This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2025-2026 (archived)
Module CHEM3051: Materials Chemistry
Department: Chemistry
CHEM3051: Materials Chemistry
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 3 | 20 | Available in 2025/2026 | Durham |
Pre-requisites
- Core Chemistry 2 (CHEM2012) AND Introduction to Materials Chemistry (CHEM1127)
Corequisites
- Core Chemistry 3 (CHEM3012) OR Bioactive Chemistry 3 (CHEM3211) OR Chemical Physics 3 (CHEM3411)
Excluded Combinations
Aims
- To apply chemical principles to the design and evaluation of materials with technological potential.
Content
- Structural characterisation of solids.
- Electronic structure of solids: theory and applications.
- Inorganic functional materials: structural properties; electronic properties.
- Organic materials.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- To use crystallographic concepts to describe and interpret crystal structures and to appreciate and use the fundamentals of diffraction theory.
- To describe the electronic structure of solids in terms of band theory and use this theory to explain the electrical properties of insulators, semiconductors and metals; explain the origin of electronic, magnetic, optical and thermal properties of solids.
- To appreciate and describe structural features of non-stoichiometric compounds, interstitial compounds, intercalates, high temperature superconductors and zeolites; relate these structures to specific chemical, electrical, optical and magnetic properties.;
- To explain the role that organic synthetic methods play in the synthesis of unconventional and novel molecules.;
- To describe the functional groups required in a molecule to obtain specific opto-electrical properties and explain the requirements for speciality polymers.
Subject-specific Skills
- Perform simple calculations related to the structures and properties of the types of materials discussed.
Key Skills
- Demonstrate enhanced problem-solving and confidence when interpreting experimental data, based on feedback provided verbally, in workshops and in feedback lectures.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- At the end of Michaelmas and Epiphany Terms, students will be given a formative self-assessed problem-solving assignment evaluating experimental or theoretical data about a material or system of interest. Each assignment has a feedback session.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 34 | 2 per week | 1 hour | 34 | |
| Workshops | 5 | 2 in Term 1 and 3 in Term 2 | 2 hours | 10 | Yes |
| Feedback Sessions | 2 | 1 in Term 2 and 1 in Term 3 | 1 hour | 2 | |
| Preparation and Reading | 154 | ||||
| Total | 200 | ||||
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 100% | On Campus Written Examination | 2 hours | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Set work in preparation for workshops. Assignments.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.