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

Course syllabus adopted 2024-02-12 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameOmsättning av 2D-material i praktiken: produktion och industriell potential för grafen
  • CodeTRA425
  • Credits15 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 97172
  • Open for exchange studentsYes

Credit distribution

0124 Project 15 c
Grading: TH		7.5 c7.5 c0 c0 c0 c0 c

In programmes

Examiner

Go to coursepage (Opens in new tab)

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 the second cycle 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.

As this is a cross-disciplinary course, both master and PhD students with the following backgrounds are welcome to join us:
  • Basic courses in physics, chemistry, materials science, biology, and chemical/electric/auto- motive/environmental/production engineering
  • Experience in nanotechnology and nanoscience are meriting but not a requirement

Aim

The course provides 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 multidisciplinary development teams

We aim at the introduction of industry-oriented graphene applications, which could shape your future. As an interdisciplinary course, we will provide you with information about the mass production of graphene-based 2D materials, as well as challenges and opportunities in graphene commercialization. Some examples of graphene industrial potentials at Chalmers will be shared with you. Additionally, the course offers hands-on participation in graphene-based projects aimed at creating practical products. This includes opportunities to engage in 3D printing with graphene polymer composites or to fabricate graphene by yourself for applications in energy storage or water purification.

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

  • 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
  • orally and in writing explain and discuss information, problems, methods, design/development processes and solutions
  • Describe the manufacturing process of graphene in industry, including top-down and bottom-up approaches, and understand the underlying reaction mechanisms for each approach.
  • Identify, compare, and evaluate various forms of commercial graphene, such as graphene oxide (GO), graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), and chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene, based on their distinct physical and chemical properties.
  • Describe the fundamental characterization methods for graphene, including optical, electrical, physical/chemical characterizations.
  • Explain the fabricating process of graphene-polymer nanocomposites and give some examples of its related commercial products.
  • Elaborate on how the challenges posed by emerging organic contaminants in greywater can be mitigated using graphene-filter system.
  • Detail the pivotal energy storage devices: fuel cells, supercapacitors, and batteries, elucidating the main role of graphene in each device.
  • Give examples of potential commercial applications for graphene and other 2D materials and match different types of graphene-related materials with their corresponding end-user products.
  • Operate Raman Optical spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to evaluate the quality of graphene in commercial graphene-based products.
  • Design and execute practical projects involving either the production of graphene, the 3D printing of graphene composites, or the fabrication of energy storage devices utilizing GNP, the assembly of water filters based on GO.
  • Effectively convey their professional knowledge through both written and spoken forms, tailored to their intended audience, including supervisors and other students.
  • Report the findings from the experimental works, detailing methodology and data analysis, and their connections with sustainability transition in Sweden.

Content

This interdisciplinary course is built on the following lectures:
  • Introduction of Graphene and their Commercial Production
  • Standardization of Graphene
  • Basic Graphene Characterization Techniques
  • Graphene-Metal Composites
  • Graphene-Polymer Composites
  • Graphene in 2D and 3D foams
  • Graphene Composites for Water Purification
  • Graphene Composites in Energy Storage
  • Graphene Application in Aerospace
  • 2D Materials beyond Graphene and their Impact to Big Industries

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.

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

Literature

With input from the teaching team, students will develop the ability to identify and acquire relevant literature throughout their projects.

Examination including compulsory elements

Examination structured with four components, contributing to the final grade (100%) as following:
  • Online Quizzes (10%): After each lecture, the students should finish an online quiz with 10 multiple-choice questions.
  • Mid-Term Presentation (10%): An oral presentation held at the midterm for individual students about graphene killer applications, the grade will be peer-reviewed by other students.
  • Final Oral Presentation (20%): A team-based presentation for the exhibition of group projects, the grade will be peer-reviewed by the opponent from other teams.
  • Individual Project Report (50%): The largest portion of the grade comes from an individual project report about the summary of lab activities in graphene applications.
The final grade is determined based on these components, with approved grades being 3, 4, and 5.

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.