Course Syllabus
Sustainable Development Goals
Aims
Describe and discuss relevant methods for the synthesis of functional inorganic and hybrid organic-inorganic materials, focusing on the choice of precursors and development of suitable process conditions in order to synthesize materials with the required composition, structure and physico-chemical properties.
Students will acquire basic knowledge about relevant advanced inorganic materials and their synthesis, including synthetic methods and physico-chemical and process parameters upon which the chemical procedures are based. This will enable the student to select approach, method and parameters best suited to fully control and optimise the synthesis of functional materials based on inorganic cores.
Contents
Synthesis of functional materials (films, fibers, amorphous and porous materials): solid-state reactions, synthesis of solids from the gas phase, synthesis of solids from melts and solutions at low and high temperature, sol-gel processes.
Detailed program
Synthesis of solid functional materials.
Solid-state reactions: ceramic method, carbothermal reduction, combustion synthesis, sintering, solid-gas reactions.
Synthesis of solids from the gas phase: Chemical Vapor Transport, aereosol processes.
Synthesis of solids from liquid phase: glasses, solvothermal and hydrothermal processes. Precipitation.
Sol-gel processes with alkoxysilanes. Synthesis of porous materials: hybrid organic-inorganic materials (polysiloxanes, polysilsesquioxanes)). Micro-, meso-, macroporisity. Ordered porosity by templating agents: synthesis of mesoporous silica.
Prerequisites
Chemistry of inorganic materials requires an interdisciplinary approach exploiting general and inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry (thermodynamics and chemical equilibria)
Teaching form
Lectures will be given in the classroom , supported by video projection of text, schemes, diagrams, pictures and movies.
Textbook and teaching resource
Recommended textbook:
Synthesis of inorganic materials - U. Schubert, N. Hüsing - (2019) - ebook
Reference textbooks:
Hybrid Materials: synthesis, characterization, applications, G. Kickelbick Ed.- (2007) - ebook
Functional hybrid materials - P. Gomez-Romero, C. Sanchez - (2004) - ebook
Sol-gel science: the physics and chemistry of sol-gel processing - C.J. Brinker, G.W. Scherer - (1990)- ebook Solid state chemistry. Compounds - Eds. A.K. Cheetham, P. Day - (1992)
(copies of the textbooks are available for lending from the university library)
Semester
First semester
Assessment method
The examination is performed through an oral exam to assesses if and to what extent the student has reached the course objectives, based on the capability and fluency during the interview to illustrate in a clear and sound way the topics delivered, together with selected case studies.
Office hours
On appoitment by email: barbara.dicredico@unimib.it