- UCAS course code
- F206
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Master of Engineering (MEng)
MEng Materials Science and Engineering with Nanomaterials
- Typical A-level offer: AAA including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: AAB including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: ABB including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36 points overall with 6,6,6 at HL, including specific requirements
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £38,000 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
For information about scholarships and bursaries please see our undergraduate fees pages and check the Department's funding pages .
Course unit details:
Functional Materials & Devices
Unit code | MATS31501 |
---|---|
Credit rating | 10 |
Unit level | Level 6 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
Functional materials are at the heart of a wide range of consumer and industrial electronic systems, including communications, sensors, control and energy management. The microstructural and compositional variation in these materials has a dramatic impact on their electrical and mechanical properties.
Aims
The course unit aims to:
- Explain the principles underlying the operation of oxide-based functional ceramics in the form of bulk, thin-film, particulate and composite materials;
- Discuss the relationships between chemical composition, crystal structure, microstructure and functional properties;
- Identify the material characteristics required for a variety of applications and environments.
- Devise strategies to optimise the performance of functional ceramics. Correlate different types of functional properties with the underlying mechanisms and processing methods.
Learning outcomes
A greater depth of the learning outcomes will be covered in the following sections:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Intellectual skills
- Practical skills
- Transferable skills and personal qualities
Teaching and learning methods
- Pre-recorded video lectures,
- Live online lectures,
- Formative assessment in the form of online quizzes,
- Recommended textbooks and scientific papers,
- Past exam papers,
- Coursework/tutorials,
- Electronic supporting information (Blackboard).
Knowledge and understanding
- K1: demonstrate an understanding of the composition-structure-property relationships in polycrystalline ferroelectrics.
- K2: describe the main groups of conventional piezoelectric ceramics; identify emerging single-phase and composite materials and their characteristic properties.
- K3: explain how structural phase transformations in ferroelectrics can be exploited in the development of new and improved materials.
- K4: Discuss principles of operation of solid oxide fuel cells and ceramic sensors (Thermistors, Varistors and Gas sensors). In this context, describe the effect of chemical composition, crystal structure and microstructure on their functional properties.
- K5: Apply the above knowledge of fuel cells and ceramic sensors to estimate their basic operational parameters.
- K6: Evaluate factors limiting the performance of a particular fuel cell or ceramic sensor and suggest measures of performance optimisation.
Intellectual skills
- I1: devise strategies to optimise the performance of functional ceramics with respect to specific applications.
- I2: correlate different types of functional properties with the underlying mechanisms and processing methods.
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- T1: analytical capability
- T2: problem-solving skills
Assessment methods
Method | Weight |
---|---|
Written exam | 70% |
Written assignment (inc essay) | 30% |
Feedback methods
Written and verbal
Recommended reading
- Electroceramics: Materials, properties, applications, 2nd edition, A. J. Moulson and J.M. Herbert, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 2003.
- Electrical properties of materials, 8th edition, L. Solymar and D. Walsh, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2009.
- Semiconductor devices: Physics and technology, 3rd edition, S. M. Sze and M.-K. Lee, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 2012.
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
---|---|
Lectures | 20 |
Practical classes & workshops | 6 |
Tutorials | 8 |
Independent study hours | |
---|---|
Independent study | 66 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
---|---|
Andrey Kretinin | Unit coordinator |