Course detail

Welcome to Mechanical Properties of Glasses and Glass-Ceramics

Description:

Glasses and glass-ceramics are non-crystalline and partially crystalline materials, respectively, whose mechanical properties are crucial for a wide range of applications. Due to their disordered atomic structure, glasses exhibit unique mechanical behaviors such as brittleness, while glass-ceramics, particularly transparent nano-glass-ceramics, combine the advantages of glasses with those of crystalline materials, with potential for offering enhanced toughness and hardness. Despite significant progress, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanical response of these materials under various conditions remains a major challenge in materials science. In the planned Ph.D. course, we will introduce the fundamental aspects of mechanical properties in glasses and glass-ceramics, including elasticity, hardness, and fracture toughness. Several distinguished lecturers will be invited to present the principles and recent advances in experimental techniques (including both in situ and ex situ), modeling approaches, and theoretical frameworks used to study mechanical behavior in different glass and glass-ceramic systems. The students will engage in discussions with the other participants and lecturers, read assigned literature, and complete assignments through group work.

Organizer: Professor Morten M. Smedskjær, mos@bio.aau.dk, Professor Yuanzheng Yue, yy@bio.aau.dk

Lecturers: External speakers

ECTS: 2

Date: 24,25,26 August 2026

Place: Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University (AAU), Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, DK-9220 Aalborg, Denmark

City: Aalborg

Number of seats: 30

Deadline: 3 August 2026

Important information concerning PhD courses: 

There is a no-show fee of DKK 3,000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before the start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start of the course.

We cannot ensure any seats before the deadline for enrolment, all participants will be informed after the deadline, approximately 3 weeks before the start of the course.

For inquiries regarding registration, cancellation or waiting list, please contact the PhD administration at phdcourses@adm.aau.dk. When contacting us please state the course title and course period. Thank you.