Page 11 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

x Preface
Fe-C system and steels, and topics such as magnetism, corrosion inhibition,
hydrogen storage, and shape-memory phenomena. The mining/processing of
metals has also been expanded to include photographs of various processes
occurring in an actual steel-making plant. The structure/properties of other
metallic classes, such as the coinage metals and other alloys, has also been
expanded in this edition.
The semiconductor chapter addresses the evolution of modern transistors, as
well as IC fabrication and photovoltaics. Building on the fundamentals presented
earlier, more details regarding the band structure of semiconductors is now
included, as well as discussions of GaAs vs. Si for microelectronics applications,
and surface reconstruction nomenclature. The emerging field of ‘soft lithographic’
patterning is now included in this chapter, and thin film deposition methodologies
are also greatly expanded to now include more fundamental aspects of chemical
vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD). The current trends in
applications such as LEDs/OLEDs, thermoelectric devices, and photovoltaics
(including emerging technologies such as dye-sensitized solar cells) are also
provided in this chapter.
The polymeric/‘soft’ materials chapter represents the largest expansion for the
2nd edition. This chapter describes all polymeric classes including dendritic
polymers, as well as important additives such as plasticizers and flame-retardants,
and emerging applications such as molecular magnets and self-repairing poly-
mers. This edition now features ‘click chemistry’ polymerization, silicones, con-
ductive polymers and biomaterials applications such as biodegradable polymers,
biomedical devices, drug delivery, and contact lenses.

The nanomaterials chapter is also carefully surveyed, focusing on nomenclature,
synthetic techniques, and applications taken from the latest scientific literature.
The 2nd edition has been significantly updated to now include nanotoxicity,
vapor-phase growth of 0-D nanostructures, and more details regarding synthetic
techniques and mechanisms for solution-phase growth of various nanomaterials.
Graphene, recognized by the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, is now also included
in this edition.

The last chapter is of paramount importance for the materials community –
characterization. From electron microscopy to surface quantitative analysis
techniques, and everything in between, this chapter provides a thorough descrip-
tion of modern techniques used to characterize materials. A flowchart is
provided at the end of the chapter that will assist the materials scientist in
choosing the most suitable technique(s) to characterize a particular material.
In addition to comprehensive updates throughout the chapter, a new technique
known as atom-probe tomography (APT) has been included in this edition.

This edition continues to build on the promotion of student engagement through
effective student–instructor interactions. At the end of each chapter, a section
entitled “Important Materials Applications” is provided, along with open-ended