Structure of ceramics. Lattice defects. Thermodynamics of the glass transition. Kinetic theory. Phase diagrams. Structure of glass. Oxide and non-oxide glass. Melting process of glass. Crystallization of glass. Properties and applications of glass-ceramic materials. Rheological, mechanical and chemical properties of glass. Optical properties, color in glass and ceramic glazes. Manufacturing of ceramic and glass materials. Applications of ceramic and glass materials.
Understanding the main theoretical aspects of structural, mechanical, electrical and optical properties of glasses and ceramics. Basic knowledge to understand a scientific publication on glass and/or ceramic materials. Knowledge of technological and industrial features of these materials.
Prerequisites
Courses required: General and Inorganic Chemistry.
Courses recommended: Physical Chemistry I, Experimental Physics.
Teaching Methods
Total number of hours for lectures: 48.
Type of Assessment
The exam is oral and consists of two sessions distant in time by no more than six months. One session is related to the lectures by Chelli and Signorini, while the second session is related to the lectures by Baldi. The final result corresponds to the weighted average of the results obtained in the two sessions. The weights are 2/3 for the first session and 1/3 for the second one.
Course program
Teachers: Giovanni Baldi, Riccardo Chelli, Giorgio Federico Signorini
Module 1: CERAMIC MATERIALS AND GENERAL THEORY OF GLASS (R. Chelli)
Ceramics and crystals. Close packing structures. Stability of crystalline lattices. Pauling rules. Structure of ceramics. Lattice defects: intrinsic and extrinsic punctual defects, dislocations, superficial and volume defects. Principles of thermodynamics. Phase transitions. Thermodynamics of the glass transition. Kinetic theory of crystal and glass formation. Time-temperature-transformation diagrams. Phase diagrams for systems with one and two components. Gibbs phase rule. Lever rule. Eutectic and peritetic systems. Examples of complex phase diagrams.
Module 2: STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF GLASS SYSTEMS (G. F. Signorini)
Description of the glass structure: pair distribution function and other structural parameters. Experimental methods to study the structure of glass: scattering/diffraction based methods, introductory outline to NMR and vibrational spectroscopy. Computational methods to study the structure of glass: Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. Structural glass models: continuous random network, topological models (bonding models), random close packing. Structure of various glass types and relation between structure and properties. One-component oxide glass: silica and oxide boron glass. Oxide glass with lattice modifiers. Oxide glass with various lattice formers. Non-oxide glass: glass with dominant covalent character, metallic glass, mixed salt glass.
Module 3: TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CERAMICS AND GLASS MATERIALS (G. Baldi)
Melting process of glass and molten glass models. Liquid-liquid immiscibility. Crystallization of glass. Properties and applications of glass-ceramic materials. Rheological properties of glass: viscosity and its role on the glass production process. Mechanical properties of glass: strength, hardness and tenacity, mechanism of fracture. Optical properties and color, color in glass and ceramic glazes. Pigments and colors: from tradition to novel materials. Chemical properties: corrosion of glass, first and second stages of corrosion. Manufacturing of ceramic and glass materials, float process. Intelligent materials. Applications of traditional and novel ceramic and glass materials.