GATE XE Materials Science Syllabus
Complete section-wise syllabus for GATE XE Materials Science section. This syllabus is prepared based on the latest official GATE notification and is regularly updated to reflect any changes announced by the exam authorities. Each section includes a detailed list of topics that candidates should study to prepare effectively for the exam.
6TopicsC Section Code35 Marks
- Classification of Materials: Metals, ceramics, polymers and composites
- Nature of Bonding in Materials: Metallic, ionic, covalent and mixed bonding; structure of materials: fundamentals of crystallography, symmetry operations, crystal systems, Bravais lattices, unit cells, primitive cells, crystallographic planes and directions; structures of metals, ceramics, polymers, amorphous materials and glasses
- Defects in Crystalline Materials: 0-D, 1-D and 2-D defects; vacancies, interstitials, solid solutions in metals and ceramics, Frenkel and Schottky defects; dislocations; grain boundaries, twins, stacking faults; surfaces and interfaces
- Extensive and intensive thermodynamic properties, laws of thermodynamics, phase equilibria, phase rule, phase diagrams (unary and binary), basic electrochemistry
- Reaction kinetics, fundamentals of diffusion, Fick's laws, their solutions and applications
- Solidification of pure metals and alloys, nucleation and growth, diffusional solid-state phase transformations (precipitation and eutectoid), martensitic transformation
- Mechanical properties of metals, ceramics, polymers and composites at room temperature; stress-strain response (elastic, anelastic and plastic deformation)
- Electronic Properties: Free electron theory, Fermi energy, density of states, elements of band theory, semiconductors, Hall effect, dielectric behaviour, piezo- and ferro-electric behaviour
- Magnetic Properties: Origin of magnetism in materials, para-, dia-, ferro- and ferrimagnetism
- Thermal Properties: Specific heat, heat conduction, thermal diffusivity, thermal expansion, and thermoelectricity
- Optical Properties: Refractive index, absorption and transmission of electromagnetic radiation
- Examples of materials exhibiting the above properties, and their typical/common applications
- X-ray diffraction; spectroscopic techniques such as UV-Vis, IR and Raman; optical microscopy, electron microscopy, composition analysis in electron microscopes
- Tensile test, hardness measurement; Electrical conductivity, carrier mobility and concentrations
- Thermal analysis techniques: thermogravimetry and calorimetry
- Heat treatment of ferrous and aluminium alloys; preparation of ceramic powders, sintering
- Thin film deposition: evaporation and sputtering techniques, and chemical vapour deposition, thin film growth phenomena
- Corrosion and its prevention; embrittlement of metals; polymer degradation