1. Materiallography – characterization of structural parameters of engineering materials at different size scales: macrostructure, microstructure and substructure. Basic reasons for studying structure and chemical composition of materials.
2. Light microscopy. Scheme of the light microscope. Focal length. Depth of focus. Defects of thin lenses. Spatial resolution. Preparation of specimens for light microscopy. Revealing of microstructure of metals by chemical and electrolytic etching.
3. Basics of image analysis. Methods of image contrast enhancement. Microhardness testing. Confocal microscopy – principle, spatial resolution. Typical applications of light microscopy in materials engineering.
4. Interaction of electrons and X-rays photons with specimens. Diffraction on crystal lattice – Laue conditions, Bragg´s equation. Reciprocal lattice. Ewald´s sphere. Methods of X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Qualitative and quantitative XRD phase analyses of materials. Texture analysis. Evaluation of macro- and microstresses in engineering materials. Typical applications of X-ray analysis in materials engineering.
5. Transmission electron microscopy – basic principles. Contrast mechanisms in amorphous and crystalline materials. Amplitude contrast – bright field and dark field images. Phase contrast – lattice and structure imaging.
6. Electron diffraction. Diffraction constant. Analysis of diffraction patterns: single - and polycrystals. Preparation of specimens for transmission electron microscopy: extraction carbon replicas and thin foils. Preparation of foils using the focused ion beam method (FIB).
7. Scanning electron microscopy – basic principles. Basic mechanisms of the contrast formation. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Preparation of specimens for scanning electron microscopy.
8. Diffraction of backscattered electrons (EBSD). Typical applications of electron microscopy in materials engineering.
9. Basic requirements for chemical analysis of materials. Classification of methods of chemical analysis of inorganic substances. Sampling and preparation of specimens. Basic sources of measurement errors.
10. Methods of X–ray spectrometry. X–ray fluorescent analysis (XRF). X-ray spectral microanalysis in scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Basic principles of wave length and energy dispersive analyses. Qualitative and quantitative X-ray spectral analyses. Detection limits.
11. Principle of optical emission spectrometry. Excitation by induction coupled plasma (ICP-OES), glow discharge (GDOES), spark, laser. Instrumentation of inorganic mass spectroscopy. Spectral interferences. Detection limits.
12. Mass spectrometry with induction coupled plasma (ICP-MS). Spectrometers. Mass spectrum and spectral interferences. Non-spectral interferences and signal drift. Detection limits.
13. Thermo-analytical methods – basic principles and classification. Thermo-evolution analytical methods.
14. Auger electron spectroscopy. Principles of scanning probe microscopy techniques: STM, ATM. Principles of ion field microscopy and atom probe tomography.
2. Light microscopy. Scheme of the light microscope. Focal length. Depth of focus. Defects of thin lenses. Spatial resolution. Preparation of specimens for light microscopy. Revealing of microstructure of metals by chemical and electrolytic etching.
3. Basics of image analysis. Methods of image contrast enhancement. Microhardness testing. Confocal microscopy – principle, spatial resolution. Typical applications of light microscopy in materials engineering.
4. Interaction of electrons and X-rays photons with specimens. Diffraction on crystal lattice – Laue conditions, Bragg´s equation. Reciprocal lattice. Ewald´s sphere. Methods of X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Qualitative and quantitative XRD phase analyses of materials. Texture analysis. Evaluation of macro- and microstresses in engineering materials. Typical applications of X-ray analysis in materials engineering.
5. Transmission electron microscopy – basic principles. Contrast mechanisms in amorphous and crystalline materials. Amplitude contrast – bright field and dark field images. Phase contrast – lattice and structure imaging.
6. Electron diffraction. Diffraction constant. Analysis of diffraction patterns: single - and polycrystals. Preparation of specimens for transmission electron microscopy: extraction carbon replicas and thin foils. Preparation of foils using the focused ion beam method (FIB).
7. Scanning electron microscopy – basic principles. Basic mechanisms of the contrast formation. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Preparation of specimens for scanning electron microscopy.
8. Diffraction of backscattered electrons (EBSD). Typical applications of electron microscopy in materials engineering.
9. Basic requirements for chemical analysis of materials. Classification of methods of chemical analysis of inorganic substances. Sampling and preparation of specimens. Basic sources of measurement errors.
10. Methods of X–ray spectrometry. X–ray fluorescent analysis (XRF). X-ray spectral microanalysis in scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Basic principles of wave length and energy dispersive analyses. Qualitative and quantitative X-ray spectral analyses. Detection limits.
11. Principle of optical emission spectrometry. Excitation by induction coupled plasma (ICP-OES), glow discharge (GDOES), spark, laser. Instrumentation of inorganic mass spectroscopy. Spectral interferences. Detection limits.
12. Mass spectrometry with induction coupled plasma (ICP-MS). Spectrometers. Mass spectrum and spectral interferences. Non-spectral interferences and signal drift. Detection limits.
13. Thermo-analytical methods – basic principles and classification. Thermo-evolution analytical methods.
14. Auger electron spectroscopy. Principles of scanning probe microscopy techniques: STM, ATM. Principles of ion field microscopy and atom probe tomography.