MAT6514   Solid State Chemistry   (15 credits)

Description

This unit aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of the main groups of functional inorganic materials, their synthesis, structure, properties and uses for a wide variety of specific applications. Inorganic solids have many applications as both functional and structural materials because of their ability to exhibit a complete spectrum of electrical, magnetic, optical, thermal and multifunctional properties. This course follows on from the introductory courses MAT6664 and MAT6665. It extends structural chemistry to cover the most important crystal structures of inorganic materials, such as spinels, perovskites, fluorites and silicates and the various diffraction and spectroscopic techniques that may be used to characterise materials. Use and interpretation of phase diagrams is extended to cover ternary systems and phase transitions are introduced. Inorganic solids can have variable composition by ion substitutions and the strategies that are used to dope materials and modify their properties will be presented. Structure-composition-property relations for a range of inorganic materials will be discussed and an overview given of their electrical, magnetic and optical properties. Examples include: solid electrolytes, especially ß-alumina and yttria-stabilised zirconia, their structures, electrical properties and applications 

Reading List