MSE365

Materials Laboratory II

Laboratory experiences based on principles emphasized in Physics of Materials and Fundamentals of Materials. Processing, properties, and microstructure with a focus on electronic and magnetic phenomena.

Level Undergraduate
Terms Offered Winter

Course Objectives


  1. To teach students the fundamentals of safe laboratory practice

  2. To teach students methods of analyzing errors for data analysis

  3. To provide students hands-on experience in assessing mechanical, optical, electronic, and magnetic behavior of materials

  4. To teach students methods of documenting work in a laboratory notebook

  5. To teach students scientific communication through written and oral presentations

Course Outcomes


  1. To teach students the fundamentals of safe laboratory practice

  2. To teach students methods of analyzing errors for data analysis

  3. To provide students hands-on experience in assessing mechanical, optical, electronic, and magnetic behavior of materials

  4. To teach students methods of documenting work in a laboratory notebook

  5. To teach students scientific communication through written and oral presentations

Assessment Tools

A1. Experiment #1, Thermoplastic Molding & Properties: Individual written report, plus quiz, plus notebook review (15 pts.) 
A2. Experiment #2, Electronic Materials: Group written report, plus quiz, plus notebook review (15 pts.) 
A3. Experiment #3, Shape Memory Polymers/Gels: Individual written report, plus quiz, plus notebook review (15 pts.) 
A4. Experiment #4, Ti Alloys & Microstructure: Group written report, plus quiz, plus notebook review (15 pts.) 
B. Group Project (25 pts): Initial written proposal (2 pts), progress report (3 pts), oral proposal (2 pts), final group executive report (5 pts), poster/presentation (5 pts), peer evaluation (4 pts), and group peer evaluation (4 pts) 
C. Literature Critique - individual written review (5 pts.) 
D. Final Exam - closed-book questions & problems from the four experiments (10 pts.)

Course Topics


  1. Data acquisition

  2. Processing of semiconducting, polymeric, and metallic materials

  3. Measurement of electronic and magnetic phenomena including resitivity, Hall effect, dielectric, ferroelectric, & ferromagnetic behavior

  4. Microstructural characterization by atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, & high resolution x-ray diffraction

  5. Measurement and analysis of mechanical and thermal properties of polymers

  6. Synthesis of shape memory polymers, biogels, and polymer gels for bioseparation

  7. Molecular modeling/simulations

Scroll to Top