Thermodynamics of Materials

Catalog description

MATSE 501 Thermodynamics of Materials (3) The goal of this course is to teach the fundamental principles of thermodynamics of materials from a practical viewpoint - thermodynamics as a "toolbox" to help understand chemical behavior of materials. It attempts to integrate chemistry, phase equilibria, and thermodynamics of a materials system as different means of describing the same chemical behavior. It develops quantitative relationships among them. Thermodynamic terms/values are defined in terms of measurable quantities such as temperature, pressure (partial pressures), and concentrations to diminish the abstract nature of thermodynamics. The course emphasizes problem solving, and more specifically, developing explanations and understanding of chemical and thermal behavior observed in the laboratory/industry. A integral part of the course is to teach the use of state-of-the-art equilibrium themiodynamics computer software as an aid in performing calculations, particularly those involving chemically complex systems with many species.