The course is divided in two moduli:

a) Chemistry and Materials for Energy

b) Chemistry and Materials for Environment

First Modulus: Chemistry and Materials for Energy

The course will analyze the critical relationships of the energy, environment and sustainability and will focuse on the chemistry and materials that are essential to energy production.

Second Modulus: Chemistry and Materials for Environment

The course has two main goals: 1) to promote a deep understanding of the computational structure of the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology; 2) to apply this methodology to evaluate the sustainability of materials and processes. In pursuing these goals, special attention will be paid to the definition and construction of systems of environmental impact indicators to be used in the assessment procedure. A consistent portion of the course will be devoted to the application of the LCA methodology to representative real life cases, mainly taken from chemical and materials industrial real cases.

A third goal of the course is to give the basics of the materials science in terms of description of traditional materials properties and their main features to all those students that have never attended before any introductory materials science course.

The course is divided in two moduli:

a) Chemistry and Materials for Energy

b) Chemistry and Materials for Environment

First Modulus: Chemistry and Materials for Energy

The course will allow students to:

• - Know and discuss about alternative system of energy production (i.e. fuel cell, batteries etc.)
• - Know and discuss about innovative materials (i.e. graphene) for energy applications
• - Know and discuss about materials for energy harvesting
• - Know and discuss about renewable way to produce energy
• The project will allow students to prepare, present and discuss a presentation on a topic related to chemistry and materials for energy produuction or energy harvesting

Second Modulus: Chemistry and Materials for Environment

DdD1: knowledge and comprehension

When the student has successfully passed the exam:

• Knows the fundamentals of the LCA methodology;
• Knows to the fundamentals of the environmental impact indicators to be applied in the environmental sustainability assessment;
• Knows the classes of traditional materials and their main properties

DdD 2: ability to apply knowledge and comprehension

When the student has successfully passed the exam:

• Is able to apply the LCA methodology to simplified industrial cases studies

The course is divided in two moduli:

 a) Chemistry and Materials for Energy

 b) Chemistry and Materials for Environment

First Modulus: Chemistry and Materials for Energy

The course deals with properties of materials for energy; it will be about different technologies for alternative energy production, for production of biofules, for transportation and storage. 

In details:

1. Materials for electrochemical devices for energy production and storage (i.e. fuel cells, batteries and supercapacitors)
2. Hydrogen economy: production, storage and use.
3. Solar energy:photovoltaic devices: inorganic and organic semiconductors, photo-electrochemistry.
4. Graphene and graphite-based materials for energy applications.
5. Piezoelectricity: application in energy harvesting.

More information: 1st lecture, when the course presentation and more details on final evaluation will be given.

Second Modulus: Chemistry and Materials for Environment: 

1. Life Cycle Analysis and Life Cycle Thinking: historical background, regulation, procedures, applications. Calculation methodology, databases and technical software. Sustainability assessment: introductory concepts.
2. Ecoindicators: mesurement methods, environmental and damage impact category, impact quantification;
3. Traditional classification of materials, their main properties and uses in engineering.
4. Industrial processes for materials productions: case studies (i.e. cement, polymeric materials, metallic materials and ceramic materials).
5. Materials End-of-Life: open and closed-loop recycling, re-use, waste-to-energy process, waste management processes. 

First Modulus: Chemistry and Materials for Energy: none

Second Modulus: Chemistry and Materials for Environment: 

It is required only a basic knowledge of chemistry and linear algebra in terms of

- simple stoichiometric calculations,

- international system of units of measure

- matrix calculations

No prerequisite of materials science is necessary.

A introduction to traditional materials classes, their main properties and fields of applications will be given for those student attending the course and who have not been previously attended any introductory materials course.

Exercise sessions will be mainly quantitative; no specific numerical skills are required.

First Modulus: Chemistry and Materials for Energy: 

The course will have lessons and a personal work to be prepared togheter with other students.Exams consist in the evaluation of the personal presentations, and a written test to verify the knowledge of the contents of the frontal lessons.

Second Modulus: Chemistry and Materials for Environment: 

The final exam will consist of a written test only organized in three sections:

• Part A: numerical exercise on calculations of impact indicators;
• Part B: numerical application of the LCA methodology to a simplified case studies
• Part C: open questions on theory fundamentals

The test will last two hours; any supporting materials and electronic devices are allowed during the exam; there are no limits to the number of tests the student can attend to.

At the end of the course, there is the possibility for the student to attend an end-of-course simulation test, which is in practice an additional exam test.

Only a portion of the book will be used in the present course

Only a portion of the book will be used in the present course

Further reading for those interested in the computational structure of LCA