MATE Courses

This course explores material processes from the perspective of thermodynamics. This course aims to cultivate the students’ understanding of thermodynamics and phase diagrams underlying typical materials phenomena. It will elaborate on the relationship between phase diagrams and thermodynamics in the cases of different material systems (metal, inorganics, glasses, liquids, gases, charge and spin phase phenomena). We will further explore important theoretical and practical models related to materials science and engineering, including modeling of phase equilibria.

The course will include details on solid-state synthesis, solution-based synthesis (co-precipitation, solvothermal, sol-gel, microwave synthesis), synthesis from the melt, combustion synthesis, gas phase synthesis for thin films (PVD, CVD, sputtering), and polymer synthesis. It will also cover scattering techniques (e.g. XRD), spectroscopic techniques (e.g. IR, XPS, XAS, UV-vis), imaging (e.g. SEM, AFM, TEM).

This course aims to design advanced materials across scales from molecular to macro by focusing on core principles and their device applications. Students will explore structure-property relationships, synthesis methods, and characterization techniques, with practical examples spanning energy, information technology, and biomedical applications. The course connects materials innovation approaches with emerging platforms to enable next-generation device technologies.

This course will focus on exploring a wide range of novel nanomaterials, and the methods of their synthesis and applications. Students will be introduced to the major methods for the synthesis of these nanomaterials, including the bases, conditions, applicability and limitations of the synthesis processes. Students will examine applications of these materials in energy, environment and biomedical devices.

This course will introduce students to the entrepreneurial process of the technology industry in the specific area of Materials Engineering (MATE). It will discuss the fundamental aspects of launching a MATE-relevant technology entrepreneurial venture to complement the research and development activities in science and technology.

The course covers a variety of soft matter systems, including synthetic polymers, biopolymers (e.g., proteins, DNAs, and RNAs), liquid crystals, surfactants, and colloids. This course describes various materials science and engineering concepts and phenomena common in soft matter systems, including self-assembly, phase transitions, and glass transitions. The course is highly interdisciplinary, integrating fundamental physics, chemistry, biology, with practical engineering principles.

This course will demonstrate the critical link between Materials Science & Engineering and Artificial Intelligence (Al). Topics will include Al for materials simulation and design. By taking this course, students will master the Al approaches used in Materials Science & Engineering field and be able to apply them for solving practical problems in materials property prediction and design.

The course covers fundamentals of material science and its interface with medicine. The design principles of biomaterials will be described for different applications, ranging from implants to drug carriers and tissue regeneration. Latest technologies to advance biomaterials design and fabrication will be taught. Considerations in regulatory approval process, manufacturing, and commercialization will be discussed.

This course aims to equip students with broad knowledge in pharmaceutical engineering. The topics span from early drug discovery to late commercial manufacturing. Theory and practice of the chemical synthesis and the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), solid-state characterization of APIs, and formulation of various pharmaceutical dosage forms are covered. The course also introduces students to some of the main challenges in current pharmaceutical research and development related to selected topics such as continuous manufacturing and advanced process analytical technologies.

This course offers understandings of polymer science and engineering, and covers polymer history, concepts, synthesis, characterizations, structures/morphology, and properties. This course also introduces covalent organic frameworks along the line of extended networks. After this course, students will understand the concepts and principles of polymerizations, widely used synthetic methods for polymerizations, and ways to analyze properties to understand morphology and structures.

Electrochemistry fundamentals; thermodynamics; electrokinetics; energy conversion and storage; fuel cells; batteries; supercapacitors; solar cells; electrolyzers; fuel production; CO2 reduction.

This course elaborates on the fundamentals and applications of solar energy, which is the most prominent renewable energy option for our carbon-neutral future. It covers the key physics, materials, and device engineering aspects that are important in developing strategies to harness and utilize solar energy more efficiently and cheaply.

This course explores polymers' mechanical, optical, and transport properties, focusing on the fundamental physics and physical chemistry of polymers in various states: melt, solution, and solid. Key topics include polymer chains' conformation and molecular dimensions in solutions, melts, blends, and block copolymers. We will investigate the structures of polymers' glassy, crystalline, and rubbery elastic states, as well as the thermodynamics of polymer solutions, blends, and crystallization. Additionally, we will cover concepts such as phase separation and self-assembled block copolymers. Case studies will highlight the relationships between structure and function in important polymeric systems used in new technology.

This course provides a foundational overview of ionic transport and electron–ion coupling at interfaces, emphasizing advanced materials, device fabrication, and characterization. Students will explore electrolytes, electroactive materials, and state-of-the-art applications in energy, sensing, and bioinspired technologies. By bridging emerging research trends with entrepreneurial insights, the course prepares students to drive innovation where ionic and electronic domains converge.

This course aims to give a comprehensive coverage from materials properties, morphologies, to final product properties. All major material processing processes will be covered, including engineering fundamentals and properties, extrusion molding, injection molding, below molding, compression molding, and other advanced molding.

Special topics in Materials Science and Engineering.

An independent research project carried out under the supervision of a faculty member.

* Students may obtain a maximum of 6 credits from these project-based courses.

A design project on a topic in the realm of materials engineering carried out as a team effort under the supervision of a faculty member. It focuses on design thinking and getting hands-on experience with the engineering design process in a broad sense, and aims to accommodate students with more industry-oriented interests.

* Students may obtain a maximum of 6 credits from these project-based courses.