Synthesis and Applications of Inorganic Materials

- Brief introduction on inorganic materials.
- Basic principles of the solid state. Various structures. Various kinds of solids.
- The electronic structure of solids. Insulators, metals and semiconductors. Superconduction.
- Synthetic methodologies for inorganic materials. Synthesis of crystals, polycrystalline materials, thin films and fibres. Intercalated compounds.
- Defects in crystals.
- Alloys, in particular steels and cast irons.
- Inorganic oxides (silica and alumina). Surface mediated synthesis.
- Silicon carbide and silicon nitride.
- Carbon allotropes, in particular fullerene.
- Elemental silicon and photovoltaic cells, in particular third generation solar cells.
- Perovskites.
- Inorganic materials for non-linear optics.
- Inorganic materials for luminescent devices.
- Preparation of optical fibres.