Description
Book SynopsisThe electrical properties of materials are fundamental to many devices encountered in daily life and in today''s industry, ranging from the semiconductors used in microelectronics to the dielectric materials in liquid crystal displays, the magnetic materials in the motors of electric cars and the superconducting materials in MRI scanners. All stem from the response of electrons to electric and magnetic fields. This book explains the phenomena, reviews the best materials, and presents the most relevant applications. The behaviour of electrons in atoms, liquids, solids, and periodic crystals is described, and the possibilities of new artificial materials are discussed. In themselves, electrons are intriguing, sometimes displaying particle-type and other times wave-type behaviour. Full understanding of wave properties requires quantum mechanics, often seen as a barrier due to the unfamiliarity of the concepts involved and the complexity of the mathematical apparatus needed. A key aim is t
