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Unit of study_
CHEM3119: Materials Chemistry
2025 unit information
An extraordinarily diverse array of new and emerging technologies are founded on inorganic solid-state materials designed and characterised in chemistry laboratories. The key to their importance is that solid-state materials have scientifically and technologically important properties that are either absent or difficult to achieve in other states of matter, because they arise not simply from individual atoms and molecules, but from the emergence of collective interactions when they are organised into extended lattices. The unit will examine how a range of interesting chemical and physical properties arise in the solid state and discuss current and future technological applications for these properties. The unit will explore materials for industrial and environmental applications such as carbon dioxide capture and catalysis, energy applications like hydrogen fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries, and electronic applications such as superconductivity and photovoltaics. You will learn about the fundamental relationships between chemical composition, three-dimensional structure, and physical properties; how to measure and model them; and how to manipulate them in the pursuit of new and optimised functional materials for the devices of the future.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Science
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Chemistry Academic Operations |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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[(CHEM2401 or CHEM2911 or CHEM2915) and (CHEM2402 or CHEM2524 or CHEM2912 or CHEM2916 or CHEM2924)] or (CHEM2521 or CHEM2921 or CHEM2991) |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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CHEM3112 or CHEM3912 or CHEM3919 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Explain the driving forces behind the formation of solid materials, transitions between materials with different structures but same composition and about key experimental and theoretical methods used in materials chemistry research, information they provide, their advantages and limitations.
- LO2. Recognise, interpret and experimentally determine the periodic crystal structures of non-molecular materials.
- LO3. Examine classes of materials including alloys, intermetallics, ionic compounds, covalent networks and metal-organic frameworks.
- LO4. Assess the physical properties of materials to their crystal structures and develop ways in which structures can be modified to optimise their properties for diverse technological applications.
- LO5. Carry out experimental work safely and competently in a chemical laboratory
- LO6. Develop skills to work collaboratively in responsible data collection, analysis and communication and advance chemical enquiry.
- LO7. Evaluate and interpret scientific information and experimental data and judge their reliability and significance
- LO8. Communicate scientific information and laboratory findings appropriately both orally and through written work
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
