Learning objectives
Through the combination of classroom exercises and laboratory activities, the course aims to guide the students in their development from scientists capable of conducting an experiment, to scientists capable of designing an experiment, to scientists capable of identifying and designing an innovative line of research from scratch. All this is associated with the correct analysis of the results and the evaluation of their quality, as well as reporting on the activity carried out both in written and oral form.
D1- Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, students will know the main approaches to the synthesis of inorganic materials by "soft chemistry" routes and the related characterization techniques. They will be able to understand the fundamental aspects of the design, execution and interpretation of a scientific experiment, adapting the synthetic and characterization strategies to the needs. In particular, they will know the key concepts underlying the relationships between composition, reactivity, structure, microstructure and properties and will be able to exploit this knowledge to formulate original ideas on the basis of which it is possible to set up an innovative research program.
D2. Applied knowledge and understanding
Students will be able to address a scientific problem in its entirety, taking into account both the aspects of innovation, utility, and relevance, as well as the technical, theoretical, and experimental aspects. They will be able to develop synthetic and characterization approaches aimed at obtaining materials with the indicated characteristics, even in previously unexplored areas. They will correctly apply the scientific method to effectively solve the problems encountered.
D3. Autonomy of judgment:
Students will be able to independently interpret the relationships between composition, reactivity, structure, microstructure, and properties. They will acquire the ability to evaluate the effect of their choices regarding the synthesis parameters and, a posteriori, to evaluate the quality of the project initially formulated. This will be possible on the basis of the correct interpretation of the results both in terms of experimental data, which will be interpreted independently, and empirical observations, which will be given particular importance. They will be able to evaluate the need or not to find information in the literature and to effectively deal with bibliographical research, critically evaluating the information extracted. They will acquire the ability to organize their work, also through collaboration with other students. They will be able to focus on the problems encountered and propose the most appropriate solutions to the context.
D4. Communication skills:
At the end of the course, students will be able to discuss the various aspects of the activities carried out (theoretical, practical and interpretative) both with the teachers and with their classmates, with full awareness of the different needs of the two types of communication approaches. They must also be able to draft a report of the laboratory activities along the lines of a scientific work.
Specifically, they will be able to describe and motivate, also on a theoretical basis, the choices made in the design phase of the experiments and any changes during the process. They will be able to describe the preparatory processes used and the phenomena observed, of which they will have to provide, if requested, an interpretation. They will be able to independently describe and interpret the results of instrumental characterizations. They will be able to communicate their conclusions, problems encountered and solutions in a convincing and effective manner.
D5. Learning ability:
Students will acquire the ability to move independently in an experimental research context. They will develop the ability to evaluate their own actions in order to direct subsequent choices, as well as to evaluate the activity of their classmates in a growth perspective mediated by mutual comparison. They will acquire the awareness of the need to complete and integrate their preparation where lacking with respect to the topics proposed by the Teachers.
Prerequisites
None
Course unit content
This course will address the design and implementation of research activities in the field of materials. The division of the course into three modules will allow the main research and development strategies to be illustrated in a progressive but integrated way. Each module consists of 12 hours of exercises and 15 hours of laboratory, for a total of 81 hours overall.
Module I:
Laboratory experiences regarding basic concepts and applications of inorganic chemistry:
-Chemistry of the SolGel process: preparation of siliceous xerogels
-Construction of a DSSC photovoltaic cell based on titanium dioxide nanoparticles.
Module II (study of ferroelectric thin films): identification of materials and the best synthetic approach; synthesis and deposition of thin films; characterization and study of properties; comparison of the results obtained.
Module III (design):
The module is based on the best practices of the Material Design courses in North America. Students will be challenged with current research problems that have a fundamental and/or applied nature.
Through guided (and unguided) brainstorming, literature exploration, and the use of artificial intelligence, mindmapping, and project design, students will be taught materials-by-design strategies, i.e., how to develop/invent a material that solves a problem, or how to solve a problem using creative materials science tools.
The hypotheses generated by students will be translated into experimental plans and, where possible, tested in the laboratory.
If the number of students allows it, the class will be divided into groups that will tackle different problems, but will share brainstorming and analysis of the results, thus exponentially increasing their exposure to design and problem solving strategies in different areas of materials science.
Full programme
Bibliography
Being the course based on an unconstrained approach, which primarily requires an active contribution from the Students, a reference text is not provided and the teaching material consists of scientific articles found during the work, the results of the characterizations and guidance material regarding the performance of the activities, in particular to support the correct drafting of the reports.
Teaching methods
The discovery-oriented teaching approach aims to guide the Student in the planning and carrying out of experimental research activities as well as the drafting and evaluation of a scientific report, allowing the achievement of the educational objectives through observation, personal processing and discussion of the results. The activities will be carried out through a gradual reduction of information and indications by the Teachers. Guided exercises will be conducted in a heuristic Socratic manner before, during and after the laboratory activity, allowing the most appropriate methodologies to be defined to achieve the objective and possibly to redesign them during the course of the work based on the results obtained. Specific opportunities for comparison will be identified both with the teacher and among peers, with the aim of stimulating awareness of the different levels required for an effective comparison on scientific topics. The activities can be carried out at an individual station or in groups in relation to specific needs. At the end of each module, students will be asked to write a report, on which they will receive feedback along the way aimed at promoting the development of their scientific report writing skills in a context of gradual increase in the complexity of the assignments.
Assessment methods and criteria
In order to take the exam, students must attend 75% of the hours of each individual module. At the end of each module, by specific and mandatory dates unless there are serious and documented reasons, students must submit a report drawn up based on the instructions of the teacher. Each module will count for 23% of the grade, completed by a short oral exam that will be worth 30% of the final grade, plus possible honors. Reports will be written individually even when they are the result of group work.
Reports submitted two weeks after the end of Module I will be returned corrected with indications and suggestions regarding the aspects that require improvement.
Two weeks after the end of Module II, students will submit the reports relating to this part of the activities. Soon after, each student will receive a report from a colleague with the request to comment on it in peer-review style. After a further two weeks, the reports must be submitted to the teacher. The evaluation of the work carried out will proceed in a manner similar to that reported for Module I. Two weeks after the end of Module III, the submission of the reports relating to this part of the activities will be requested.
Only after having submitted all the reports in the order listed above, and having received the due evaluation, the Students who have reached a threshold will be able to take the oral exam, which will consist of a brief discussion of some of the aspects that emerged from the reports.
The final grade will be the sum of the scores obtained following the correction of the reports relating to Module I, II and III, of the refereeing carried out in Module II and of the score obtained during the oral exam. It is not possible to refuse the grade obtained in the evaluation of the reports unless attending the course again the following academic year.
Other information
2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
