MATS6008 Advanced Functional Materials

How MATS6008 is assessed

The published numeric rows total 100%. The current course notice is the authority for final exam date, permitted materials, book status and supervision details.

What MATS6008 covers

MATS6008 starts with nanoscale structure and functional design, applies those ideas to energy, optical, electronic and biological systems, then builds the characterisation and synthesis methods needed to test and create the structures.

The first lecture block explains scale, surface effects, structure and the contrast between top-down and bottom-up fabrication. Two application blocks then use batteries, supercapacitors, photovoltaics, OLEDs, nanoelectronics, fuel cells, solar water splitting, hydrogen storage and nanobiotechnology to show how a material feature changes device behaviour.

The characterisation blocks compare electron and scanning probe microscopy with optical, vibrational, magnetic and X-ray spectroscopy, then extend that reasoning into near-field optics and plasmonics. The synthesis blocks compare thin-film deposition, atomic layer control, particle nucleation and nanowire growth.

Across the course, the useful habit is to connect five things: required function, controlling length scale, material structure, fabrication route and measurable evidence. The published assessment consists of a 45% two-hour final exam accessed through Inspera, a 30% Advanced Functional Materials Essay and a 25% Laboratory workbook.

The course pages provide two example question types, one on describing a thin-film synthesis method with a sketch and one on estimating optical resolution. They are samples rather than a complete past paper, so this guide uses fresh numbers and original prompts while preserving the visible reasoning demands.

Worked example · free

Photovoltaic efficiency from irradiance and cell area

Key terms

Nanoscale

A size regime where surfaces, interfaces, confinement or discrete structure can control behaviour more strongly than in a bulk material.

Functional material

A material selected or engineered to perform an electrical, optical, chemical, magnetic, thermal, mechanical or biological function.

Double-layer capacitance

Electrostatic charge storage at an electrode and electrolyte interface without the bulk reaction path of a conventional battery.

Pseudocapacitance

Fast faradaic charge storage through surface redox, electrosorption or shallow intercalation that produces capacitor-like rate behaviour.

Photovoltaic effect

Conversion of absorbed light into separated charge carriers and electrical power in a semiconductor device.

Overpotential

Additional driving voltage beyond the reversible value needed to overcome reaction kinetics and other losses.

Resolution

The smallest separation at which two features can be distinguished, which is different from merely enlarging an image.

Tunnelling current

A strongly distance-dependent quantum current between conductive surfaces, used as the feedback signal in scanning tunnelling microscopy.

Bragg diffraction

Constructive X-ray interference from periodic crystal planes satisfying n lambda equals 2d sine theta.

Plasmon

A collective oscillation of mobile charge that can produce strong local optical fields in metallic nanostructures.

Atomic layer deposition

A cyclic thin-film process using separated self-limiting surface reactions to control thickness and conformality.

VLS growth

A vapour-liquid-solid nanowire process in which a liquid catalyst collects feed species and precipitates a growing solid wire.

MATS6008 FAQ

Questions students ask in each MATS6008 chapter

Why can a nanomaterial behave differently from the bulk form?

A smaller structure has more interface relative to volume, shorter transport distances and, in some systems, confinement effects. The dominant mechanism can therefore shift even when chemical composition stays the same. A strong answer identifies the specific interaction instead of claiming that all nanoscale materials are automatically better. Chapter 01 · Nanoscale Foundations and Functional Design

Why are silicon nanowires attractive as battery electrodes?

Silicon can store substantial lithium but expands strongly during lithiation. A nanowire geometry provides short diffusion paths and free surface that can accommodate strain without the same fracture pattern as a dense bulk particle. Extra interface reactions and packing density remain important costs. Chapter 02 · Batteries and Supercapacitors

What are the main photovoltaic loss paths?

Incident light can be reflected or transmitted, below-threshold photons may not be absorbed, excess photon energy can become heat, carriers can recombine before collection, and resistance can reduce useful voltage and current. The best explanation locates the proposed improvement on that conversion chain. Chapter 03 · Photovoltaics, Lighting and Nanoelectronics

Why must electrons travel outside a PEM fuel cell?

The membrane conducts protons but blocks electrons. Electrons released by hydrogen oxidation therefore pass through the external circuit and perform useful work before reaching the cathode. If they crossed internally, they would bypass the load and reduce useful power. Chapter 04 · Fuel Cells and Solar Water Splitting

Why is stronger hydrogen binding not always better?

A storage medium must retain hydrogen under operating conditions but also release it without excessive heat or chemical regeneration. Weak physisorption can require low temperature, while strong chemisorption can trap hydrogen. Practical design searches for reversible binding within a useful temperature and pressure window. Chapter 05 · Hydrogen Storage and Nanobiotechnology

What is the difference between SEM and TEM?

SEM scans a focused beam over a bulk surface and collects emitted signals, making it strong for morphology and near-surface composition. TEM transmits electrons through a thin specimen and can reveal internal structure, lattice information and diffraction, but it requires demanding preparation and a much smaller sampled volume. Chapter 06 · Electron Microscopy and Image Contrast

Why can STM not image an ordinary insulator?

STM requires a tunnelling current between the tip and specimen, so both sides need a conductive electronic pathway under the measurement conditions. Standard STM therefore cannot map an ordinary insulating surface, while AFM can use force-related interactions and does not impose the same conductivity requirement. Chapter 07 · Scanning Probe Microscopy

How should a spectroscopy method be selected?

Match the energy and interaction to the structural question. Infrared and Raman address vibrations through different selection rules, UV-visible methods probe electronic absorption, NMR distinguishes local nuclear environments, and X-ray methods access periodic structure, core levels or local coordination. Sampling depth and preparation still matter. Chapter 08 · Spectroscopy and Nanophotonics

How are evaporation and sputtering different?

Evaporation heats a source so atoms enter the vapour and travel mainly line of sight to the substrate. Sputtering transfers ion momentum to a target and ejects atoms. Sputtering handles a broad material range and energetic flux, while evaporation is simpler but can struggle with coverage and composition. Chapter 09 · Thin-Film Deposition Processes

Why should nucleation and growth be separated?

A short nucleation burst creates particles of similar age that can grow together, supporting a narrow size distribution. Continued nucleation adds younger particles while older ones keep growing, broadening the product. Temperature, mixing and precursor addition determine whether those stages overlap. Chapter 10 · Nanoparticle and Nanowire Synthesis

How to study for the exam

Build revision around decisions rather than a list of technologies. For each application, write the required function, the controlling length scale, the carrier or reaction path, and the dominant loss. For characterisation, make a compact matrix of probe, interaction, detector signal, sampling depth, preparation and artefact.

For synthesis, trace inputs through energy and transport to nucleation or film growth, then link each process variable to a structure or defect. Rework the optical-resolution calculation with several wavelengths and numerical apertures, always carrying units.

Practise one five-point process description with a labelled sketch for CVD, sputtering, ALD and VLS so that inputs, apparatus, mechanism, controls and limitation fit into a short answer. Use the Week 10 all-topic consultation to test the links between application, characterisation and synthesis. Before the final, confirm the current Inspera arrangements and permitted aids rather than inferring them from the example questions.