Graduate Courses and Descriptions

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. 

Credits: 3

Emphasis on special thermodynamic considerations for oxides and nonoxides: chemical thermodynamics; solution thermodynamics; and thermodynamics related to phase diagrams, surfaces, and point defects.  

Credits: 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. 

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 3

Microstructure development: powder; consolidation behavior; and sintering process, including thermodynamics compared with kinetics, and solid state compared with liquid phase or reactive densification.  

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.  

Credits: 3

Electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of materials based on their electronic structure, defect chemistry, and transport processes.  

Credits: 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.  

Credits: 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.  

Credits: 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.

Credits: 3

In-depth usage of advanced topics concerned with mechanical properties of materials, including thin films, fibers, and stress effects on properties.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 3

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.

Credits: 1

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.  

Credits: 3

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.

Credit: 1

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.

Credits: 3

Surface structure of oxide and non-oxide materials, absorption, surface diffusion, and thin films.  

Credits: 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.  

Credits: 3

Electrochemistry and electrochemical materials science of advanced batteries, fuel cells, and sensors for industrial, environmental, and biomedical applications. Electrochemical methods and techniques.  

Credits: 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.  

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.  

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 3

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.  

Credits: 4

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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 3

Techniques of electron microscopy and application to structure and defect structure of materials.

Credit: 1

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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.

Credits: 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.  

Credits: 3

Current areas of research studied and discussed.

Credit: 1