KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND: Understanding the concept of criticality for a give element or material, knowing which materials are commonly considered as critical, understand which are the strategies for mitigating criticality. APPLIED KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: Being able to recognize a critical material, or to assess the degree of criticalilty based on the appropriate parameters. Being able to judge the best strategy to mitigate criticality of a specific material or element. Being able to apply such strategy –ies, also with the support of appropriate databases and software. MAKING JUDGMENTS: Being able to judge if a material or element is critical or not. Being able to judge if the criticality can be mitigated, and how. COMMUNICATION SKILLS: The students’ ability of critically discuss and present data is fostered through the discussion of case studies in class, and through the final exam (also in the form of a seminar). LEARNING SKILLS: The individual activities such as bibliographic research, reading of case studies from the scientific literature, the use of software, finalized to the substitution of critical materials, favor and stimulate the learning ability of the student.

Basic knowledge of chemistry and materials science, as provided in the specific courses offered in bachelor programs.

After a general introduction on critical and strategic materials, an overview will be presented on the importance of some materials across history, leading to today’s materials, and their importance at a geopolitical level. Special attention will be paid to materials used for technologies related to energy production and storage. We will then move on to defining what is meant by "critical material" according to different criteria, including ethical considerations. We will then review the most important strategies to mitigate their criticality, focusing in particular on recycling and replacement with less critical materials. Contents are in agreement with the teaching objectives of the course of studies.

“Critical Materials” (Ed. S. Erik Offerman), World Scientific, 2019

1. General Introduction to Critical Materials 2. Critical and Strategic Materials: Historical Perspective, with Examples from Distant and Recent Past 3. Critical Materials Today: Geopolitics and Energy; 3.1 Materials in Current Strategic Technologies; 3.2 Materials, Chemistry, and Geopolitics; 3.3 Batteries and Magnets: Lithium and Rare Earths as Critical Elements for Energy Transition 4. Defining Critical Materials; 4.1 Defining and Measuring Criticality; 4.2 Criticality and Ethical Issues, Minerals Subject to Conflict; 4. Comparison of Different Definitions 5. Mitigation Strategies; 5.1 General Introduction to Mitigation Strategies; Defining Mitigation Strategies; Overview of Non-Material-Associated Strategies;

Lectures with multimedia support (movies, animations, 3D molecular models visualization). Open discussion of case studies between students and teachers.

No

Oral examination, potentially in the form of a seminar on a chosen topic or a case study. The criteria used for evaluation are the clarity of presentation, the accuracy of concepts, the precision of terminology, the connections made between course topics, and the overall understanding of the subjects discussed. The score will be assigned consistently with the following criteria: - Excellent (30-30 with honors): excellent knowledge of critical raw materials, excellent language proficiency, excellent analytical ability regarding criticality; the student is able to apply theoretical knowledge brilliantly to concrete cases of problems concerning the criticality of raw materials. - Very good (27-29): good knowledge of critical raw materials, notable language proficiency, good analytical ability; the student is able to correctly apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases of problems concerning the criticality of raw materials. - Good (24-26): good knowledge of critical raw materials, reasonable language proficiency; the student demonstrates adequate ability to apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases of problems concerning the criticality of raw materials. - Satisfactory (21-23): the student does not demonstrate full mastery of the main subjects of the course, although possessing the fundamental knowledge; nevertheless, they exhibit satisfactory language proficiency and sufficient ability to apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases of problems concerning the criticality of raw materials. - Sufficient (18-20): minimal knowledge of the main subjects of the course and technical language, limited ability to adequately apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases of problems concerning the criticality of raw materials. - Insufficient (<18): the student does not possess an acceptable knowledge of the contents of the various topics in the curriculum.

This course concurs to the realization of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development