Malla Reddy University, Hyderabad

Maisammaguda, Kompally, Hyderabad

Pre PhD Syllabus

Subject: Physics

PAPER – I: MATERIAL SCIENCE

Course Objectives:

 Understand the quantum mechanical model of atomic structure.

 Learn about fracture types, fracture toughness, and ductile vs. brittle
fracture.
 Study polymer ceramic nanocomposites and bio-polymers.
 Explore traps and defects in semiconductors, organic semiconductors, and
photovoltaic devices.
 Understand the criteria for material selection and the use of materials
selection charts.

Syllabus:

Unit – I

Atomic Structure and Interatomic Bonding:

Atomic structure: Bohr’s model, quantum mechanical model. Crystal structure:

Lattices, unit cells, crystal systems, crystallography. Imperfections in crystals:
Point defects, line defects, surface defects. Diffusion: Fick’s laws, mechanisms,
and applications.

Unit – II

Mechanical Properties of Materials:

Stress and strain: Types, relationships, mechanical behavior under axial loading.
Strengthening mechanisms: Solid solution strengthening, precipitation
hardening and grain size strengthening. Fracture: Types of fracture, fracture
toughness, ductile vs. brittle fracture. Fatigue: S-N curve, factors affecting
fatigue life, fatigue failure mechanisms. Creep: Creep curve, factors affecting
creep, creep-resistant materials. Phase equilibrium: Gibbs phase rule, unary,
binary, and ternary phase diagrams. Microstructure and phase transformations:
Nucleation, growth, phase transformations in alloys.

Unit – III

Ionic and Polymeric Materials: Basics of ion conduction in solids, superionic

solids/solid electrolytes, crystalline, gel, polymer and glassy solid electrolytes,
polymer ceramic Nanocomposites and bio-polymers. Types of ion-conducting
polymers. Polymer complexes with salt/acid/fillers/plasticizers. Method of
preparation of polymeric films.

Magnetic Materials: Magnetic materials and layered magnetism, half metals,

DMS, spontaneous magnetization, GMR materials and measurements of
magnetic susceptibility by vibration magnetometer, SQUID, spin-polarized
transport, magnetism of nano-phase magnetic materials, MFM/AFM.

Unit – IV

Electronic Materials: Crystalline semiconductors, compound semiconductors,

interface properties, M-S interface and its relationship with semiconductor
parameters, traps and defects in semiconductors. Organic semiconductors,
photovoltaic devices. Material preparation by vacuum deposition and sputtering,
substrate cleaning by glow discharge by low pressure. Experimental methods for
characterizing semiconductors: (I-V, C-V, optical absorption and band gap).

Unit – V

Materials Processing and Selection:

Heat treatment: Annealing, hardening, tempering, and their effects on

microstructure and properties. Powder metallurgy: Powder production,
compaction, sintering. Material selection: Criteria, materials selection charts,
Ashby charts.

Course Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the syllabus students will be

able to:

 Describe the key features of the quantum mechanical model and explain how
it differs from Bohr's model.
 Differentiate between ductile and brittle fractures and explain the factors
influencing fracture toughness.
 Understand the principles behind the development of polymer ceramic
nanocomposites and their potential applications in biomaterials.
 Identify and analyze traps and defects in semiconductors and understand
their impact on device performance.
 Apply materials selection charts, such as Ashby charts, to select materials
based on specific criteria for different engineering applications.

References:

1. "Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction" by William D. Callister

Jr. and David G. Rethwisch
2. "Introduction to Materials Science for Engineers" by James F. Shackelford
3. "Engineering Materials 1: An Introduction to Properties, Applications, and
Design" by Michael F. Ashby and David R. H. Jones
4. "Materials Science and Engineering: A First Course" by V. Raghavan.
5. S.M. Sze, (2003), Semiconductor Devices Physics and Technology, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc
6. K.L. Chopra, (2008), Thin Film Phenomenon, Krieger Pub. Co.
7. F.M. Grey, (1991), Solid Polymer Electrolytes Fundamentals and
Technological Application VCH Publishers, Inc
8. Farzad Nasipouri and Alain Nogaret (2010), Nanomagnetsim and Spintronics
(Fabrication, Materials, Characteization and Applications), World Scientific
Company
PAPER – II: NANOMATERIAL’S SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION

Course Objectives:

