Introduction to commonly used wet chemistry methods for the synthesis of inorganic and polymeric particles of defined sizes and shapes, and concepts for assembling these building blocks into larger structures of varying complexity over multiple length scales.

This course sensitises doctoral students to ethical issues that may occur during their doctorate. After an introduction to ethics and good scientific practice, students are familiarised with resources that can assist them with ethical decision-making. Students get the chance to apply their knowledge in a discipline specific context.

Introduction into the main spectroscopic methods and their applications to gain compositional and structural information.

The course teaches the fundamentals and concepts of coordination chemistry and introduces the various preparative methods for ceramic powders. Crystal field and molecular orbital theory, the concept of hard and soft acids and bases, and inorganic structural chemistry form further focal points. Cross-topic project works completes the course.