Introduction to Materials Science

Periods of our civilization have names associated with materials – stone age, bronze age, iron age and the silicon age. Materials impact all aspects of your daily life and will continue to do so in the future. The more we understand materials, the more we imagine the future with fantastic devices and advancements enabled by materials. This initial specialization introduces a limited number of material science and engineering concepts. The topic presentations are at the concept level without being mired in heavy mathematics. Participation in each course is best done by initially having a firm sense of what MSE does and its impact on society. Topics in this specialization span from atom bonding and crystal structure to diffusion and phase diagrams. Some of the position titles that may benefit from this course include Materials Engineer, Chemical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Aerospace Engineer and Materials Quality Control. Others who want to explore the world of materials will find it helpful.

• Course Introduction
• This course introduces students to the basic ideas of materials science and engineering. This course includes an introduction to the relationship between processing, properties, and structure. This course is different from many other courses in that it uses a rudimentary introduction of fundamental concepts materials selection. It also identifies the characteristics and properties of the different families of materials based on their interatomic bonding. Finally, we explore how materials properties vary across the periodic table.
• Module 1: Introduction to Specialization and Course
• In this module, we will see a high-level overview of materials science and engineering and learn about materials selection, materials families, types of bonding and processing of materials.
• Module 2: Atomic Structure and Interatomic Bonding I Property Relationships
• In this module, we will learn about atomic structure, interatomic bonding and how the location of an element on the periodic table affects its chemical properties. Various examples are discussed.
• Module 3: Atomic Structure
• In this module, we learn about different kinds of atomic structures and the relationships between structure and properties of materials.
• Module 4: Crystal Structures
• In this module, we learn about different kinds of atomic structures, and the relationships between structure and properties of materials.
• Module 5: Unit Cells
• In this module, we discuss how to identify and locate positions in unit cells, and how to specify and identify directions in unit cells