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Unit of study_
MECH6311: Microscopy and Microanalysis of Materials
2026 unit information
This UoS offers the fundamental knowledge that is essential for the microscopy and microanalysis of materials. The UoS will cover the basic fundamental concepts of materials structures and modern materials characterisation techniques that are available in Sydney Microscopy and Microanalysis in the University, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Engineering
| Study level | Postgraduate |
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| Academic unit | Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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MECH5311 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. communicate effectively the microstructures, crystalline structures and crystalline defects of materials in oral and/or written presentations
- LO2. describe, in relatively simple terms, crystalline lattice structures in reciprocal space, describing theoretically, schematically, and mathematically
- LO3. communicate effectively several common microstructural characterisation techniques in oral and/or written presentations
- LO4. describe, in relatively simple terms, the interactions of fast electrons with matter, describing theoretically, schematically, and mathematically
- LO5. identify crystalline phases using X-ray diffraction and determine crystalline lattice structures using electron diffraction
- LO6. understand common materials preparation techniques for structural characterisation
- LO7. understand the basic working mechanism of the scanning electron microscope and microstructural information that can be extracted from electron backscattered images and secondary electron images
- LO8. understand the basic working mechanism of electron backscatter diffraction and its applications in structural characterisation of materials
- LO9. understand the basic working mechanisms of the transmission electron microscope, including electron diffraction, imaging and spectrometry, and their applications in materials characterisation
- LO10. understand the principle, limitations, and niche applications of atom probe tomography and secondary ion mass spectroscopy for microanalysis of materials
Unit availability
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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