MNT 511 Course Schedules

MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences

Micro and Nanotechnology Program

MNT 511 — NANOPOROUS MATERIALS

Course Syllabus · Fall Semester 2026–2027 · (3-0) 3 credits

COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor	Prof. Dr. Burcu Akata Kurç — Central Laboratory, Office No. 211 — akata@metu.edu.tr
Teaching Assistant	Cansu Golboylu — cansu.golboylu@metu.edu.tr Pelin Paşabeyoğlu — paltay@metu.edu.tr
Meeting Time	Tuesdays, 09:40 – 12:30
Venue	Central Laboratory — Beyaz Anfi
Office Hours	By appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION

MNT 511 introduces the structure, synthesis and function of nanoporous solids, with an emphasis on zeolites and related crystalline microporous frameworks. The course opens with the physical chemistry that governs behaviour inside confined pores — diffusion and transport, adsorption equilibria and the interpretation of sorption isotherms — and then moves to the materials themselves: their classification, characterisation, synthesis routes and the mechanisms by which ordered porosity emerges from a synthesis gel. The final part of the semester connects structure to function through zeolite acidity and the principles of heterogeneous catalysis. Each student presents a seminar on a topic given by the instructor.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the semester, students should be able to:

Classify porous materials by pore size, framework chemistry and dimensionality.
Interpret sorption isotherms, identify isotherm types and extract surface area and pore size distribution from experimental data.
Explain the dominant transport regimes.
Select appropriate characterisation techniques for a given structural question about a zeolite or related material.
Describe the main synthesis routes to porous solids and the mechanistic role of structure-directing agents.
Relate framework composition and acidity to catalytic behaviour in heterogeneous reactions.
Read, evaluate and present a research paper from the current nanoporous materials literature.

ASSESSMENT

Component	Date	Weight
Midterm 1	3 November 2026	20 %
Midterm 2	1 December 2026	20 %
Seminar (presentation + written abstract)	22 December / 29 December 2026	30 %
Component	Date	Weight
Final Examination	4 – 16 January 2027 (Registrar's period)	30 %

TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Wk	Date	Topic	Assessment / Notes
1	29 SEP	Introduction; definitions and classification of porous materials
2	6 OCT	Transport mechanisms and sorption isotherms – I
3	13 OCT	Transport mechanisms and sorption isotherms – II
4	20 OCT	Inorganic porous materials – I
5	27 OCT	Inorganic porous materials – II
6	3 NOV	MIDTERM 1	Weeks 1–5
7	10 NOV	Characterization of zeolites and related materials	Seminar topics assigned
8	17 NOV	Producing porous materials
9	24 NOV	Mechanism of zeolite synthesis
10	1 DEC	MIDTERM 2	Weeks 7–9
11	8 DEC	Zeolite acidity and principles of heterogeneous catalysis – I
12	15 DEC	Zeolite acidity and principles of heterogeneous catalysis – II	Seminar abstracts due
13	22 DEC	Student seminars – I
14	29 DEC	Student seminars – II
F	5 JAN	FINAL EXAMINATION	Central Lab., Beyaz Anfi

Schedule is tentative and may be adjusted during the semester.

COURSE POLICIES

Attendance. Regular attendance is expected. Each lecture builds directly on the one before it, and material covered in class cannot be made up individually.

Make-up examinations. A make-up will be arranged only for documented medical or official excuses reported to the instructor within [three] working days of the missed examination.

Academic integrity. All submitted work must be your own. Seminar material drawn from published sources must be cited in full; figures reproduced from papers must carry the original reference.

Use of generative AI. The use of generative AI tools is recommended in this course, and you are encouraged to use them to refine your language, test your understanding and explore the literature. The condition is that the initial version of any work you submit must be your own. Write the first draft, build the argument and form the interpretation yourself, then use AI to improve what you have already produced. Work handed in essentially as a tool generated it does not meet this requirement, and a seminar must reflect your own reading and judgement. Note briefly at the end of each submission which tools you used and for what.