Module Code - Title:
PH6071
-
ADVANCED ANALYSIS OF MATERIALS 1
Year Last Offered:
2025/6
Hours Per Week:
Grading Type:
N
Prerequisite Modules:
Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
To give students an understanding of modern analytical techniques used in physical sciences and materials research.
To provide students with the foundational principles and a knowledge of applications and techniques for the analysis of materials and surfaces.
To enable students to select the most appropriate combination of techniques for solving problems.
To develop students analytical skills in solving problems in materials research.
This module will be taken by students on the Science and Engineering structured Ph.D. programmes, and will be provided to students of the national structured Ph.D. programme in Nano science and nanotechnology, MSc Advanced Engineering Materials, MSc in Applied Physics, and MSc Biomedical Device Materials.
Syllabus:
Microscopy: image formation, resolution, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM).
Diffraction and scattering: elastic and inelastic scattering, Bragg's law, the reciprocal lattice, Laue equations, x-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction in the transmission electron microscope (SAD). Scanning probe microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning tunnelling microscopy.
Spectroscopy: energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy; Thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry; Particle size analysis, porosimetry, surface area measurements.
Learning Outcomes:
Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
1) Demonstrate knowledge and competence within their own areas of materials science expertise.
2) Display a capacity for critical thinking within their materials related discipline.
3) Apply their discipline knowledge to bear on real world materials science problems and challenges.
4) Explain the fundamental principles of analytical techniques.
5) Defend the importance of the application of advanced analytical and characterisation techniques and of modern methods of measurement in materials and surface science.
6) Describe the basis and experimental observations of advanced characterisation techniques.
7) Demonstrate ability to combine and rationalise complementary data from different sources.
8) Perform computer analysis of materials characterisation techniques for structural analysis.
Affective (Attitudes and Values)
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
1) Demonstrate the appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of characterisation techniques for materials analysis across a range of length scales.
2) Discuss the relative merits of materials characterisation techniques to obtain structural or chemical analysis.
3) Justify usage of different techniques to analyse the structure and function of materials.
4) Discuss the image contrast mechanisms electron microscopy techniques.
Psychomotor (Physical Skills)
N/A
How the Module will be Taught and what will be the Learning Experiences of the Students:
Students will learn via interactive lectures, laboratory demonstrations, experiential tutorials and problem based private study. Use of analytical case studies from Faculty research activities will be utilised to incorporate recent developments in research. This is combined with a series of demonstrations on advanced analytical research equipment housed in the Bernal Institute.
The module will enable students to attain a high level of knowledge and competence in characterisation of the properties of materials and surfaces with a focus on real world applications. Which will enable them to be proactive in applying these techniques to research problems. Students will also be able to articulate what types of information they want from the techniques when interacting with technique specialists as well as communicate to non-experts the value the techniques can bring to resolving a research question.
Research Findings Incorporated in to the Syllabus (If Relevant):
Prime Texts:
David B. Williams and C. Barry Carter (2009)
Transmission Electron Microscopy, second edition
, Springer
Ray Egerton (2011)
Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy in the Electron Microscope, 3rd Edition
, Springer
P. W. Atkins, J. De Paula (2014)
Physical Chemistry 10th Edition
, W. H. Freeman
Surender Kumar Sharma, Dalip Singh Verma, Latif Ullah Khan, Shalendra Kumar, Sher Bahadar Khan (2018)
Handbook of Materials Characterization
, Springer International Publishing
G.A. Ozin (2015)
Nanochemistry: A Chemical Approach to Nanomaterials 2nd edition
, RSC Publishing
Other Relevant Texts:
J. Goldstein, D. E. Newbury, D. C. Joy, C. E. Lyman, P. Echlin, E. Lifshin, L. Sawyer, J.R. Michael (2003)
Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis
, Plenum Press
Jian Min Zuo and John C.H. Spence (2017)
Advanced Transmission Electron Microscopy: Imaging and Diffraction in Nanoscience
, Springer
Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:
MSAEMATFA - ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS
MSBDMATFA - BIOMEDICAL DEVICE MATERIALS
MSAPPHTFA - APPLIED PHYSICS
Semester(s) Module is Offered:
Autumn
Module Leader:
ehtsham.u.haq@ul.ie