Project introduction and background information
The course brings together material properties research and device integration. It fills the gap between molecular sciences on one hand and device engineering and applications on the other hand. The course will illustrate this by studying existing devices, such as displays, smart windows, and microfluidic devices, and future developments such as soft robotics, electronic paper and interactive coatings and paints. Students will also gain experience in fabricating such devices.
Objective and expected outcomes
The main goal of this course is to gain insight on how to translate the properties of material into device functionalities. At the end of the course, students will have acquired the overview of the design route from molecules to materials, device design and fabrication.
To be more specific, at the end of the course the students should have gained knowledge in basic material processing, the current device technologies around us, and forthcoming technologies. They should understand what the device properties are and how to characterize them, how to compare different device principles which deliver similar macroscopic phenomena. Students will learn the key features between devices at both laboratory and industrial scales, and the engineering challenges in upscaling devices.
Results and learnings
The philosophy of the course is that students are learning from the expert by joining the lectures as well as learning by working on the projects and doing the experiments on their own. At the end, students will also take a step further from academia approaches towards industrialization to learn how the devices are massively produced.
Recommendations
Please contact d.liu1@tue.nl.