Savita Sharma, PhD, and V. Bhasker Raj, PhD, are Assistant Professors in the Department of Physics at Kalindi College, University of Delhi, India. They specialize in condensed matter physics and have extensive experience in materials research and advanced physics education.

Preface xv 1 Semiconductors 1
Vinod Prasad, Poonam Silotia, and Varsha 1.1 Introduction to Semiconductors 1
1.2 Mobility and Conductivity 11
1.3 Density of States 16
1.4 Electron and Hole Concentration in Doped Semiconductor 21
1.5 Fermi Concepts 25
1.6 Electrical Properties 28 2 Dielectric Materials 33
Vikas N. Thakur, SK Cheralaahthan, Savita Sharma, and Atul Thakre 2.1 Fundamentals of Dielectrics, Polarization Mechanisms, Dielectric Constant and Loss Tangent, and Applications in Capacitors 33
2.2 Ferroelectric Materials, Structural Characteristics and Hysteresis Behavior, and Applications in Memory Devices and Sensors 38
2.3 Piezoelectric Materials, Principles and Properties of Piezoelectricity, Applications in Micro-positioners, Actuators, and Sonar Devices 43
2.4 Pyroelectric Materials, Mechanisms of Pyroelectricity, Applications in Radiation Detectors, and Thermometry 52 3 Magnetic Materials 61
Neha Chauhan, Savita Sharma, Jeevitesh K. Rajput, and Ravikant 3.1 Magnetic Classification 61
3.2 Applications of Magnetic Materials 63
3.3 Spintronics 67
3.4 Conclusion 68 4 Polymers 73
Savita Sharma, Ranjit Kumar, and Hitesh Borkar 4.1 Overview 73
4.2 Chemical Structure of Polymers 73
4.3 Components of Polymer Structure 74
4.4 Classification of Polymers 75
4.5 Thermoplastic Versus Thermosetting Polymers 78
4.6 Properties of Specific Polymers 82
4.7 Conducting Polymers 86 5 Liquid Crystals 95
Onkar Mangla 5.1 Introduction to Liquid Crystals 95
5.2 Phases and Phase Transition 103
5.3 Optical Properties and Applications 110 6 Carbon-Based Materials 121
Aruna Sharma, Asha Kumawat, Anjali Yadav, Aprajita Gaur, Maanya Bhardwaj, and Rajesh Kumar Meena 6.1 Introduction 121
6.2 Structural Properties of Carbon Allotropes 122
6.3 Properties and Synthesis of Fullerenes (C60) 124
6.4 Single-Walled and Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes 126
6.5 Graphene: Structure and Energy Band Diagram 128
6.6 Optical Properties of Carbon Materials 130
6.7 Applications of Carbon Materials 130
6.8 Conclusion 136 7 Synthesis and Processing of Materials 141
Kaushlendra Prasad Singh and Shalini Kumari 7.1 Ceramic Materials 141
7.2 Crystals and Their Growth Techniques 153
7.3 Polymer Synthesis 160
7.4 Conclusions 165 8 Synthesis of Thin Films 169
Manisha Tyagi and Biplob Barman 8.1 Introduction 169
8.2 Thin Films Explained 169
8.3 Key Properties of Thin Films 170
8.4 Where Do Vacuum Systems Fit In 171
8.5 Thin-Film Deposition Techniques 172
8.6 Factors Influencing Thin-Film Quality 173
8.7 Thin-Film Deposition Methods 174
8.8 Chemical Vapor Deposition Techniques 185
8.9 Applications of Thin Films 195 9 Oxide-Based Materials 203
Neha Sharma, Karthikeyan Kaliappan, Pragati Kumar, and Nupur Saxena 9.1 Introduction to Oxide Materials 203
9.2 Fabrication of Oxide Thin Films and Its Nanoparticles 207
9.3 Structural and Electrical Properties of Different Oxides 210
9.4 Optical Properties of the Oxide Material 218
9.5 Applications of Oxide Materials 222
9.6 Conclusion 223 10 Optical, Thermal, Mechanical, and Viscoelastic Properties of Conjugated Polymer Nanocomposites 231Afnan K. M. Irfan, Shilpi Khurana, and Amit Kumar 10.1 Introduction 231
10.2 Synthesis of Conjugated Polymer Nanocomposites 233
10.3 Properties of Conjugated Polymer Nanocomposites 235
10.4 Challenges 254
10.5 Summary 255 Acknowledgement 255
References 255
Index 263