Characterization of Condensed Matter: An Introduction to Composition, Microstructure, and Surface Methods

A comprehensive and accessible introduction to the characterization of condensed materials

The characterization of condensed materials is a crucial aspect of materials science. The science underlying this area of research and analysis is interdisciplinary, combining electromagnetic spectroscopy, surface and interface testing methods, physiochemical analysis methods, and more. All of this must be brought to bear in order to understand the relationship between microstructures and larger-scale properties of condensed matter.

Characterization of Condensed Matter: An Introduction to Composition, Microstructure, and Surface Methods introduces the technologies involved in the characterization of condensed matter and their many applications. It incorporates more than a decades’ experience in teaching a successful undergraduate course in the subject and emphasizes accessibility and continuously reinforced learning. The result is a survey which promises to equip students with both underlying theory and real experimental instances of condensed matter characterization.

Characterization of Condensed Matter readers will also find:

• Detailed treatment of techniques including electromagnetic spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption, electron microscopy, surface and element analysis, and more
• Incorporation of concrete experimental examples for each technique
• Exercises at the end of each chapter to facilitate understanding

Characterization of Condensed Matter is a useful reference for undergraduates and early-career graduate students seeking a foundation and reference for these essential techniques.

Yujun Song, PhD, is Professor in Physics at University of Science and Technology Beijing, China, and Deputy Director of Center for Modern Physics Technology. He has previously studied and worked in both the United States and Canada. In addition to his extensive research into subjects such as surface and interface-controlled fabrication of functional materials for information technology, new energy and catalysis, and biomedicine, he is the long-time instructor of graduate and undergraduate courses on the characterization of condensed matter.

Qingwei Liao, PhD, is Associate Professor at Beijing Information Science & Technology University, China. She has previously held a visiting faculty position at Harvard University and has published extensively on nanomaterials, applied physics, and related subjects. She serves as the main lecturer of courses like modern analytical testing methods for graduate students.