Nanomaterials & Energy

Semester: 
Fall
Master-level course of the Bioenergy program

Main topics:

  • Environmental challenges and materials needs for energy transition
  • Working principles, fabrication and characterization of solar cells
  • Dimensioning and projection of photovoltaic plus storage systems
  • Principles of energy harvesting from motion and nanogenerators
  • Practical group projects on characterization and fabrication of solar cells, dimensioning of energy systems, environmental case studies

Polymeric Materials II

Semester: 
Fall

Sol-gel transition. Rubber vulcanization. Elasticity of the rubber.
Viscoelasticity: viscoelastic models, master curves, time-temperature overlap principle, WLF equation, Boltzmann superposition principle.

Brief reference to the mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites.
Main commercial polymers. Additives. Properties and applications.
General information on polymer processing. Polymers and environment. The evolution of polymer materials, natural polymers, opportunities, and challenges.

Photovoltaic Energy: Materials & Applications

Semester: 
Fall
4th-5th year course of the Department of Materials Science

Main topics:

  • Physical principles of photovoltaic (PV) solar-to-electricity conversion
  • Traditional (wafer-based) and emerging (thin-film) PV technologies
  • Novel solar cell concepts as photonics for light-trapping and quantum-structured semiconductors
  • Electrical storage in batteries and (super)capacitors
  • Practical group projects on characterization and computational simulation of solar cells, as well as dimensioning of PV + storage systems.

Introduction to Biochemistry

Semester: 
Fall

2019/2020, 2020/2021, 2021/2022

1st semester, Biochemistry graduation, Nova School of Science and Technology

Energia e Ambiente

Semester: 
Fall

Uso da energia na sociedade tecnológica. Combustíveis fósseis, combustão e poluentes. Energias renováveis: recursos (biomassa, solar térmica, solar fotovoltaica, eólica, hídrica, ondas, geotérmica) e tecnologias. Energia nuclear.

Polymer Chemistry

Semester: 
Fall

Course Program:
Introduction: Concepts and Definitions;History of the concept of polymer; Examples and nomenclature.
Polymer Molecular Weights.Classification of polymerization reactions;Condensation (Step-Growth) Polymerization.Radical Chain polymerization.Chain Copolymerization.
Chemical Modification reaction of polymers.Polymer Hydrolysis reactions.
Techniques for characterization of polymers.Some industrial applications.

Biomaterials

Semester: 
Fall

Biomaterials, i.e. materials for medical applications, can be natural or of synthetic origin but in all cases are designed to interact with the human body. The Biomaterials course will be structured in two parts. In part one, we will analyze the structure and behavior of synthetic materials used as implants to treat injuries and diseases: metals, polymers, ceramics and glasses, composite materials (here we include cellular materials). Part two will focus on the structure and properties of natural biological tissues, including hard and soft tissues and tissue inflammatory response.