Chemistry

Syllabous Introduction to solid state chemistry: properties and representation of crystal structures; defects in solids; diffusion and ion mobility; solid solutions. Preparative methods: ceramic methods (supported systems, oxide systems in controlled atmosphere, solid solutions); the sol-gel method; thin film deposition; CVD methods, MBE and ion sputtering. Solid state reactions: general principles, structural considerations, reaction time. X-ray diffraction. Production and absorption of X-rays. Elementary crystallography. Fundamental principles of X-ray diffraction and applications to polycrystalline materials. Interpretation of powder diffraction data: identification of crystalline phases, precision determination of lattice constants, crystallite-size determination from line broadening. Morphological and textural properties of inorganic systems. Basic principles for gas-solid interaction. Surface area and porosity: micro-, meso-and macro-porous materials. Determination of surface area: the B.E.T. method, apparatus and procedures. Reactivity in controlled atmosphere (in situ and in operando). Temperature programmed reduction (TPR), Temperature programmed desoption (TPD) methods. Spectroscopic techniques. Light-matter interaction: general principles. UV-visible spectroscopy applied to solids. Diffuse Reflectance spectroscopy: the Kubelka-Munk theory for diffuse reflectance and determination of UV-visible spectra of transition metal oxides. Tanabe-Sugano’s diagrams. Raman scattering: basic concepts and applications to the study of bulk and surface molecular structures of inorganic materials. IR spectroscopy applied to surface studies. Surface microscopy: Atomic force (AFM) and Scanning Tunneling (STM) microscopies: principles and applications to the study of innovative materials. Laboratory activities. Characterization of various types of materials by means of: i) X-ray diffraction; ii) measurement of specific surface area and porosimetry; iii) UV-vis spectroscopy (diffuse reflectance); iv) Raman scattering.

The Chemistry of Inorganic Materials course is in the Master Degree of Chemistry, in the first year, second semester. Some basic preliminary knowledge is indispensable, in particular those deriving from the three-year courses of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Physical Chemistry, such as the ability to describe the reactivity of functional groups, use of stoichiometry, kinetics and thermodynamics.

Educational material provided by the lecturer available on the course website

The frequency of teaching classes is not mandatory but recommended.

The achievement of the learning outcomes is ascertained with an oral exam, in which the student is asked to describe what has been learned in the course, also with examples. An ongoing evaluation is foreseen, not binding for the final exam, aimed at ascertaining the knowledge and skills characterizing the examination subjects. The exam aims to verify the level of knowledge and in-depth examination of the topics of the teaching program and the reasoning skills developed by the student. The evaluation is expressed in thirtieths (minimum grade 18/30, maximum mark 30/30 with honors). The evaluation consists of an oral test. The overall exam allows to verify the achievement of the objectives in terms of knowledge and skills acquired as well as communication skills. The timing of the exam will be at the end of the course and in the sessions provided by the CAD (June-July, September, January-February). The exam includes open-ended questions on the topics covered in the course, accompanied by examples. The answers are evaluated for completeness of content, ability to synthesize and links between the different themes developed during the course. The examples are useful to verify the ability to interpret the structure and reactivity of the macromolecules. In the assessment of the examination the determination of the final grade takes into account the following elements: the theoretical basis followed by the student for the exposure of the question, the ability to reason, the property of language, the clarity of exposition and critical ability. To pass the exam, the student must demonstrate that he has acquired sufficient knowledge of the topics concerning the topics of this course. To achieve the maximum score (30/30 cum laude), the student must demonstrate that he has acquired an excellent knowledge of all the topics covered during the course, being able to link them in a logical and coherent way, with a correlation capacity between the chemical structure and properties. Students will also be offered current topics from recent literature, to be developed and proposed as an oral exam.

The course is structured in frontal theoretical lectures with the illustration of numerous examples to demonstrate and apply the theoretical aspects exhibited. In particular, a total of 40 hours of frontal teaching (5 CFU) are planned to acquire the knowledge highlighted in the training objectives, together with 1 CFU (12 h) of experimental work. In order to develop the ability to apply knowledge, examples are provided, also taken from the recent literature, in order to stimulate students' critical skills in the field of new materials. The lessons are held weekly in the classroom, with two lessons each two hours, for a total of 4 hours per week and the exposure is done using the blackboard and / or slides on power-point. The frequency of teaching classes is not mandatory but recommended.

Introduction to solid state chemistry: properties and representation of crystal structures; defects in solids; diffusion and ion mobility; solid solutions. Preparative methods: ceramic methods (supported systems, oxide systems in controlled atmosphere, solid solutions); the sol-gel method; thin film deposition; CVD methods, MBE and ion sputtering. Solid state reactions: general principles, structural considerations, reaction time. X-ray diffraction. Production and absorption of X-rays. Elementary crystallography. Fundamental principles of X-ray diffraction and applications to polycrystalline materials. Interpretation of powder diffraction data: identification of crystalline phases, precision determination of lattice constants, crystallite-size determination from line broadening. Morphological and textural properties of inorganic systems. Basic principles for gas-solid interaction. Surface area and porosity: micro-, meso-and macro-porous materials. Determination of surface area: the B.E.T. method, apparatus and procedures. Reactivity in controlled atmosphere (in situ and in operando). Temperature programmed reduction (TPR), Temperature programmed desoption (TPD) methods. Spectroscopic techniques. Light-matter interaction: general principles. UV-visible spectroscopy applied to solids. Diffuse Reflectance spectroscopy: the Kubelka-Munk theory for diffuse reflectance and determination of UV-visible spectra of transition metal oxides. Tanabe-Sugano’s diagrams. Raman scattering: basic concepts and applications to the study of bulk and surface molecular structures of inorganic materials. IR spectroscopy applied to surface studies. Surface microscopy: Atomic force (AFM) and Scanning Tunneling (STM) microscopies: principles and applications to the study of innovative materials. Laboratory activities. Characterization of various types of materials by means of: i) X-ray diffraction; ii) measurement of specific surface area and porosimetry; iii) UV-vis spectroscopy (diffuse reflectance); iv) Raman scattering.

Bibliography A.R. West, "Solid State Chemistry and its applications", J. Wiley & Sons; L.E Smart, L.E. Moore, “Solid State Chemistry. An Introduction", Taylor & Francis; W. D. Callister, Jr. "Materials Science and Engineering - An Introduction" J. Wiley & Sons;

Voluntary classes attendance. Mandatory laboratory activities.

Oral examination aimed at ascertaining the knowledge and skills characterizing the examination subjects.

Face-to-face attendance. In-presence laboratory activity.