This course includes an on campus activity/ies. Check timetable for details. Contact course convener if you are unable to travel to Canberra.
This course is divided into two parts, the first is designed to develop an understanding of the structure and functionality of solid state materials. Topics to be covered include solid state, sol-gel and thin film synthesis, crystal chemistry, crystallography, ceramic processing and the relation between structure and function. The second is designed to develop an understanding of the structure, synthesis and properties of soft materials (i.e. polymers), and will include an overview of the different families of polymers, their structures, physical properties and uses. Also covered will be the various methods of polymer synthesis with an emphasis on how the synthetic methods used affect the resulting physical and chemical polymer properties, and the different methods of polymer characterisation and an examination of the associated physical properties they measure. The properties of some technologically important functional materials will be highlighted throughout this course.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:1. Explain and rationalise chemical bonding in the solid state and how structure affects the properties of materials.
2. Understand basic crystallographic and crystal chemical concepts such as unit cells, Bravais lattices, fractional coordinates, Miller indices, close packing, phase diagrams etc. and how to apply them in rationalising simple inorganic crystal structure types.
3. Understand concepts such as real and reciprocal space and explain how structure factor calculations and diffraction techniques can be used to determine atomic arrangements in crystals.
4. Synthesise crystalline materials via solid state reaction and understand the reaction dynamics of sol-gel and hydrothermal reaction processes and the use of such procedures to synthesise functional nanomaterials and thin films .
5. Explain and rationalise the physical properties of a range of functional materials including conductors, semi-conductors, insulators, dielectric, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and electro-optic materials etc
6. Describe the main families and subfamilies of polymers, their uses, structures and synthesis.
7. Explain how the various synthetic methods used, and their reaction kinetics, can dramatically alter the chemical and physical properties of polymers, and be able to predict simple properties like polymer molecular weight distributions based on knowledge of the reaction conditions.
8. Explain and rationalise the main physical properties of soft materials in terms of their dependence on polymer composition, molecular weight and microstructure.
9. Explain the principles of some of the key techniques used to characterise polymers.
Indicative Assessment
Assessment will be based on:• Mid-semester exam (37.5%; LO 1-5)
• Assignments/lab reports (25%; LO 1-9)
• Final exam (37.5%; LO 6-9)
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
65 hours of lectures, tutorials and laboratory classes and a further 65 hours of independent learningRequisite and Incompatibility
Preliminary Reading
George Odian, Principles of Polymerization, 4th Edition, Wiley, 2004; Bradley D. Fahlman, Materials Chemistry, 2nd Edition, Springer, 2011.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $4050 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $5760 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8656 | 27 Jul 2020 | 03 Aug 2020 | 31 Aug 2020 | 30 Oct 2020 | In Person | View |
