Intro to Material Structure

The word “structure” brings many images to mind, from buildings to playgrounds. But what does it mean in the context of materials? We care about our materials at all length scales, from the tallest buildings to how the atoms are arranged in nanoparticles. But why do we care about a material's structure and the atomic and microscale? What impact does a materials structure have on a material's properties and performance? This course will: • Classify atomic bonds based on general features. • Highlight the differences between crystalline and amorphous materials based on atomic arrangement. • Describe what a unit cell is for crystalline materials. • Identify the basic elements of a polymeric chain. • Look at the impact of the reinforcement, matrix and interface of a composite on the structure and properties.