Nonconventional Materials

> Lectures
1. Introduction:
History and definitions.
2. Nonconventional hard materials:
Metal foams: preparation and application.
Shape memory: shape memory alloys, shape memory polymers. Their response to the environmental stimuli. Structure-property correlations. Application.
Special technical ceramics: Piezoelectric and magnetostrictive materials, structure-property correlations. Application.
3. Complex fluids:
Different types of magnetic behavior. Preparation, structure and properties of ferrofluids, magneto- and electrorheological fluids. Biomedical and industrial applications.
4. Soft materials, polymer gels:
Classification, synthesis and characterization of polymer (hydro)gels. Tough hydrogels. Responsive polymer gels. Applications of the responsive polymer gels, focused on the biomedical applications.
5. Self-assembly
Self-assembly as a universal process. Molecules and particles capable of self-assembly. Classification of self-assembly processes. Practical importance of self-assembly: Coatings and thin films made with self-assembly. LBL-techniques (layer-by-layer). Langmuir- and Langmuir-Blodgett thin films.
6. Nanoparticles, nanocoatings
Functional nanoparticles and nanocoatings, their synthesis using wet colloid chemical methods. Properties of nanoparticles, quantum size effects. Core-shell and hollow nanoparticles. Biomedical applications of nanoparticles. The sol-gel method. Characterization of nanocoatings – optical methods (optical spectroscopy, scanning angle reflectometry, ellipsometry.)
7. Applications of nanocoatings
Morphology and water-repellent properties: superhydrophobicity. Wetting models. Self-cleaning, self-healing coatings. Adhesive nanostructured coatings. Coatings and thin films in solar cells. Biomedical applications of nanocoatings.
8. Porous nonconventional materials:
Classification and characterization (rigid and flexible pores, independent pores vs. pore networks, composites, possible applications). Brief description of characterization methods and their complementarity.
9. Use of templates for porous materials:
Soft and hard templates; synthesis, (MCM, zeolites, MIP): Synthesis; new properties related to porosity.
10. Nanotubes (carbon, boron, noble metal, etc); carbon allotropes:
Synthesis, physical and chemical properties, present and perspective applications
11. Organic and inorganic aerogels:
Synthesis; new properties introduced by porosity (thermal and electric conductivity, etc.).
12. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs):
3D self-assembly of multivalent metal ions and organic ligands; stiff and flexible porosity; their potential in gas storage, sensing, etc.

> Laboratory practices (3 x 4 hours):
1.    Preparation of magnetic fluids
2.    3D printing of polymers
3.    Electrospinning of polymer fibres
4.    Preparation and characterisation of polymer gels