Advanced physical chemistry

Duration

15h Th, 5h QA Sess.

Number of credits

Lecturer

Bernard Leyh

Language(s) of instruction

English language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

The course consists of four parts.
1. Brief review of the principles of statistical thermodynamics: Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics
2. Vibrational properties of crystalline solids (acoustic and optical phonons) and statistical calculation of the associated macroscopic properties
3. Electronic structure of crystalline solids (dispersion curves, density of states) and statistical calculation of the associated macroscopic properties
4. Conduction properties of materials

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

This course is the last step in the general physical chemistry education for chemists. Its objective is that the future chemists be able to interpret the macroscopic properties of materials based on their knowledge of the sub-microscocopic world, which is most familiar to them. The course aims therefore at giving the students the appropriate tools to understand material sciences.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

General and physical chemistry courses at the bachelor level, especially the chapters devoted to thermodynamics and spectroscopy.
The course is based on physical and chemical concepts taught during the first three years (general physics, chemical thermodynamics, macroscopic physical chemistry, molecular physical chemistry). In mathematics, the knowledge of derivatives and integrals is required. The student is required to study again by him(her)self those topics that are no longer familiar to him or her.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

No laboratory work is organized for this course

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)

Theoretical course: 8 to 10 lectures (15 hours globally) during the first quadrimester. Schedule available online: http://www.facsc.ulg.ac.be/cms/c_5000/fr/accueil
The course is taught in English.
Problem solving classes will be organized (5 hours).

Recommended or required readings

Regularly updated lecture notes (in French) are available. A list of reference books is communicated to the students at the beginning of the course.

Assessment methods and criteria

Written examination (exercises) and oral examination (theory) in January 2018.

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

Contacts

Bernard Leyh Department of Chemistry, Building B6c (Office R77 and lab S72), B-4000 Liège 1 (Sart Tilman) Phone: +32/(0)4/366.34.25 - E-mail : Bernard.Leyh@ulg.ac.be
Exercise classes: Valérie Schwanen vschwanen@ulg.ac.be