MASC 350L – Spring 2013
Nanostructured Materials: Design, Synthesis, and Processing
Instructor: Prof. Andrea Armani, Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science,
VHE 712, (213) 740-4428, armani@usc.edu
Class Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 8:30-9:20am, VHE 217
Office Hours: immediately before/after class or by appointment
Textbook/Reference material:
There is no specific textbook. Reference materials, such as review articles, will be posted
periodically on Blackboard.
Course Vision:
This course is designed to discuss Nanotechnology from the bottom up and top down. In
that sense, we will first discuss the building blocks of nanotechnology, or structures like
nanocrystals, polymers and nanowires/tubes, and their fundamental properties (optical,
electrical, mechanical, etc). From there, we will use these individual structures to build more
complex devices using methods ranging from self-assembly to lithography, and different
applications.
Course Objective:
The objective of this course is to expose students to modern engineering tools and
challenges and teach them how to approach and solve problems which have immediate
relevance. A secondary objective is to teach students how to express research results in a
scientific manner.
Grading:
Homework
Labs
Presentation
Midterm
Final
10%
20%
15%
25%
30%
Expectations/Information for Assignments, Exams and Papers:
Homework assignments:
There will be three problems sets. In addition, students are expected to complete reading
assignments. Reading assignments will be posted on Blackboard.
Late homework assignments: For every 24hr time period that a problem set is late, 50% of
the total points will be deducted from the grade. Therefore, in most cases, it is better to
hand in an incomplete problem set on time, than hand in a complete problem set a day later.
Labs:
There are six labs, which are divided into two categories: 1) synthesis of nanomaterials
(silver nanoprisms, gold nanoparticles, quantum dots) and 2) applications nanomaterials
(microfluidics, liquid crystal thermometer, solar cell). Several of the labs will take multiple
lab periods to complete. The lab manual is posted on Blackboard. The template for the lab
report is also posted on Blackboard. Although you are working with a partner, every student
should submit their own lab report. If a lab report is plagiarized, the student will receive 0pts
for the lab report.
Exams:
The midterm and final exam will consist of 5-10 problems, structured to allow the entire
exam to be completed in a single class period. The final exam will cover material from the
entire semester. A sheet of crucial equations and mathematical formulas will be attached to
the exams. Nothing except a pencil or pen is allowed (no calculators, class notes, slides,
papers, problem sets or solutions). The midterm and final from 2012 MASC 350 are
assigned as homework. However, it is important to remember that the course content does
vary slightly from year to year.
Presentations:
During weeks 6-7, every student will give an individual, 10-15 minute presentation on a topic
which falls into one of four themes: 1) Metal nanoparticle synthesis and properties, Quantum
dot synthesis and properties, 3) Nanowire synthesis and properties, and 4) Engineered
polymeric structures. The topics will be decided and assigned during the second week of
class.
The grade of the presentations is based on both the material presented and the presentation
quality itself. A dedicated discussion section will be held to aid in giving and preparing
scientific presentations. Additional information about this presentation, including the grading
criteria, is available on Blackboard.
Course Outline: (subject to change)
Review of physics and biology (wk 1)
Building blocks of Nanotechnology (wk 2-5)
 Metal Nanoparticles (gold and silver)
 Quantum Dots
 Nanocrystals and nanowires
 Carbon Nanotubes
 Polymers
Individual student presentations (wk 6-7)
Midterm review and midterm (wk 8)
Introduction/Overview of fabrication processes (wk 9)
 Top-down (Lithography, etching, etc)
 Bottom-up (Self Assembly, etc)
Applications
 Integrated microdevices (wk 10)
o Polymer self-assembly
o Microlaser (nanocrystal)
o Cochlear implants
 Energy (wk 11)
o Nanowire solar cell
o Polymer solar cell
o Silicon nanocrystal solar cell


o PZT-based energy
Therapeutics (wk12)
o Nanowire-based cancer therapy
o Gold nanoparticles HIV therapy
o Nanoparticle-based drug delivery method
Sensors and Fluidics (wk 13)
o Nanowire conductivity sensor
o Nanocrystal FRET sensor
o Polymer “optical nose” sensor
o Nanocrystal single molecule imaging
o PCR on-chip
Statement on Academic Integrity:
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic
honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation
that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the
obligations both to protect ones own academic work from misuse by others as well as to
avoid using anothers work as ones own. All students are expected to understand and abide
by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code
in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A:
http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/. Students will be referred to the Office
of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any
suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at:
http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/.
Plagiarism (copying or modifying someone else’s work and presenting it as your own) and
other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. Please ask the instructor if you have questions
about proper behavior.
Statement of Students with Disabilities:
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to
register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification
for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is
delivered to me (or the TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301
and is open 8:30am – 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213)
740-0776.