The attendance to practical sessions is mandatory (minimum 80% attendance).

To pass the course, both on the first and second attempt, a minimum grade of 4 (out of 10) is required in both the mixed test and the laboratory practices.

Students with recognition of part-time dedication and academic exemption from attendance, as established in the "REGULATION ON THE REGIME OF STUDY DEDICATION FOR TWO DEGREE STUDENTS AT UDC (Art. 2.3; 3.b; 4.3 and 7.5) (04/05/2017)," may take the mixed test, provided that the professors are duly informed at the beginning of the course. Notwithstanding the above, the professors may assign different assignments/problems to these students throughout the course to be presented during tutoring hours.

The fraudulent completion of exams or assessment activities, once verified, will result in a failing grade in the respective exam session: the student will be given a grade of "fail" (numeric grade of 0) in the corresponding exam session of the academic year, whether the offense occurs in the first or second attempt. To this end, their grade will be modified in the first attempt transcript, if necessary.

Learning outcomes	Study programme competences
Knowledge of the fundamentals of different characterization techniques.	A5	B8	C3 C8
Ability to correctly interpret the results obtained through different characterization techniques.	A4 A6 A7	B3 B7 B10	C9
Know and understand the main characteristics and security protocols of a clean room.	A6 A8	B8	C8 C9

Topic	Sub-topic
Introduction to characterization techniques.	- Optical characterisation techniques. - Microscopic characterisation techniques. - Spectroscopic characterisation techniques. - Thermodynamic and other important characterisation techniques. - Separation and purification methods
Thermal analysis.	Thermogravimetry (TGA). Differential Scanning Calorimetry. (DSC, PDSC, MTDSC) Dielectric Analyzer (DEA)
Rheology	Viscoelasticity Rheometer types and experimental geometries Experimental set-up Interpretation of results
XR Diffraction.	Introduction to X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) Uses and applications in the characterisation of nanomaterials Presentation and analysis of results
Electronic microcospies	Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM): uses and applications in the characterisation of nanomaterials. Image analysis. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM): uses and applications in the characterisation of nanomaterials. Image analysis.
Main characteristics of a clean room. Usage requirements and safety protocols.	Risk assessment associated with the experiment. Experimental procedure, selection of techniques and interpretation of results. Preparation of laboratory notebook/report.

Methodologies / tests	Competencies	Ordinary class hours	Student’s personal work hours	Total hours
Mixed objective/subjective test	A5 A7 A8 B7 B8	2	6	8
Laboratory practice	A4 A6 A7 A8 B3 B7 B8 B10 C3 C8 C9	27	27	54
Seminar	A4 A5 A7 A8 B7 B8 C8	27	27	54
Supervised projects	A4 A5 A7 A8 B3 B7 B8 B10 C3 C8 C9	4	28	32

Personalized attention		2	0	2

(*)The information in the planning table is for guidance only and does not take into account the heterogeneity of the students.

Methodologies	Description
Mixed objective/subjective test	A test that integrates essay-type questions and objective-type questions. The former includes open-ended essay questions; the latter may combine multiple-choice, ordering, short-answer, discrimination, completion and/or association questions.
Laboratory practice	Methodology that enables students to learn effectively through practical activities such as demonstrations, exercises, experiments and investigations.
Seminar	A group work technique aimed at the intensive study of a subject. It is characterised by discussion, participation, the preparation of documents and the conclusions to be reached by all members of the seminar.
Supervised projects	Methodology designed to promote autonomous learning by students, under the supervision of the lecturer and in a variety of scenarios (academic and professional). It is primarily concerned with learning "how to do things". It is an option based on students taking responsibility for their own learning. This teaching system is based on two basic elements: independent learning by the students and the monitoring of this learning by the teacher-tutor.

Methodologies	Competencies	Description	Qualification
Mixed objective/subjective test	A5 A7 A8 B7 B8	A test that integrates essay-type questions and objective-type questions. The former includes open-ended essay questions; the latter may combine multiple-choice, ordering, short-answer, discrimination, completion and/or association questions.	35
Supervised projects	A4 A5 A7 A8 B3 B7 B8 B10 C3 C8 C9	Methodology designed to promote autonomous learning by students, under the supervision of the lecturer and in a variety of scenarios (academic and professional). It is primarily concerned with learning "how to do things". It is an option based on students taking responsibility for their own learning. This teaching system is based on two basic elements: independent learning by the students and the monitoring of this learning by the teacher-tutor. Students will prepare a tutored project which they will have to deliver and defend orally.	15
Laboratory practice	A4 A6 A7 A8 B3 B7 B8 B10 C3 C8 C9	Methodology that enables students to learn effectively through practical activities such as demonstrations, exercises, experiments and investigations. Students must deliver a practice notebook in which they include all the activities carried out.	50

Assessment comments
The attendance to practical sessions is mandatory (minimum 80% attendance). To pass the course, both on the first and second attempt, a minimum grade of 4 (out of 10) is required in both the mixed test and the laboratory practices. Students with recognition of part-time dedication and academic exemption from attendance, as established in the "REGULATION ON THE REGIME OF STUDY DEDICATION FOR TWO DEGREE STUDENTS AT UDC (Art. 2.3; 3.b; 4.3 and 7.5) (04/05/2017)," may take the mixed test, provided that the professors are duly informed at the beginning of the course. Notwithstanding the above, the professors may assign different assignments/problems to these students throughout the course to be presented during tutoring hours. The fraudulent completion of exams or assessment activities, once verified, will result in a failing grade in the respective exam session: the student will be given a grade of "fail" (numeric grade of 0) in the corresponding exam session of the academic year, whether the offense occurs in the first or second attempt. To this end, their grade will be modified in the first attempt transcript, if necessary. .

Basic
	1. Dieter Vollath (2013). Nanomaterials: an introduction to synthesis, properties and applications. Wiley.VCH. 2. Surender Kumar Sharma (2018). Handbook of Materials?Characterization. Springer. 3. Menczel JD, Prime RB, editors. Thermal analysis of polymers: fundamentals and applications. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley; 2009. 4. Artiaga Díaz R. Thermal analysis, fundamentals and applications to material characterization: proceedings of the international seminar?: thermal analysis and rheology, Ferrol, Spain, 30 Juny-4 July 2003 [Internet]. La Coruña], Spain: Universidade da Coruña; 2005 [cited 2017 Jan 31]. Available from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=331434
Complementary