This course provides the student with an overviw of ceramic materials; their crystalline structure, their electronic and ionic defects and subsequent transport phenomena, their microstructure, their mechanical properties, their processing and diverse modern applications. Additionally, the course presents pertinent topics such as glass formation and applications of nanostructured ceramic materials.

Oral and written presentations about Materials Science and Engineering topics presented by faculty and advanced students. This course is part of the Undergraduate Certificate on Materials Science and Engineering.

Study of heat and mass transfer concepts applied to solidification processes. The properties of crucibles and molds as well as the metallurgy of molten alloys and cast metal matrix composites will be studied. Computational simulation of solidification processes to analyze them from a mechanistic and practical viewpoint. 

Study of materials stability driven by thermodynamic and kinetic considerations. Analysis of phenomena that operate and regulate syntheses and materials processing at different scales. Study of solidification and gas phase processes based on energetics considerations. Control and prediction of materials processing based on interfacial phenomena.