Entry requirements

120 credits including 90 credits in chemistry. The courses Materials Chemistry, 5 credits and Inorganic Chemistry, 5 credits, or equivalent. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Describe energy relatedmaterials and their properties (experimentally and theoretically) as a function of atomic and molecular structure, e.g. intercalation compounds, polymers, transition metal complexes, and other materials used for solar cells, batteries, fuel cells and catalysis
• Explain the difference in properties of nanostructured materials compared to bulk materials and their importance for chemical renewable energy systems
• Describe and explain some important materials chemistry synthesis and characterisation methods (including microscopy, XRD and XPS).
• Explain surface structure and reactivity that influences the properties of renewable energy systems.
• Describe global and local energy systems, sustainability aspects (environmental, economical and social) for materials useful for chemically renewable energy systems, societal impacts of materials harvesting and utilisation and explain how the environmental impact can be quantified with life-cycle assessment studies.

Content

Material properties at an atomic and molecular level for chemical renewable energy systems; Bulk material versus nano structured material and thin film systems, surface effects and surface properties. The most important synthetic and characterisation methods for producing and understanding energy related materials on both an experimental and theoretical level. Corrosion. Experimental techniques such as XPS, TEM and SEM.

Electrode materials and their properties; semi-conductor materials, and band theory, electronic and ionic conductivity, surface properties, intercalation compounds.

Electrolytes; Liquids, solids electrolytes (polymers, gel, ceramics), ionic liquids, etc. Solar cells.

Energy systems structure. Tne environmental impact of materials and life-cycle assessment.

Instruction

Lectures, tutorials, problem solving classes and laboratory exercises.

Assessment

Written examination at the end of the course (4 HE-credits). The laboratory course corresponds to 1 HE-credit.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.