From the ubiquitous water bottle to food packaging to Barbie, we live in a plastic world. While plastics provide benefits from safe food delivery to sterile healthcare products, only a small percentage is recycled. This course addresses the historical development of plastics and their impacts. We'll discuss the science of plastics and their lifecycle from sourcing through manufacturing, use, and end-of-life. Topics will include microplastics, plastics in the ocean, and the impacts of additives (e.g. BPA). Finally, we'll examine solutions including recycling and bio-based plastics from scientific, behavioral, and economic perspectives.

Broad introduction to polymer science and technology, including polymer chemistry (major synthetic routes to polymers), polymer physics (solution and melt behavior, solid-state morphology and properties), and polymer engineering (overview of reaction engineering, melt processing, and recycling methods).

This course offers an introduction to computational chemistry and molecular simulation, which are essential components to modern-day science and engineering, as they can provide both mechanistic insights underlying observed phenomena and predictions on thermodynamic/kinetic properties. Through pedagogical treatment of essential background, basic algorithmic implementation, and applications, students will develop knowledge necessary to follow, appreciate, and devise computational 'experiments'. Topics of emphasis include quantum chemical solution methods, Monte Carlo & molecular dynamics, and free energy/enhanced sampling.

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.

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.

The course is an introduction course for engineers to understand some fundamental principles, recent advances, and applications in bio-sensing and diagnostics. The topics include biomarkers (small molecules, proteins, and nucleic acids), biomarkers detections, colorimetric assays, immunoassays, nucleic acid hybridization assays, PCR (polymerase chain reaction), microfluidics, microarrays, etc. Applications of engineering and nanotechnology in advancing bio-sensing and diagnostics are addressed.

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

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.

This course covers atomistic modeling fundamentals and the applications to the study of material properties. Topics include intro to clusters, quantum mechanics basics, Hartree-Fock, density function theory, molecular dynamics, and machine learning potential. Each topic contains both theory and hands-on software tutorials of deriving material properties using available softwares (e.g., VASP, PySCF, LAMMPS, DeePMD-kit). Students gain experience applying atomistic modeling to their individual areas of research interest. Individual projects are developed by students throughout the semester. No prior quantum mechanics background is required.

Relates to the structures, properties, processing and performance of different materials including metals, alloys, polymers, ceramics, and semiconductors. This course satisfies the MAE departmental requirement in materials as well as the MSE certificate core requirement.

This course seeks to build a bottom-up understanding of energy transport at small length scales by invoking fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, solid-state physics, and statistical mechanics, and combining them with device-relevant models. Wherever possible, the course makes connections to recent literature to familiarize students with the state-of-the-art and provide exposure to open questions. Topics include kinetic theory, thermal physics, electron transport, Boltzmann transport equation, thermoelectricity, nanoscale thermometry etc., and applications of these concepts to devices.

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.

Emphasizes the connection between microstructure and properties in solid-state materials. Topics include crystallinity and defects, electronic and mechanical properties of materials, phase diagrams and transformations, and materials characterization techniques. Ties fundamental concepts in materials science to practical use cases with the goal of solving complex challenges in sustainability and healthcare, among others.

This course provides the basic tools to understand solid materials and their mechanical as well as physical properties. The first half of the course focuses on the atomic structure of crystalline materials and how to measure those structures using x-ray, neutron and electron diffraction. We discuss defects in crystalline materials and how they impact the materials properties. The second half of the course focuses on physical properties of solids. A short introduction into Band theory builds up our understanding of electron conductivity and magnetism. Finally, we discuss polymers and amorphous solids.

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.

Exploring the intersection of chemistry, physics, and engineering, this course delves into the fundamentals of quantum materials and their pivotal role in advancing technologies, particularly quantum computing. Emphasizing interdisciplinarity, it equips students with the knowledge to tackle future challenges in materials science and engineering. Covering key concepts, techniques, and applications of quantum materials, the course addresses critical questions and topics within this emerging field. Special focus is given to the various synthesis methods, characterization techniques, and potential of these materials in technological innovations.