 Understand the principles and methods of nanomaterial synthesis, including

bottom-up and top-down approaches.
 Learn various preparation methods for nanomaterials, including thermolysis,
sol-gel, solvothermal, hydrothermal, and biological methods.
 Introduce compositional and structural characterization techniques for
nanomaterials, including XPS, EDAX, XRD, electron diffraction, and EPMA.
 Explore surface and spectroscopic characterization techniques, including
scanning probe techniques (SPM), UV-Visible spectroscopy, IR & FTIR
spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy.
 Introduce device characterization techniques for nanomaterial-based devices,
including Hall measurement, capacitance, voltage measurements, I-V
analysis, magnetic characterization, dielectric measurements, and
impedance measurements.

Syllabus:

Unit-I:

Synthesis of nanomaterials

Introduction to synthesis of nano materials- Bottom-up approach and Top-down

approach with examples-Physical methods: Inert gas condensation-Arc
Discharge- RF-plasma-Plasma arc technique-Electric explosion of wires-Lasers
ablation-Laser pyrolysis-Ball milling-Molecular beam epitaxial-Electro
deposition Chemical methods: Nanocrystals by chemical reduction-
Photochemical synthesis Electrochemical synthesis-Nanocrystals of
semiconductors and other materials by arrested precipitation-Emulsion
synthesis-Sonochemical routes.

Unit-II:

Preparation Methods

Thermolysis route – Spary pyrolysis and solved metal atom dispersion-Sol-gel

method Solvothermal and hydrothermal routes- Solution combustion synthesis-
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and other variants- Biological
methods: use of bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes for nano-particle synthesis-
Magnetotic bacteria for natural synthesis of magnetic nano-particles-Role of
plants in nano particle synthesis. Physical Vapor Deposition Techniques:
Thermal sputtering- Physical Vapor deposition (PVD) method-Chemical Vapor
Deposition (CVD) method-

Unit-III:

Compositional and structural Characterization techniques

X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)- Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis

(EDAX)-Principles and applications of X-Ray Diffraction: Small angle X-Ray
Diffraction and Wide-angle X-Ray Diffraction-Electron Diffraction-Electro probe
microanalysis (EPMA)-Ion beam techniques: SIMS & RBS

Unit-IV:

Surface and Spectroscopic Techniques

Basic principles and applications of scanning probe techniques (SPM)-Scanning

tunneling microscopy (STM). Spectroscopic techniques: UV-Visible
spectroscopy- Infrared (IR) & Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy-
Raman Spectroscopy.

Unit-V:

Device Characterization Techniques

Hall Measurement, capacitance, and voltage measurements, I-V analysis.

Magnetic & Dielectric Characterization: SQUID- Dielectric Measurements-
Impedance and ferroelectric measurements.

Course Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the syllabus students will be

able to:

 Differentiate between physical and chemical synthesis methods and explain

the synthesis mechanisms involved in each method.
 Describe the principles and applications of each preparation method and
select appropriate methods for specific nanomaterial synthesis scenarios.
 Apply these techniques to analyze the composition and structure of
nanomaterials and interpret the results.
 Describe the principles of these techniques and their applications in
analyzing the surface properties and chemical composition of nanomaterials.
 Apply these techniques to characterize the electrical, magnetic, and dielectric
properties of nanomaterial-based devices and analyze their performance.
References:

1. Inorganic Materials Synthesis and Fabrication by J.N.Lalena, D.A.Cleary,

E.E.Carpenter, N.F.Dean, John Wiley & Sons Inc.
2. Introduction Nano Technology by Carless P.Poole Jr and Frank J.Owens.
Wiley India Pvt Ltd.
3. The chemistry of Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties and Appliocations,
Vol-I By C.N.R.Rao, A Muller and A.K.Cheetham, Wiley Publications 2004.
4. Nano: The Essentials – Understanding Nano Science and Technology by
T.Pradeep, Tata Mc.Graw Hill .
5. Characterization of nanostructured materials by Z.L.Wang, Wiley, John &
Sons.
6. Principles of Instrumental analysis by D.A.Skoog, F.L.Hollen and
T.A.Niemann, Mac Grow Hill.
7. Encyclopedia of nanotechnology by M.Balakrishna Rao and K.Krishna Reddy,
Vol I to X, Campus books.
8. Nanotechnology: Principles and Practices by Sulabha K.Kulkarni- Capital
Publising Company.