Foundations of Materials Science

Objectives
The course aims to provide a fundamental understanding of materials’ structure, diffusion processes and phase diagrams. The course will provide an insight into the chemical and physical properties of the main classes of materials (metals, polymers, ceramics) and the relationships between microstructure and properties (in particular mechanical). The course will introduce basic concepts about rheology needed to understand additive manufacturing processes.

Topics
Materials structure
Defects and diffusion
Mechanical properties
Phase diagrams
Properties and structure of metals, polymers and ceramics
Rheology

Required Skills
Basics of inorganic and organic chemistry and of concepts related to differential calculus.

Course Modality and Verification of Learning
The classes will be given in hybrid (i.e., onsite and online) format. The teaching activity includes theoretical lessons and numerical exercises.
The results will be assessed through an oral (online if needed) examination. During the examination, the teachers can ask to solve simple numerical problems.