OVERVIEW

The course is dedicated to the physical chemistry of materials with a particular focus on X-ray diffraction and structure-property correlation.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching aims to provide students with the fundamental elements needed to understand solid-state physical chemistry. In particular, it will reinforce their knowledge of the theoretical principles of diffraction through practical experiences involving the use of specific crystallographic software. Additionally, correlations between the structural and electronic properties of materials will be discussed.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at using the concepts of physical chemistry of materials to analyze and classify the structure and understand the properties of selected classes of compounds. At the end of the lessons the student will have acquired the theoretical knowledge and practical skills useful for the structural characterization of materials; in particular, he/she will be able to apply techniques for phase identification and structural refinement.

He/she will also be able to relate the structural properties to the electronic properties, discussing the case studies presented during the lessons.

PREREQUISITES

Basi knowledge on Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching is delivered in traditional way, through lectures and practical exercises conducted in the classroom. Usually, guided exercises involve the entire class, while practical exercises, being more complex, are proposed to groups of students in different shifts, also based on the actual number of students in the class.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course is worth 8 CFU, corresponding to 200 hours of total study, divided as follows: 48 hours of classroom lessons, 20 hours of classroom exercises/practices, 132 hours of individual study by students. Classroom exercises and more complex exercises on some topics are planned through the use of specific calculation programs.
The index of the topics covered is:
1) Introduction to solid state physical chemistry with reminders of quantum mechanics and statistical thermodynamics;
1) Elements of  crystallography: symmetry elements, lattices, point groups, space groups, use of the International Crystallography Tables;
2) Diffraction theory, Laue equations and Bragg's law, atomic scattering factor, structure factor, diffracted intensities;
3) Crystallographic analysis methods based on modern diffraction techniques (RX, neutrons, synchrotron). Analysis and interpretation of diffraction data from polycrystalline samples using indexing methods, resolution methods (hints), and structural refinement with the Rietveld method;
5) Electronic properties of solids
6) Case studies on the correlation between structure and properties

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

In addition to the lecture material, available on Aulaweb, the following texts are recommended:
• C. Giacovazzo, H.L. Monaco, G. Artioli, D. Viterbo, G. Ferraris, G. Gilli, G. Zanotti, M. Catti “Fundamentals of Crystallography” Ed. C. Giacovazzo
• V. K. Pecharsky, P. Y. Zavalij “Fundamentals of powder diffraction and structural characterization of materials” Kluwer Academic Press
• International Tables of Crystallography Vols.1-4
• A.R. West - Solid State Chemistry and its Applications - 2014 (second edition) Wiley

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

In line with what reported in the Manifesto, the expected start of lessons is from 09/15/2025.

The lesson calendar is available on the page https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam is usually oral. The exam commission is composed of at least two teachers.

To ascertain the actual preparation of the student and the understanding of the subject, during the exam the student will have to answer questions on both the theoretical and practical part, with specific reference to the exercises/practices carried out during the lessons.
For students with disabilities or with DSA, please refer to the Further Information section.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

In addition to the student's ability to frame/present a topic in a general context, his/her reasoning ability and his/her ability to answer specific questions are evaluated. Passing the exam presupposes the actual acquisition of theoretical concepts; in particular, the student must demonstrate that he/she has correctly understood the meaning of certain physical and/or chemical-physical laws and that he/she is able to give the correct interpretation of the reason why certain phenomena occur.

The evaluation takes into account the student's ability to use appropriate technical-scientific terminology combined with the coherence of the presentation of concepts. The ability to apply theoretical knowledge in real situations or to solve simple problems is also positively evaluated.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Any Student with documented Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), or with any special needs, shall reach out to the Lecturer(s) and to the dedicated SLD Representative in the Department before class begins, in order to liase and arrange the specific teaching methods and ensure proper achievement of the learning aims and outcomes.

More details can be found at the link:

ADVANCED MATERIALS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 11967 | Studenti con disabilità e/o DSA | UniGe | Università di Genova | Corsi di Studio UniGe