Undergraduate Courses

ENGR 112 Foundations of Engineering II

This course will build on the foundation you developed in ENGR 111 by continuing to reinforce fundamental engineering competencies. Students will continue to develop a holistic approach to integrating multiple concepts to facilitate your ability to construct innovatively and quantitatively rigorous engineering solutions. Students will also extend their skill development in project management, engineering fundamentals, oral and graphical communication, logical thinking, and modern engineering tools (e.g., LabVIEW, MATLAB, and Python). Successful completion of this course will enable the students perform the following: (a) Describe, in greater depth, the engineering disciplines at Texas A&M, (b) individually, or as a member of a technical team, apply knowledge of a structured engineering problem solving process, engineering fundamentals and basic engineering science concepts to create more advanced engineering criteria, discovered using a design process, that satisfy a problem of engineering interest, (c) design processes to communicate technical information orally and visually, (d) implement complex algorithmic solutions to engineering problems/designs using an appropriate computer tool (LabVIEW, MATLAB, Python) and be able to explain their rationale for the choice; (e) synthesize their knowledge of effective and ethical membership on a technical team (i.e., teaming skills) to refine their conduct as a member of the team, and (f) exhibit a work ethic appropriate for the engineering profession.

CHEN 204 Elementary Chemical Engineering

Solution of elementary problems by application of mass balances, energy balances, and equilibrium relationships.

Course Contents: Introduction to engineering calculations, introduction to processes and process variables, fundamentals of material balances, principles of equilibria, introduction to energy balances on both reactive and nonreactive processes, introduction to balances on transient processes.

CHEN 304: Chemical Engineering Fluid Operations

Fundamentals of fluid mechanics with applications to design and analysis of process equipment.
Course Contents: Conservation laws of mass, energy, linear momentum and angular momentum; the second law of thermodynamics; flow behavior of incompressible and compressible fluids including Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids; analyze and design process equipment, e.g. conduits of all shapes with fittings; pumps and compressors; flow measurement and control devices; fluid-solid separations and operations such as filtration, centrifugation, settling, sedimentation, fluidization.

CHEN 313 (or CHEN 322) Chemical Engineering Materials

This course introduces chemical engineers to the basic principles of materials science. The course will be constructed around understanding the properties of three classes of materials: metals, ceramic, and polymers. The students will also be introduced to applications of these materials in emerging areas such as biomedical applications as well as nanotechnology.

CHEN 323: Chemical Engineering Heat Transfer Operations

Continuation of CHEN 304. Heat transfer operations.
Course contents: Fundamentals of conduction, convection and radiation; principles underlying one-dimensional, steady–state conduction, and one-dimensional, steady–state conduction; heat transfer from extended surfaces (fins); transient conduction; principles underlying heat transfer by forced and natural convection; blackbody and gray body radiation; multi-mode heat transfer; boiling and condensation; heat exchangers.

CHEN 485: Directed Studies

This is a directed studies course covering one or more problems in chemical engineering processes or operations. The objective of this class is to provide a meaningful experience for qualified undergraduates in problems from diverse areas of chemical engineering.

CHEN 489: NANOMATERIALS FOR ENERGY CONVERSION

Course Contents: Bulk semiconductor synthesis (Czochralski process, Bridgman process), inorganic nanomaterials synthesis (quantum dot and inorganic nanoparticle synthesis, inorganic one-dimensional structure synthesis (nanotubes, nanowires, nanobelts, hierarchical branched nanowires, nanowire superlattices), Assembly of nanomaterials (layer-by-layer assembly, assembly using lamgmuir-blodgett films, epitaxy, pelletization and sintering, printing, spin-casting and doctor-blade techniques), solar cell fabrication (physics of solar cells, First-generation (silicon) solar cells, Second-generation (thin film solar cells), third-generation (dye-sensitized solar cells, polymer solar cells, hot carrier cells), inorganic-polymer hybrid solar cells based on quantum dots and nanowires), thermoelectrics (fundamental principle of operation, bulk thermoelectrics, materials for bulk thermoelectrics, nanomaterials based thermoelectrics-fundamental principles and the current state-of-the-art).

CHEN 491: UNDERGRADUATE Research IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Research conducted under the direction of faculty member in chemical engineering. May be repeated 2 times for credit. Prerequisites: Junior or Senior classification and approval of instructor.

Graduate Courses

ICPE 620: THERMOELECTRIC MATERIALS AND DEVICES

Course Contents:
Introduction to materials: Atomic structure and bonding, Influence of bonding on material properties, Material properties and types of materials, Fundamentals of crystal structures, Fundamental requirements of thermoelectric materials

Fundamental semiconductor physics: Introduction to metals, semiconductors and insulators, Electronic properties of semiconductors

Bulk semiconductor crystal synthesis: Czochralski process and Bridgman process, Float zone technique, Liquid phase epitaxy

Inorganic nanomaterials synthesis: Thin film deposition techniques (Physical vapor deposition, Chemical vapor Deposition, Atomic layer deposition), Inorganic one-dimensional nanostructure synthesis (Nanowire Synthesis) Inorganic nanoparticle syntheses (Spray pyrolysis, Aerosol synthesis and Template-assisted nanoparticle synthesis)

Assembly of nanomaterials: Spin casting (doctor blading) of nanoparticles and nanowires, Hot uniaxial pressing, Spark plasma sintering, Nanowire arrays and bridges formation for their assembly, Biaxial densification of nanowire arrays, Self-assembled monolayers, Interface-engineered nanowire and nanoparticle assembly, Shear-assisted consolidation of materials using equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE)

Thermoelectric materials and devices: Structure of thermoelectric devices, Thermoelectric materials (Bismuth Tellurides, Selenides and their alloys, Skutterudites, Clathrates, Metal silicides, Oxides), Thermoelectric materials based on nanoparticles/nanowires/thin film superlattices (Silicon, Bismuth Tellurides, Selenides and their alloys, Metal silicides, Oxides), characterization of materials’ thermoelectric performance