Course structure and syllabus of the two-year M.Tech. course in Materials Science and Technology

Course structure:

Semester III & IV: Research Project

                Semester III: Submission of Interim Progress Report of the Thesis and Presentation

• Duration: 6 months

                   Marks: 100 (for Report) + 50 (for Presentation)

                Semester IV: Final Thesis submission and Presentation

• Duration: 6 months

                   Marks: 350

Course content and syllabus:

SEMESTER I

1. Introduction to Materials (MT 901)

Classification of materials; atomic structure; imperfections in crystals; phases and phase diagrams; phase transformations; Elastic properties of materials, strengthening mechanisms; conducting properties of materials; magnetic properties of materials; optical properties of materials; introduction to Quantum mechanics – origin of band theory – classification of materials with regards to band structure and Fermi energy; Thermodynamic systems and processes, heat capacities, Gibb’s free energy, entropy, pure substances – Maxwell’s equations; Introduction to metallic, ceramic, polymeric and semiconducting materials.

2. Material Characterisation (MT 902)

Mechanical testing: tensile, hardness, fracture toughness, fatigue, creep, tribological; Optical microscopy; Electron microscopy: transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy; Spectroscopy: Photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, IR and Raman spectroscopy, Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy; X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analyses, differential thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, NDT techniques.

3. Metallic Materials (MT 903)

Heat treatment of steels; Engineering alloys: Low carbon steel; mild steel; medium carbon steel; high strength structural steels; Tool steel; stainless steel; cast iron; aluminium alloys; magnesium alloys; titanium alloys; copper alloys; refractory metals; superalloys; shape memory alloys.

Elective I (Outside field of specialisation)

1. General Methodology of Modelling and Optimisation (MT 904)

Objectives of materials modelling and optimisation, concepts of simulation and modelling, importance of spatial and temporal length scales in materials modelling, algebraic, differential and integral equations in materials modelling, development and construction of a physical model for a material, chaos computing, fractal theory, wavelet transformation, cellular automaton, percolation models, empirical modelling and statistical methods, one dimensional optimisation, gradient based optimisation, linear programming, constrained optimisation.

2. Soft Computing Methods of Modelling and Optimisation (MT 905)

Artificial neural network, fuzzy logic, fuzzy and neuro-fuzzy inference systems, rough sets, probabilistic reasoning, machine learning, expert systems, evolutionary Algorithms, simulated Annealing, ant-colony optimisation, particle swarm optimisation, differential evolution, multi-objective optimisation.

Elective II (Related to field of specialisation)

1. Materials Surface Engineering (MT 906)

Philosophy of surface engineering, general applications and requirements, principles of electrochemistry and aqueous corrosion processes, pitting, crevice and exfoliation corrosion, influence of deposits and anaerobic conditions, high temperature oxidation friction and wear, abrasive, erosive and sliding wear, interaction between wear and corrosion, classification and scope of surface engineering in metals, ceramics, polymers and composites, tailoring of surfaces of advanced materials, conventional surface engineering methods: carburising, nitriding, cyaniding, diffusion coating, hot dipping, galvanizing etc., electro deposition; flame and plasma spraying, physical vapour deposition, chemical vapour deposition, engineering with high energy beams, paint systems, coating systems for corrosion and wear protection; intermetallic barrier coatings and thermal barrier coatings.

2. Materials and Environment (MT 907)

Materials and energy balance; Soil water pollution and reclamation – use and abuse of different materials, Geo-colloids – alumino silicates, zeolites, iron hydroxides, organic components – structure, texture, surface charge, etc and their environmental implications; Adsorption kinetics and development of materials for contaminant and waste treatment; Air pollution; Industrial pollution – emission and discharge of materials and their impact on environment, case studies of mercury, lead, asbestos, arsenic and cadmium contamination; Solid waste management; radioactive materials and nuclear wastes, bio materials – phyto remediation, environmental risk assessment.

3. Advanced Processing of Metals (MT 908)

Solidification: Introduction; direct casting & continuous casting; modern foundry practice; Semisolid processing (thixoforming & rheoforming); composite casting; Deformation: rolling; forging; drawing; extrusion; TMCP; Heat treatment: annealing; normalizing; hardening; tempering; ageing; austempering; martempering; composition-process-microstructure-property correlation.

