Spring 2024 - CHEM 449 D100

Special Topics in Materials Chemistry (3)

Optical Properties of Materials

Class Number: 3124

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 8 – Apr 12, 2024: Tue, Thu, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Apr 20, 2024
    Sat, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    CHEM 210, 260, 283 (or 284), and 12 units of upper division CHEM, all with a minimum grade of C-; or permission of the department.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Selected topics in materials chemistry not regularly covered in chemistry undergraduate course offerings. Topics may vary from year to year and may include (but are not limited to): materials with tunable optoelectronic properties, trace element analysis of materials using non-destructive techniques, materials with applications in producing and utilizing chemical energy.

COURSE DETAILS:

Topics covered will focus on the optical properties of materials and the underlying physical chemistry necessary to understand them at the quantum level. The properties of metals, semiconductors, plasmonic nanostructures, semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots), and organic semiconductors will be described. Key themes will include quantum and classical light absorption, solid state electronic structure (bands), vibrations of the crystal lattice (phonons), and the coupling between them.  

Concepts important to contemporary materials research will be discussed. Intermolecular forces and the self-assembly of thin film microstructures and nanostructures. Materials important to applications in optical and electronic devices. Descriptive/semiquantitative approach to processes and properties of solid state materials. Band structure, excited state coupling and energy transport. Quantum confinement, disordered systems.

Lecture Topics:

  • Intermolecular interactions in solution and solid state (pi stacking, hydrogen bonding, etc.)
  • Film formation in functional materials and their applications
  • Electronic structure of materials in 0,1,2, and 3 dimensions
  • Optical properties and excited state transport
  • Introduction to disordered semiconductors

Grading

  • Tests 70%
  • Presentation 30%

NOTES:

The minimum prerequisite for this topic of CHEM 449 is CHEM 282 (or 283). Students can contact the Undergraduate Advisor <chemadv@sfu.ca> with their student number for a prerequisite enrollment waiver if they are missing the other requirements.

For Students Taking Chem 849

Distinguishing features from CHEM 449:
Graduate students in CHEM 849 will be given additional reading assignments from the contemporary literature, additional questions on the examinations, and a higher degree of rigor and depth will be required during their presentations.

REQUIREMENTS:

None

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

None.

REQUIRED READING:

Selections of reading will be provided through Canvas.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

A grade of C- or better is required for all prerequisite courses.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html