Chemistry of Materials
Course Overview
The degree in Chemistry of Materials is aimed to educate Chemists with solid expertise in design, synthesis, manipulation and use of Functional Materials for Manufacturing Industry, Energetics, Environment and Health.
In this perspective, the educational activities include:
- Methodologies of characterization and synthesis of Materials;
- Methodologies of characterization and modelling of the relevant physico-chemical properties;
- Methodologies of processing and modification techniques,with a particular focus on micro- and nanostructuring of materials.
The leading methodologies, above mentioned, have been selected looking at the most important manufacturing activities in the Italian and European context, with particular attention to the segment of microelectronics and optoelectronics, microsensing devices, photovoltaic equipments, as well as materials for Health, environmentally-sustainable techno-polymers, etc.
The educational structure of the degree, accordingly, focuses the attention on the advanced instrumental techniques of preparation, modification and diagnostic of materials, including state-of-art moduli on Laser Ablation and Synthesis, RF Plasma functionalization, Chemical Vapour Deposition deposition, and provides formation on the integration facts of specific materials in complex devices products. The laboratory classes cope this application-oriented approach, also taking profit of the Research laboratories of the Faculty Members involved in the Degree.
The student intake in the two-years degree of Chemistry of Materials is limited to 40 applicants at the 1st year, and, during the second year, the students run a dedicated period of experimental activity in a research laboratory, for no less than 22 weeks (i.e., 36 Credits), aimed to develop an original thesis, which is then defended in a final exams.
Educational Goals
The educational project of the degree of Chemistry of Materials is based on the clear fact that high quality research in the field of Functional Materials is the driving factor to boost innovation in a wide landscape of industrial goods in the sectors of higher technological and economical impact, as (among the others) the sectors of microelectronics and optoelectronics, sustainable energy, and health, including quickly growing areas as smartly performing biomaterials, intelligent scaffolds for tissue engineering and drug release.
We feel that providing a high formation degree, capable of equilibrating the basic scientific formation and the practical development of advanced technological skills, is a substantial component of the industry innovation effort of the highest importance for the advancement of the country. Within this framework, the aspects of development strategies of new materials as well as the acquisition of the modification technologies and the problems related to their integration in complex devices are mandatory to educate a Materials Chemist acquainted with state-of-art skills.
Accordingly, the Material Chemistry Degree will educate experts in the field of
- design, preparation and use of new materials, in view of their application properties
- modelling and simulation of the physico-chemical properties of functional materials in conditions of use
- processes and instrumental techniques to control the structure-properties relationships, with a specific attention to methods of micro- and nanostructuring.
The aspects directly linked to the above mentioned industrial sectors are privileged, thus involving dedicated formation to the technologies of production of microelectronic devices, microsensors, LED, OFET, micro and nanosystems (MEMS and NEMS), including also LAB-on-CHIP devices and “in-field” sensors for environmental and agricultural purposes, biomaterials, energetics, sustainable techno-polymers, etc... In the same view, a well-founded knowledge of advanced synthesis, diagnostic and processing methodologies is provided, covering the aspects of theoretical modelling, of syntheses and deposition of functional materials, processing methodologies of techno-polymers, etc.
The degree involves a total numer of 11 exams, 2 being obtained with courses chosen freely by the students. The final exams is based on a period of guided research in Laboratory, holding 36 CFU, with the possibility to run the Thesis activity in share with academic and industrial Laboratories. A number of specific conventions exist with local Companies active in the sector of microelectronics, techno-polymers and devices for ophtalmology, etc. The final thesis is evaluated at the end of the period of laboratory activity as a critical element to be awarded the final graduation in Chemistry of Materials.
Job Opportunities
- Chemist and related professional activities
- Researcher of R&D industrial depts. and Graduated technician operating complex equipments
- Quality manager in industry
- Safety manager in industry
