Electronic Basis of the Strength of Materials (Cambridge Solid State Science S.)

Rating:
Summary: Great book on understanding solids
Review: One of the big "interdisciplinary" subjects in science and technology today is using atomic-scale simulations and high-end characterization techniques to determine the electronic structure of materials, and understanding reactions at surfaces and between molecules. Such research is especially prevalent in the (bio)chemical, pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries where the drive is to know how electrons move between adjacent atoms to form/break bonds, and carry current.

One topic that often gets shorted in terms of publications of both journals and books is how the electronic structure of a material can be used to understand its mechanical properties. This is unfortunate, especially considering that mechanical properties are often easier to measure, calculate, visualize and understand than electrical, optical, or magnetic properties. This book addresses this deficiency, and for this I give it one star.

The book begins with introductions to quantum mechanics and deformation mechanics that undergraduates in science or engineering can understand. From there, the book shows how the electronic configuration of different atoms can be used to deduce the type of solids they will form, and their mechanical properties such as bulk and shear modulus. The different types of intermolecular and intramolecular bonding are also discussed, and how each is attributable to different electron configurations.

The overall level of the book is appropriate for upper-division undergraduates in physics, chemistry, materials or mechanical engineering. All equations are accompanied by at least one paragraph of explanation, and the reader is never lead on complex derivations from one equation to another. Models to illustrate theories are always explained in conceptual terms first, then in mathematical terms if space allows. Therefore, this is the easiest electronic structure book to understand and follow mathematically. Also, most major models for use in simulating solids are covered. These include empirical models such as the Morse potential, Lennard-Jones potential, etc., and the models that account for electrons: HOMO-LUMO, VSEPR, free-electron, etc... I give this book a second star for addressing bonding from so many different viewpoints, and a third star for keeping the math simple and readable.

A fourth star goes to this book for its the simplified use of group theory. Many books on electronic and atomic structure introduce group theory, and then incorporate it via matrices in the rest of the text. This is appropriate for a complete understanding, but can be quite challenging to follow. This book takes an alternate course; for many concepts it simplifies the true 3-D picture to 1-D or 2-D thereby simplifying the symmetry considerations.

I give this book its fifth star for its simple, yet elegant pictures, tables, and graphs. I illustrate with two examples. First example is the comparison of moduli values for different materials. The book does this with 3-D plots that show how the moduli changes with one trend (e.g. ionicity in bonding) versus it changing with another trend (e.g. atomic weight). Beautiful! The second example are the pictures showing the different types of plastic deformation at the atomic-scale: edge vs shear dislocation, twinning versus gliding, etc... Excellent. Dr. Gilman, if you are reading this review, I suggest you show your pictures to the UK people who write the MATTER software. They should use some of your pictures.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who uses computer simulations or experimental techniques to examine the physical and mechanical properties of solids at the nanoscale. I also recommend this book to materials scientists in general, and metallurgists in particular.