This subject describes the fundamentals of bonding, energetics, and structure that underpin materials science. From electrons to silicon to DNA: the role of electronic bonding in determining the energy, structure, and stability of materials. Quantum mechanical descriptions of interacting electrons and atoms. Symmetry properties of molecules and solids. Structure of complex and disordered materials. Introduction to thermodynamic functions and laws governing equilibrium properties, relating macroscopic behavior to molecular models of materials. Develops basis for understanding a broad range of materials phenomena, from heat capacities, phase transformations, and multiphase equilibria to chemical reactions and magnetism. Fundamentals are taught using real-world examples such as engineered alloys, electronic and magnetic materials, ionic and network solids, polymers, and biomaterials.
Philosophy of the Course
3.012 is an introduction to three topics fundamental to materials science & engineering: structure, bonding, and thermodynamics. These topics are not traditionally taught in tandem, though a structure course and thermodynamics course are usually part of the first core courses taken in a Materials Science & Engineering curriculum. The motivation for bringing these subjects together in 3.012 is to aid in teaching you the conceptual ties between these subjects. Bonding dictates structure, and structure in turn provides constraints on the thermodynamic properties of materials. These topics are intimately related and a full understanding of materials’ synthesis, fabrication, and processing relies on bringing out these interconnections. In addition, it is enlightening to learn about the same materials from different viewpoints, to better appreciate the diverse perspectives we take when looking at materials science: What is the crystal structure of diamond? How does it affect its thermodynamics properties? How is it related to the nature of the bonding between carbon atoms? One then begins to see how these fundamental properties of materials are connected.
Many fascinating materials phenomena will become clear in the course of the class - Why are some materials easily polarized in one direction and not in another? Why are the heat capacities of very different crystals nearly equal at high temperatures? How do electrons "tunnel" through high barriers, and how can we exploit this to image atoms and molecules in real time? What prevents certain processes from occurring, while others proceed spontaneously? In addition, structure, bonding, and thermodynamic behavior underlie nearly every application of materials to a greater or lesser extent, and these topics play significant roles in the properties of materials that you will learn about in the coming 3 years.
Explanation of Course Units
The units reported in the course catalog: (5) (0) (10) appear confusing, given the course schedule (6 hrs lecture per week, 2 hrs recitation per week) - recall the units system is (hrs lecture/recitation) (hrs lab) (hrs outside class). This is due to the integration of 3.012 with the laboratory course 3.014 - which runs 4 weeks of the term, and takes over the lecture time for 3.012 during lab weeks. Thus the course catalog units reflect an 'average' value measured over the entire term. In practice, we will have two hours lectures, three days a week, along with two one-hour recitations during 3.012 weeks. During 3.014 lab weeks, 3.012 will not be in session. The schedule of lecture/lab is shown in the calendar.
Texts for the Course
The required text for the course is Physical Chemistry, 2nd edition, by Robert G. Mortimer (Academic Press 2000), which will serve as a resource for the bonding component of 3.012, as well as portions of the thermodynamics and statistical mechanics topics.
This text will be extensively supplemented with reading assignments provided in class. Some supplementary reading sources will also be made available on the website.
Texts on reserve at the library:
Several textbooks have been placed in the reserve library, as alternative sources of background reading or practice problem-solving:
- Structure and Bonding: Nye, J. F. Physical Properties of Crystals. 1985.
- Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics:
- Dill, K., and Bromberg. Molecular Driving Forces. 2003.
- Bent, H. A. The Second Law. 1965.
- Callen, H. B. Thermodynamics. 1960.
- Denbigh. The Principles of Chemical Equilibrium. 1997.
- Mortimer, R. G. Physical Chemistry. 2nd ed. 2000.
These texts are discussed more in the Thermodynamics component overview document.
Recitation
Recitations are scheduled in two sections, held on two days during lecture weeks (but not during 3.014 lab weeks).
| Section 1: Coverage of Structure and Bonding |
Section 1: Coverage of Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics |
| Section 2: Coverage of Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics |
Section 2: Coverage of Structure and Bonding |
|
The two recitations on structure each week will cover the same material - likewise for the two thermodynamics recitations. If you should miss the meeting of your section on Day 1 (for example, due to illness), you have the option of attending both sections on Day 2 to hear the coverage of both topics for the week.
Evaluation
Composition of Final Grades
1/3: Problem Sets (~8)
2/3: 4 one hour Quizzes (the last one will fall during finals' week)
Problem Sets
Each problem set will contain 2-3 problems from structure/bonding and 2-3 problems from thermodynamics that will be graded. Additional problems will be provided, which you are not required to complete, but which will be corrected to aid your understanding, if you choose to complete them. Problem sets can be turned in at recitation on the due date, or you may leave them in the drop box outside Prof. Irvine’s office no later than the due date.
Quizzes
Each quiz will last 1 hour, and will contain approximately half thermodynamics problems, and half structure/bonding questions. Quizzes will be given during recitation periods; see the calendar at the end of this document for the detailed schedule. You can expect that these quizzes will be somewhat shorter than a typical midterm exam, commensurate with the smaller number of lectures that each will cover. The last quiz, though scheduled in finals week, will not be cumulative - it will only cover the lectures from Quiz 3 onward.
