The milk we drink in the morning (a colloidal dispersion), the gel we put into our hair (a polymer network), and the plaque that we try to scrub off our teeth (a biofilm) are all familiar examples of soft or "squishy" materials. Such materials also hold great promise in helping to solve engineering challenges such as water remediation, therapeutic development/delivery, and the development of new coatings, displays, formulations, foods, and biomaterials. This class covers fundamental aspects of the science of soft materials, presented within the context of these challenges, with guest speakers to describe new applications of soft materials.

This course provides an graduate-level introduction to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics relevant to problems in biological, chemical, and materials science and engineering. Topics include: thermodynamic laws and transformations; microstates, macrostates, partition functions, and statistical ensembles; equilibrium, stability, and response of multicomponent systems; phase transitions; fluctuations; structure of classical fluids; viral expansion; computer simulation methods. Applications include polymer elasticity and phase separation, electrolytes, colloidal suspensions, protein folding, surface adsorption, crystal melting, magnets.

Amorphous polymers, including modulus-temperature behavior, and mechanical and dielectric measurements; crystallization and crystalline polymers, including X-ray diffraction; physics of other multiphase and multicomponent polymers, especially block and segmented copolymers, and including ionomers and polymer blends.

This class acquaints the student with the state-of-art concepts and algorithms to design and analyze origami systems (assemblies, structures, tessellations, etc). Students will learn how to understand, create and transform geometries by folding and unfolding concepts, and thus apply origami concepts to solve engineering and societal problems. In addition, using origami as a tool, we will outreach to some fundamental concepts in differential geometry.

This course presents the Matrix Structural Analysis (MSA) and Finite Element Methods (FEM) in a cohesive framework. The first half of the semester is devoted to MSA topics: derivation of truss, beam and frame elements; assembly and partitioning of the global stiffness matrix; and equivalent nodal loads. The second half covers the following FEM topics: strong and weak forms of boundary value problems including steady-state heat conduction, and linear elasticity, Galerkin approximations, constant strain triangle, isoparametric quads. Modern topics, such as polygonal elements, will be introduced. MATLAB is used for computer assignments.

This class acquaints the student with the state-of-art concepts and algorithms to design and analyze origami systems (assemblies, structures, tessellations, etc). Students learn how to understand, create and transform geometries by folding and unfolding concepts, and thus apply origami concepts to solve engineering and societal problems. In addition, using origami as a tool, we outreach to some fundamental concepts in differential geometry.

Prediction of the structure and properties of equilibrium and nonequilibrium states of matter. Topics include Gibbs ensembles; microscopic basis of thermodynamics; Boltzmann statistics; ideal gases; Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics; models of solids; blackbody radiation; Bose condensation; conduction in metals; virial expansion; distribution functions; liquids; structural glasses; sphere packings and jamming; computer simulation techniques; critical phenomena; percolation theory; Ising model; renormalization group methods; irreversible processes; Brownian motion; Fokker-Planck and Boltzmann equations.

A detailed examination of bonding and structure in transition metal complexes and crystalline solid materials are undertaken. Group Theory is introduced on an advanced level. A variety of modern physical methods are discussed in this context. Chemical reactivity, including ligand substitution reactions, charge transfer reactions and photochemical processes, are investigated based on electronic structure considerations. Basic physical properties of solid materials are discussed in context to their electronic structure. Examples are drawn from the current literature.

One or more advanced topics in solid-state electronics. Content may vary from year to year. Recent topics have included electronic properties of doped semiconductors, physics and technology of nanastructures, and organic materials for optical and electronic device application.

A general introduction to nonlinear optics, including harmonic generation, parametric amplification and oscillation, electro-optic effects, photorefractive materials, nonlinear spectroscopy, and nonlinear imaging.

An introductory course focused on the new and existing materials that are crucial for mitigating worldwide anthropogenic CO2 emissions and associated greenhouse gases. Emphasis will be placed on how materials science is used in energy technologies and energy efficiency; including solar power, cements and natural materials, sustainable buildings, batteries, water filtration, and wind and ocean energy. Topics include: atomic structure and bonding; semiconductors; inorganic oxides; nanomaterials; porous materials; conductive materials; membranes; composites; energy conversion processes; life-cycle analysis; material degradation.

Minerals are the fundamental building blocks of the Earth. Their physical, chemical, and structural properties determine the nature of the Earth and they are the primary recorders of the past history of the Earth and other planets. This course will provide a survey of the properties of the major rock-forming minerals. Topics include crystallography, crystal chemistry, mineral thermodynamics and mineral occurrence. Emphasis will be on the role of minerals in understanding geological processes. Laboratories will focus on developing an understanding of crystallography, structure-property relationships, and modern analytical techniques.

Relates to the structures, properties, processing and performance of different materials including metals, alloys, polymers, composites, and ceramics. This course also discusses how to select materials for engineering applications. This course satisfies the MAE departmental requirement in materials as well as the MSE certificate core requirement.

The course introduces laser essentials, Fourier optics, optical pulses, and laser diagnostics through lectures and practical exercises. Topics include ray optics, wave optics, optical Fourier transform, schlieren imaging, ultrafast optics and material dispersion. Optical component kits are provided for practical exercises aimed at the design and construction of an optical system to focus, collimate, and expand light beams with convex lenses, observe aberrations, perform imaging, study diffraction patterns in the rear focal plane of a convex lens, manipulate light in the Fourier domain, and use schlieren technique to visualize air flows.

A hands-on introduction to the use of laboratory techniques for the processing and characterization in materials science. Structure-property relations will be explored through experiments in mechanical, optical, biological and electronic properties. The underlying theories and lab techniques will be explained in weekly lectures. The goal of the course is for students to develop a solid understanding of material properties and the common techniques used in research, as well as to gain valuable practice in oral and written presentation.

Introduction to microscale and nanoscale of materials and devices. Topics include materials made from nanoscale constituents or using nanotechnology, metrology methods, and scaling phenomenon related to mechanical, electrical and optical properties, heat transfer, and fluid flow. MEMS, NEMS, and microfluidic applications, such as sensors and actuators are presented. This course combines traditional lecture with active learning approaches like peer-peer instruction, social annotation, and discussion.

Emphasizes the connection between microscale features of hard and soft materials and their properties. Topics include crystal structures and defects, phase diagrams and transformations, polymer conformation and solutions, and mechanical and electrical properties. This course combines traditional lecture with active learning approaches like peer-peer instruction, social annotation, and discussion.

This course focuses on the theory and simulation of phase transformations in materials. Through a combination of traditional lectures and several computational projects, the physics of nucleation, growth, and coarsening behavior of both solid-like and liquid-like multicomponent materials are explored. Computational approaches covered in the class include Langevin equations, Monte Carlo and enhanced sampling methods, thermodynamic integration, Cahn-Hilliard model, and the diffuse interface (phase field) method.