MATSE 400 - Crystal Chemistry

Description:

This course is an introduction to the principles of crystal chemistry and its use in describing structure-property relations in solids. The principles that govern assembly of crystal and glass structures are described, models of many of the technologically important crystal structures are built, and the impact of structure on the various fundamental mechanisms responsible for many physical properties are discussed.

Course Objectives:

To identify important raw materials and minerals as well as their names and chemical formulas.
To describe the crystal structure of important materials and to be able to build their atomic models.
To learn the systematics of crystal and glass chemistry.
To understand how physical and chemical properties are related to crystal structure and microstructure.
To appreciate the engineering significance of these ideas and how they relate to industrial products: past, present, and future.

Outline:

LECTURE 1 - Chemical bonding and electronegativity

LAB 1 - Rocksalt and fluorite structures

LECTURE 2 - Hardness, melting points, and boiling points

LAB 2 - Diamond, zincblende, and wurtzite structures

LECTURE 3 - Crystal systems

LECTURE 4 - Theoretical density

LAB 3 - Metal structures: FCC, HCP, BCC

LECTURE 5 - Miller indices and zone axes

LECTURE 6 - Morphology and crystal growth

LAB 4 - Molecular crystals

LECTURE 7 - Mechanical properties: cleavage and slip

LECTURE 8 - Surface properties: wetting and etching

LAB 5 - Polymers

LECTURE 9 - Symmetry elements and point groups

LECTURE 10 - Neumann’s law and tensor properties

LAB 6 - Rutile, graphite, and boron nitride

LECTURE 11 - Bond lengths and atomic radii

LECTURE 12 - Ionic radii: trends and relationships

LAB 7 - Brucite and corundum structures

LECTURE 13 - Pauling’s Rules for ionic structures

LECTURE 14 - Prediction of structure for crystals and glasses

LAB 8 - Classification of silicate structures

LECTURE 15 - Zachariasen’s Rules and structure of glass

LECTURE 16 - Phase diagrams and crystal chemistry

LAB 9 - Structure of layer silicates

LECTURE 17 - Types of solid solutions

LECTURE 18 - Phase transformations and structure

LAB 10 - Silica phases and stuffed derivatives

LECTURE 19 - Structure changes with temperature and pressure

LECTURE 20 - Defect chemistry

LECTURE 21 - Thermal expansion and structure

LECTURE 22 - Specific heat, thermal conductivity, and structure

LAB 11 - Feldspars and beryl structures

LECTURE 23 - Diffusion and ionic conductivity

LECTURE 24 - Refractive index and birefringence

LAB 12 - Calcite and perovskite structures

LECTURE 25 - Color, absorption, fluorescence, and structure

LECTURE 26 - Dielectrics and ferroelectricity

LAB 13 - Spinel and dislocations

LECTURE 27 - Magnetism and structure

LECTURE 28 - Elasticity and structure

LAB 14 - Lead oxide, borax and silicon nitride structures

Course Outcomes:

Students should be able to write and balance chemical formulae for commercially important raw and engineered materials.
Students should be able to build important crystal structures and understand the impact of bond length, coordination, and symmetry on the resultant physical properties.
Given an initial chemistry, students should be able to apply Pauling’s rules to determine anion and cation coordinations, and should be able to make intelligent suppositions about the resulting crystal structure. Similarly, on the basis of Zachariasen’s rules, students should be able to assess the likelihood of easy glass formation in a particular materials system.
Students should understand the rules governing the stability of crystal structures as a function of temperature, pressure, and composition changes.
Students should understand the basic mechanisms controlling a wide variety of physical properties, and should be able to correlate this information with crystal structures to predict materials properties.
Students should begin to understand how materials are chosen and designed for particular engineering applications.