Course detail

Advanced Material Chemistry

FCH-MA_PMCHAcad. year: 2025/2026

The course aims to familiarize students with the advanced features and applications of non-metallic materials. In particular, it is focused on organic semiconductors and other functional materials for use in the fields such as organic light-emitting diodes / lighting elements, organic and hybrid solar cells, organic field effect transistors, solid-state lasers and (bio)sensors. Attention is also paid to the printed and hybrid electronics and photonics.

Language of instruction

English

Number of ECTS credits

4

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

prof. Mgr. Martin Vala, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Physical and Applied Chemistry (ÚFSCH)

Offered to foreign students

The home faculty only

Entry knowledge

Basic understanding of solid state physics, physical chemistry and general and organic chemistry.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

The course ends with a test (oral or written) in which students demonstrate acquired knowledge. To obtain the credit it is necessary to elaborate a semester project. Quality semester project will be reflected in the overall evaluation of the course.
A lecture of two hours per week for full-time study ends with an exam. Part of the exam is also the defense of the semester work, which students prepare for a selected theme from the course. The combined form of teaching is supported by an elearning course in which students are provided with learning support including electronic textbooks, presentations from lectures and others.

Aims

To familiarize students with advanced features and applications of non-metallic materials. Understand the relationship between molecular and supramolecular structure and properties of non-metallic materials. To acquire knowledge of selected advanced applications.

Upon completion of the course the students will be equipped with knowledge of material chemistry and physics of nonmetal materials. They will be acquainted with the processes and phenomena that occur in these materials and will understand selected applications using optical electrical and other properties of these materials.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

William D. Callister.Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction. New York, John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2000

Recommended reading

J-L Bredas, S. R. Marder, Organic Semiconductors, World Scientific, London, 2016

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme NPCP_CHCHTE Master's 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory
  • Programme NKCP_CHCHTE Master's 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

prof. Mgr. Martin Vala, Ph.D.

Syllabus

Introduction, definition of the content of the course, introduction with the problems, possibilities and limits of organic electronics and photonics.
Characteristics of non-metallic materials: chemical and electronic structure of metallic materials (electronic structure of atoms, atomic and molecular orbitals, LCAO, bonding and antibonding orbitals, hybridization orbitals HOMO and LUMO levels, conjugated molecules)
Photophysical processes in organic materials - Excited states (absorption and emission, singlet and triplet states), the rate of electron transitions, the transition moment, Frank Condon principle, Radiative and nonradiative transitions, kinetics of excited states.
Exciton processes in organic materials - Solid phase: binding states of matter, amorphous and crystalline phases, excitons, Forester and Dexter energy transfer, quenching of excitons.
Molecular tailoring - the fundamental aspects of "tuning" of the properties of molecular materials.
Quantum chemical modeling of the properties of non-metallic materials.
The electrical conductivity of molecular materials - transport of charge carriers, materials for high charge-carrier mobility transistors.
Photogeneration of charge carriers - the photovoltaic effect, characterization of solar cells, photo-induced charge transfer, organic solar cells - materials and construction.
Photogeneration of charge carriers II - Hybrid Solar Cells: Dye-sensitized solar cells and perovskite - structures and materials.
Recombination of charge carriers - luminescence and electroluminescence materials for SS fluorescence and electroluminescence, light emitting diodes construction and lighting systems.
Methods to study the structure and properties of non-metallic materials - optical, electrical and optoelectronic.
Methods of preparation and characterization of thin films.
Conclusions - other selected topics of organic electronics (applications, eg. (Bio) sensors, NLO, laser) and a summary.