ISTITUTO NAZIONALE PER LA FISICA DELLA MATERIA ( INFM )
The aim of the course is to provide users the interpretative key to the numerous properties of materials. It is intended primarily as a “self-study”
course for high school graduates or undergraduate students. EDUMAT has been developed using all the potentialities offered by modern personal computers.
Typical multimedial features such as graphics or sound, have been extensively used as well as computational capacity, which, given the
scientific character of the course, turned out to be extremely useful. EDUMAT has been endowed with a graphic interface which has been designed for
an easy and efficient use. The typical multimedial facilities allow links between different topics connected by means of key words; moreover, the text
has been supplied with many figures, graphs, tables, schemes and pictures. An important role in the explanation of those arguments which result
particularly difficult to non experts is carried out by animations. These animations are divided in two distinct categories: movies and interactive
simulations. They have complementary roles. The movies are basically cartoons with synchronized audio and are generally used to introduce a
physical concept or to explain technical processes to build up devices or materials. They certainly represent the best of the explanatory capacities
offered by the course and have a key role in the illustration of “dynamical” concepts or effects, like for example the Hall effect. Furthermore, thanks
to their entertaining character, they help to make the course more enjoyable. Two examples are shown in Figs. 1 and 2
Fig1: The trans and cis metastable equilibrium positions in the polyethylene molecule
Fig2: The photolithograhyc process
Fig3: The tunnel effect
Fig4: the electron density of states of semiconductor materials
Fig5: An optical experiment with the virtual laboratory
Fig6: An example of interactive exercise
Scientific contents
Chapter 1: DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS IN THE HYSTORY OF CIVILISATION
provides an historical introduction to Material Science and gives the users the first rudiments on the subject. The history of the main discoveries, the descriptions
of the early use and production of the materials throughout the development of the civilization from prehistory to nowadays and a gradual introduction to the physical
properties of materials are briefly illustrated.Chapters 2 - 4: THE ATOMIC STRUCTURE OF MATTER, PRINCIPLES OF MECHANICS, SOLID STATE PHYSICS
contain a brief review of Classical Physics, the introduction to the most important concepts of Quantum Mechanics and the basic elements of Solid State Physics. The
presentation and the development of the latter arguments have been especially tailored to the level of knowledge of the users of the course (namely high school
graduates and undergraduate students) and therefore this chapter results the fundamental tool to understand the numerous physical properties of materials. Herein,
we give only a general discussion while specific physical aspects are analyzed in details in the chapters dedicated to the materials.Chapters 5 - 6: STRUCTURAL MATERIALS, POLYMERIC MATERIALS
are dedicated to materials mainly used for their mechanical properties:iron alloys, alloys of aluminium and copper, ceramic materials, composite materials, polymers.
The development of Structural Materials had always a rather empirical character. Time and the progress of science did not modify too much this scenario and, as a
consequence, these Chapters have a rather descriptive character. Nevertheless, Physics, and especially topics like atomic structure of matter, remain the essential
frame of reference throughout the Chapters and they are used as the basic tools to understand the main properties of these materials.Chapter 7: FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
describes those materials that are important for their electrical and magnetic properties, and that, in some sense, are active, i.e., "do something": semiconductors,
magnetic materials, superconductors, optical materials, liquid crystals. For functional materials the situation is totally different from that of structural
materials . The astonishing developments in the field of materials and electronic devices can be accounted for only with the deeper understanding of the electronic
properties of matter and, more generally, with the progress of modern physics (Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Mechanics etc.). It is thus necessary to use a less
descriptive approach to the subject, and consequently the user is forced to exploit extensively the concepts and the results discussed in previous Chapters. The
functional materials have been divided in 5 sub-groups, this choice is probably too drastic since several materials belong neither to one nor to the other
sub-group. Nevertheless, the possibility of connecting different parts of the course by means of hypertext links, allows the user to overcome easily this difficulty
and gives to the chapter an unitary structure.Chapter 8: INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT METHODS
shows and describes the experimental techniques and the most relevant instruments used in the analysis of the material properties. Here we discuss also the physical
principles underlying the different techniques, their potentialities and their relative limitations. The sections of this Chapter dedicated to the electrical and
optical experimental techniques are deeply connected with the section of the course VirtuaLab which is described in details in the following.
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