Mathematical methods for materials engineering: (Audited course)

Ordinary and partial differential equations, Vector Calculus - Vector Fields, Line Integrals, Surface Integrals, The Divergence Theorem, Stokes’s Theorem, Laplace and Fourier transforms; equilibrium equations – discrete and continuous cases; matrix algebra and eigen value problem; tensors; standard statistical methods and distributions, fundamentals of probability theory and stochastic processes, regression analysis.

(This course is compulsory for all new entrants to the M.Tech course)

SEMESTER II

1. Ceramic Materials (MT 1001)

Dissociation, sintering, vitrification, devitrification and thermomechanical reactions in ceramic processing; structures and crystal chemistry of ceramic compounds; mechanical, thermal, electrical, optical, magnetic and chemical properties; metallic ceramics; recent advancements and trends.

2. Polymeric Materials (MT 1002)

Polymerization kinetics; control and analysis of polymerisation reaction; relationships between the chemical structure of polymer chains and their rheological behaviour; multicomponent polymeric materials; biodegradable polymers; conducting polymers; magnetic polymers; recent advancements and trends.

3. Electronic, Opto-electronic and Superconducting Materials (MT 1003)

Band theory; Energy band diagrams; Nature of chemical bonds and their relation to crystal structure; Band gap; Fermi level carrier mobility, Extrinsic & intrinsic semiconductors; doping techniques. Optical properties of semiconductors; absorption & emission processes; radiative & non-radiative transitions; photoconducting & non-photoconducting materials; Phosphors preparation and applications. Superconductivity, Cooper-pair instability, BCS theory, Josephson Effects, Ginzburg-Landau Theory, Superconductor in magnetic field, Type I and Type II superconductors, flux quantization, d-wave superconductors, high temperature superconductors.

4. Composite Materials (MT 1004)

Classification of composite materials. Dispersion strengthening particulate reinforced and fiber reinforced composites. Blast properties, stress strain relations, fracture behaviour of composites. Fabrication methods of various composite materials. Engineering applications. Modern developments.

Elective III

1. Amorphous and Nano-crystalline Materials (MT 1009)

Amorphisation of alloys; Different properties amorphous alloys; metallic glass; Production techniques for amorphous and nano-crystalline materials: vapour deposition techniques, nanoparticles, decomposition of supersaturated solid solutions and glass crystallisation, sol-gel methods, nanoporous materials; microstructural stability in nanomaterials; colloidal nanoparticles; Catalysis: principles and applications of nano-crystalline materials; mechanical properties and microstructure-mechanical property relationships in nano-crystalline materials.

2. Magnetic & Dielectric Materials (MT 1010)

Magnetic phenomena & specific magnetic materials, Magnetization phenomena, the origin of magnetism, Larmor diamagnetism, Hund’s rules, paramagnetism, ferromagnetism, Pauli’s paramagnetism, magnetic domains and hysteresis, magnetic anisotropy, ferromagnetism in thin films and fine particles, amorphous magnetic materials; magnetic recording, magnetic circuits.

Dielectric properties of materials, theory of polarization, local field, sources of polarization, frequency dependence, theory of dielectrics, application to plasma, Mott transition, ferroelectric transition, Piezoelectricity, electrostriction, , Dielectrics in Equipment, dielectric materials as devices, antireflective coatings, dielectric requirements in defence.

3. Energy Materials (MT 1011)

Fossil fuels: coal, oil, natural gases; Solar cells: physics and chemistry, semiconductor materials and their properties, solar spectrum in space and at the surface of the earth, PV and PEC solar cells; Lithium battery and intercalation compounds; Fuel Cell Materials: Colloidal paste of precious metals, Nanoporous catalyst materials; Pt/ Pt supported binary/ternary compound catalyst, adatom theory, graphite for bi-polar plates, separator or membrane materials, SOFC mixed metal oxides, SmSrCoOx Solid Oxide, Zirconias, materials for H₂ energy storage; Nuclear materials & waste management.

4. Bio-materials (MT 1012)

Biomaterials and their physiological interactions; Materials used in medicine/dentistry, metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, resorbable smart, natural materials; Material response/degradation: mechanical breakdown, corrosion, dissolution, leaching, chemical degradation, wear; Host responses, foreign body reactions, inflammation, wound healing, carcinogenicity, immunogenicity, cytotoxicity, infection, local/systemic effects.