The fundamentals of polymer synthesis and properties will be introduced, but then special focus is placed on modern instrumentation and analytical methods used for polymer and materials characterisation.
You will receive advanced knowledge from experts within academia and collaborating companies. Gaining hands-on experience in a variety of relevant techniques will enable you to work in any modern laboratory because the skills you acquire will be readily transferable between disciplines.
You will also undertake a cutting-edge project with a world-leading research group. When you graduate, you will be well positioned to take up employment in research and development roles within a number of sectors, or to progress to PhD study.
Core modules
Polymer Synthesis
This module aims to provide a detailed overview of the fundamental considerations and hypotheses of polymer chemistry ensuring that all students have a suitable background knowledge of the major synthetic methods and mechanisms as well as appropriate physical chemistry knowledge to excel in the more advanced aspects of the course. The material will focus on highlighting the importance of advanced polymer structures as well as comprehensive teaching of the applicable polymer synthesis techniques.
Physical Properties of Polymers and Nanocomposites
The ability to characterise polymers/composites and link this to their observable properties is crucial, and this module will cover many advanced aspects of this; in particular, diffraction and scattering techniques and how polymer physical properties affect their processibility. Students will be given the chance to obtain real data in the laboratories and link this to the lecture material.
Frontier Techniques in Analytical Sciences
This module introduces students from a range of different backgrounds to advanced analytical techniques. To ensure students appreciate the links between need for measurement, instrumentation design, data quality and data analysis.
Techniques in Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
This module will introduce practical fundamentals of qualitative and quantitative analysis. We will consider practical aspects of sampling and calibration techniques. The laboratory sessions will include quantitative analyses using volumetry, gravimetry, UV/Visible spectroscopy, and state-of-the art inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP) techniques (OES and MS).
Chromatography and Separation Science
During this interdisciplinary module students will learn about theory and practice of different types of chromatography and their application in real-world scenarios. They will develop the skills necessary to decide how to decide which methods are the most appropriate for a given separation problem - whether for analysis or purification of, for example, synthetic polymers, biomolecules, or biopharmaceuticals. The module includes workshops on data interpretation and lab sessions providing students with hands on experience with several different chromatographic methods.
Transferable Skills
20-week research project
The module is designed to develop student research skills, through an extended project in an area of chosen discipline. Students will become aware of the elements of research, including appraising the literature, designing novel experiments (practical and/or computational), assessing results and drawing conclusions that they will be able to set against the current field. This module will allow students to be original in their application of knowledge to the solution of new, research-led problems.
Optional modules
You will study one of the following:
- Group Research Project
- Team Research Project: Real World Analysis
Plus two elective modules from:
- Mass Spectrometry
- Magnetic Resonance
- Colloid Science I and II
- Polymers in the Real World
- Advanced Polymer Synthesis
- X-ray and Neutron Techniques
- Microscopy and Imaging
