanalysis and image analysis, strain and particle size determination, and sample preparation techniques, including random sampling. Co-requisite: 16:635:520.
16:635:522 (F) Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Microanalysis (3)
Principles, operation, and application of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis: electron optics; instrumental and signal resolution; qualitative and quantitative chemical microanalysis; image processing.
16:635:523 (F) Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Microanalysis Laboratory (1)
Operation of the scanning electron microscope: secondary, backscatter, and specimen current images; elemental distribution by line scans and mapping and quantitation by X-ray fluorescence; electronic-image enhancement; stereoscopy; preparation of inorganic and organic samples. Co-requisite: 16:635:522.
16:635:524 (S) Advanced Materials Characterization (3)
Instrumental techniques for characterization of materials and the study of processing and properties, including absorption and emission spectroscopy, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, XPS scanning Auger microscopy, and neutron scattering. Undergraduate prerequisites: 14:635:309, 359.
16:635:525 (F) Properties of Materials Surfaces (3)
Surface structure of oxide and non-oxide materials, absorption, surface diffusion, and thin films.
16:635:526 (S) Crystal Chemistry of Materials (3)
Relationship of structure to composition, temperature, and pressure. Importance of ionic radii, charge, and polarizability in determining structure. Study of families of compounds, compound formation, and phase transitions.
16:635:528 (S) Modern Electrochemistry and Electrochemical Materials Science (3)
Electrochemistry and electrochemical materials science of advanced batteries, fuel cells, and sensors for industrial, environmental, and biomedical applications. Electrochemical methods and techniques.
16:635:529 (F) Introduction to the Fundamentals of Applied Colloid and Surface Chemistry (3)
Colloid or surface chemistry in solvent-based systems; characterization of colloid systems using direct and indirect methods. Thermodynamic treatments of surfaces, adsorption, and charged interfaces. Structural models incorporating neutral and charged adsorbates; various means of stabilizing and destabilizing colloids.
16:635:532 (S) Kinetics of Materials Systems (3)
Diffusion in solids. Solutions to Fick's first and second laws under important boundary conditions. Ionic diffusion. Diffusion applied to sintering. Solid-state reaction kinetics. Nucleation, crystal growth, and precipitation. Prerequisite: Differential equations.
16:635:551 (F) Physical Metallurgy (3)
Crystal structure of metals and nature of bonding; free energy and phase diagrams; defect structure and relationship to mechanical properties; phase transformations and hardening mechanisms; recovery and recrystallization processes.
16:635:552 (S) Phase Transformations in Metal and Alloys (3)
Thermodynamics and phase diagrams. Solid solutions. Ordered phases. Coherent, semicoherent, and incoherent precipitates. Diffusion-controlled and interface-controlled growth. Nucleation and growth theories. Overall transformation kinetics. Precipitation. Diffusionless transformations. Prerequisite: 16:635:551 or equivalent.
16:635:553 (F) Mechanical Behavior of Metals (3)
Response of metals to applied forces from both macroscopic and microscopic points of view. Crystal defect structures as they relate to plastic flow and the onset of fracture. Case studies of metal deformation and fracture, including fatigue, creep, environmentally assisted fracture, and wear. Prerequisite: 16:635:551.
16:635:561 (F) Materials Science Laboratory (3)
Use of instrumentation in the modern analysis laboratory, such as X-ray diffractometers, creep machines, and torsional pendulum. Computer-controlled data acquisition, noise reduction, and curve-fitting methods. Prerequisite: Previous computer experience.
16:635:563 (F) Elementary X-Ray Diffraction (4)
Principles of atomic arrangements; X-ray diffraction by real crystals and elucidation of structure-sensitive properties; identification of unknown substances, phase analysis, X-ray topographic methods, and special methods to characterize defect structures of materials.
16:635:564 (S) Advanced Diffraction Analysis (3)
Application of Fourier transform and convolution methods to diffraction of amorphous and crystalline materials; elucidation of lattice defects and correlation to properties of materials, dynamical theory, and application in materials science. Prerequisite: 16:635:563.
16:635:566 (F) Electron Microscopy (3)
Nature of the electron microscope; techniques of specimen preparation; theory of electron diffraction; diffraction patterns; application to crystal structure; crystal morphology and defects in various engineering materials.
16:635:567 (F) Electron Microscopy Laboratory (1)
Techniques of electron microscopy and application to structure and defect structure of materials. Corequisite: 16:635:566.
16:635:568 (F) Advanced Electron Microscopy (3)
Principles and aspects of dynamical theory. Weak-beam analysis. High-resolution imaging. Convergent-beam diffraction. Scanning transmission and analytical microscopy. Description and application of specialized microscopy techniques to materials problems, including metals, ceramics, and polymers. Prerequisites: 16:635:566, 567, or equivalent.
16:635:569 (F) Quantitative Metallography (3)
Theory and practice of stereological aspects of quantitative analysis of microstructures observed in alloy, ceramic, polymeric, histological, and other materials. Determination of three-dimensional properties of microstructures by means of measurements of two-dimensional sections, transmission, or scanning electron micrographs.
16:635:595 Structural Transformations in Solids (3)
Crystallography of phase transformations. Stability of homogeneous solutions. Static concentration wave theory. Decomposition in alloys. Spinodal decomposition. Elastic coherency strain. Morphology of single coherent inclusions. Prerequisites: 16:635:551, 552.
16:635:596 Advanced Topics in Materials (3)
Diffusional transformations in crystalline materials. Ordering. Symmetry and long-range order. Symmetry and thermodynamics. Nonstoichiometry and ordering in various systems. Diffusional kinetics. Elementary atomic processes in diffusion. Diffusionless (displacive) transformations. Crystallography of crystal lattice rearrangement. Crystal lattice coherency. Habit plane and orientation relationships. Orientation relations. Shape-memory effect. Ferroelectric and ferroelastic transitions. Striction. Transformation-induced strain and strain-accommodating structures. Applications to ferroelectric and ferroelastic systems and to metal alloys. Pre- or corequisites: 16:635:551, 552, or equivalent.
16:635:597,598 (F,S) Case Studies in Manufacturing (3,3)
Students work in groups to research problems and present reports. Students solve an actual industrial manufacturing problem in collaboration with a local industrial company.
16:635:601,602 Materials Seminar (1,1)
Current areas of research studied and discussed.