Asking Questions and Getting Help
Doing well in this course largely depends on developing a firm understanding of the concepts and how to apply them to problems. If something is not clear to you, ask the faculty or your TA for help - we are here to help you learn. Some suggestions:
Class Lecture Notes
We will use partially-completed lecture notes as a tool for covering the thermodynamics topics in lecture. These will be the exact notes I am using to teach you - with numerous blank spaces for you to fill in as we go over the material, and to take your own additional notes. There are disadvantages to this strategy of learning - it means you will have less to write during lecture, and taking notes is part of the learning process for many people. However, it has several powerful advantages: I can provide you with (sometimes) detailed graphical descriptions that make it easier to follow concepts, we can have long formulas pre-written (to avoid potential confusion if you miscopy an equation), and I can provide richer notes to complement our discussion during lecture - which may include digressions that help you see where theory is applied, interesting anecdotes from the history of this field, or detailed application examples.
Following a tradition initiated by Prof. Carter in 3.00, the lecture notes will be available on the 3.012 website the day before each class. It is your responsibility to download and print out the notes to bring to class. This is not designed as a form of torture; rather, I hope you will take that opportunity to look over the topics that will be covered the next day and seed questions that you may want to raise during lecture. These notes will be your primary resource for the thermodynamics component of 3.012, and will be the basis for the problem sets and quizzes.
Reading Assignments
Reading assignments will be made to complement each lecture in the thermodynamics and statistical mechanics component of 3.012. We will use the required text by Mortimer as a source for some of these assignments, while for others excerpts from other textbooks will be taken. While having a unified textbook is the ideal situation, a dilemma faced in every course, and particularly this course, is a lack of a good single source of information. Wherever possible, readings are being chosen from texts where the explanation is best made clear, is made at a level appropriate for a first course in thermodynamics/statistical mechanics, and uses examples relevant for you as future materials scientists & engineers. Readings from texts other than Mortimer will be provided in class.
In addition to the assigned readings, I will occasionally provide a 'supplementary reading.' These will not be handed out in class, but will be available for downloading on the web. These are not required reading, and will not be tested in problem sets or quizzes. They are simply extra sources that may help you understand concepts from lecture, or provide a different way of explaining a given concept. You should not feel obligated to read these, but they are there if you are interested in following up on topics from class.
Additional Resources
3.012 has many topics that have been adapted from Prof. Carter’s course 3.00 Thermodynamics of Materials. You will find during the course of the term numerous excerpts from his course notes in our 3.012 lecture content. Prof. Carter’s lecture notes for 3.00 are available on the web, and are an excellent source of additional reading, which may help deepen your understanding of many topics.
In addition to the class notes and reading assignments, you may find it useful to read over our topics from other good textbooks. Seeing the presentation of a difficult concept from multiple points of view can sometimes make it clearer. The following are some suggested textbooks that are available in the library. I also have copies of most of these, which may be borrowed for short periods. Wherever these texts are explicitly used as a resource in the lecture notes, it has been indicated, as a guide if you want to follow up on a particular topic.
There are (literally) hundreds of textbooks on thermodynamics - particularly because thermodynamics underpins diverse fields including chemistry, physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science & engineering, and even biology (!). I am listing below some of the better texts there are texts in the library that you will find useless (or worse). Many of the reading assignments this term will be taken from a new textbook by Ken Dill and Sarina Bromberg. This text is focused on applications for physical chemists and biologists, but has excellent explanations and many simple numerical examples that you may find helpful. The text by Denbigh is a traditional text on classical thermodynamics - it is very rigorous, but in some parts difficult for a newcomer to thermodynamics. Zemansky’s text and the text by Lupis are a good place to go for alternate explanations of difficult concepts, and are rooted in practical examples. The text by Bent provides a very physical description of concepts and uses simple examples to help explain concepts. It teaches thermodynamics from a composite statistical mechanics/classical thermodynamics approach. For practice with practical problems, a good textbook is Gaskell, which has answers for the problems at the end of each chapter provided.
The text by Hill is an introduction to statistical mechanics, but like Denbigh, its rigor may be difficult for you to follow at this stage. Callen is an advanced treatment of classical thermodynamics. Chandler is a somewhat advanced modern treatment of statistical mechanics.
Carter, W. C. 3.00 Thermodynamics of Materials, Lecture Notes, 2002.
Dill, K., and S. Bromberg. Molecular Driving Forces. New York, 2003, pp. 704.
Denbigh, K. The Principles of Chemical Equilibrium. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997, pp. 494.
Zemansky, M. W., and R. H. Dittman. Heat and Thermodynamics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997, pp. 487.
Lupis, C. H. P. Chemical Thermodynamics of Materials. New York: Prentice-Hall, 1983, pp. 581.
Bent, H. A. The Second Law. New York: Oxford University Press, 1965, pp. 429.
Gaskell, D. R. Introduction to Metallurgical Thermodynamics. New York: Hemisphere, 1981, pp. 611.
Hill, T. L. An Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1986, pp. 508.
Callen, H. B. Thermodynamics. New York: Wiley & Sons, 1960, pp. 376.
Chandler, D. Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1987, pp. 274.