Ateneo - UPO

Definition of material, material classes, and introduction to the compositional, morphological, and structural characteristics of materials. Analysis of the main classes of structural and functional inorganic materials: metals (with a focus on the production of ferrous alloys, copper alloys, and lightweight alloys), traditional and advanced ceramics, glasses, refractories, preparation methods, and their application characteristics. Visits to companies and research centers in the materials sector.

W.D. Callister, “Scienza e ingegneria dei materiali, un’introduzione” – EDISES. Slides and notes provided by the teacher

The course aims to develop basic knowledge of the most common materials, the chemical aspects of production and usage processes, properties, applications, and environmental impact to develop skills that can be useful in the industrial context, analytical skills and a critical approach regarding sustainability, the assessment and reduction of energy and environmental impacts, and the processes of recovery, reuse, valorization, and the circular economy in the context of materials and their applications.

Attendance of the courses of Fundamentals of General Chemistry and Thermodynamics and Kinetics

Class lessons, visit of industrial sites, flipped classrooms, debates and case studies, seminars

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities

Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The exam is conducted in written form, with an exam paper consisting of two types of exercises/questions:
Text Completion Exercise. A text in English related to one of the course topics is provided, with blanks to be filled in with the correct terms. This exercise is accounted for a maximum of two points.
Open-Ended Questions. Seven open-ended questions are presented on the main topics covered in the course. At least one page of space is provided for the answer, which can be written in either English or Italian, at the student's choice. The requirement is to address the key aspects of the course (processes, composition, properties, applications) for different materials. For each question, the score awarded for the text, based on clarity, completeness, and thoroughness, can be up to 4 points. An additional 0.5 points are awarded for the use of each of the following formalisms: i) tables, ii) diagrams, iii) chemical structures, iv) reactions.
The total score from each open-ended question cannot exceed 6 points over 30.
The final mark is the sum of all the resulting scores for every question/item. Cum laude is obtained with a score of 33/30.

The purpose of the exam is to assess the following competencies, which derive from specific knowledge and skills:
Terminological Linguistic Competence: Description in English of a preparation process and the characteristics of a material, through knowledge of technical-scientific terms and the ability to understand the meaning of the text.
Descriptive Linguistic Competence: Drafting a text in English/Italian based on knowledge of the key aspects of various material preparation and production processes, raw materials, reactions, products and by-products, and the characteristics and properties of inorganic materials, using argumentation and description skills for chemical transformations, and connections with energetic, environmental, and sustainability aspects.
Schematization and Representation Competence: This competence will be evaluated through the inclusion of tables, graphs, diagrams, reactions, and structures. It is based on qualitative-quantitative knowledge of the topics and data representation tools typical of the scientific context, and the ability to correctly use these tools to support textual description.

Introduction, structural materials, and functional materials. Feedstocks and resources, general aspects on minerals of industrial interest and mining. Examples. Production and processing processes, properties, and applications of metallic materials such as iron, copper, bronzes and brasses, aluminum, magnesium, titanium. Glasses. Traditional and advanced ceramic materials. Refractories. Bascis of functional materials (superconductors, magnetic materials, dielectrics, piezoelectrics, pyroelectrics, etc.).For each topic, the conventional and historically and technologically consolidated processes and the innovative alternatives aimed at mitigating the energy and environmental impact according to the paradigms of green chemistry will be analysed.

Knowledge of industrial production and research and development processes based on Materials Chemistry and Materials Science. Ability to connect theoretical and applied aspects, to identify and assess different types of environmental impact sources and mitigation strategies, and effectively present acquired knowledge using graphical and methodological tools typical of the scientific context.