Course syllabus for Conveying 2D materials into practice: Production and industry potential of graphene

Course syllabus adopted 2023-02-14 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameOmsättning av 2D-material i praktiken: produktion och industriell potential för grafen
  • CodeTRA210
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTRACKS
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • DepartmentTRACKS
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 97145
  • Open for exchange studentsYes

Credit distribution

0123 Project 7.5 c
Grading: TH
7.5 c0 c0 c0 c0 c0 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

In addition to the general requirements to study at advanced level at Chalmers, necessary subject or project specific prerequisite competences (if any) must be fulfilled. Alternatively, the student must obtain the necessary competences during the course. The examiner will formulate and check these prerequisite competences.

The student will only be admitted in agreement with the examiner.

Basic course in at least one of the following subjects: chemistry, material science, chemical engineering, metal engineering, or related disciplines. Some experience with nanotechnology and nanoscience is recommended.

Aim

The aim of the course is to provide a platform to work and solve challenging cross-disciplinary authentic problems from different stakeholders in society such as the academy, industry or public institutions. Additionally, the aim is that students from different educational programs practice working efficiently in global multidisciplinary development teams.

In the field of material science, perhaps none has generated such enthusiasm and excitement as Graphene. It rocked the world of material chemistry in 2004, when scientists from University of Manchester discovered that it had remarkable physical and chemical properties such as high surface area, excellent electrical conductivity, extraordinary elasticity and ultra-light weight. Although harnessing these properties for use in commercial products is still challenging, the advancement in the understanding of graphene will boost the industrial success of graphene as a compelling technology.
In this course, we aim at the introduction of industry-oriented graphene applications, which will be closely related to our daily lives. As an interdisciplinary course, we will provide an industrial chain about graphene from mass production of graphene based 2D materials, to challenges and opportunities in graphene commercialization, and some examples of potential industrial applications in Chalmers (i.e. water filtration and energy storage).




Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)


Valid for all Tracks courses:
  • critically and creatively identify and/or formulate advanced architectural or engineering problems
  • master problems with open solutions spaces which includes to be able to handle uncertainties and limited information.
  • lead and participate in the development of new products, processes and systems using a holistic approach by following a design process and/or a systematic development process.
  • work in multidisciplinary teams and collaborate in teams with different compositions
  • show insights about cultural differences and to be able to work sensitively with them.
  • show insights about and deal with the impact of architecture and/or engineering solutions in a global, economic, environment and societal context.
  • identify ethical aspects and discuss and judge their consequences in relation to the specific problem
  • orally and in writing explain and discuss information, problems, methods, design/development processes and solutions
  • fulfill project specific learning outcomes
Course specific:
  • Describe the manufacturing process of graphene in industry, including top-down and bottom-up approaches, and understand the reaction mechanisms behind each approach.
  • Identify, compare, and evaluate different forms of commercial graphene, including graphene oxide (GO), graphene nanoplates (GNPs), and chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene, according to their physical and chemical properties.
  • Describe the basic characterization methods of graphene, including optical, electrical, physical/chemical characterizations.
  • Explain the fabricating process of graphene-polymer nanocomposites and give some examples of its related commercial products.
  • Explain how the issues of emerging organic contaminants in greywater can be dealt with in the graphene-filter system.
  • Describe the key energy storage devices: fuel cells, supercapacitors, and batteries, explain the main role of graphene in each type of the devices.
  • Give examples of potential commercial applications for graphene and other 2D materials beyond it.
  • Communicate their professional knowledge both in written and spoken forms at a level suited to their audience (supervisors and other students).


Content

This interdisciplinary course is built on the following lectures:
  • Introduction of graphene
  • Commercial production and standardization of graphene
  • Basic characterization techniques of graphene
  • Graphene/metal composites
  • Graphene/polymer composites
  • 2D and 3D foams of graphene
  • Graphene composites in water purification
  • Graphene composites in energy storage
  • Other industrial applications of graphene-based materials
  • Other novel 2D materials

Organisation

The course is run by a teaching team.
The main part of the course is a challenge driven project. The challenge may range from being broad societal to profound research driven. The project task is solved in a group. The course is supplemented by on-demand teaching and learning of the skills necessary for the project. The project team will have one university examiner, one or a pole of university supervisors and one or a pole of external co-supervisors if applicable.

Tracks-theme: Emerging technologies - from science to innovation

The course is based on 10 lectures (2 hours each, including guest speakers either from Chalmers or from industry), tutorials (ca 6 hours), and group projects

Literature

Relevant literature is retrieved and acquired by the students as a part of the project.
Lecture notes and handouts.

Examination including compulsory elements

Examination is done with oral and written reports of student group work with laboratory exercises.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.