English translation:
Thierry GACION
thierry.gacoin@polytechnique.edu
This internship option aims to introduce students to research in Materials Science, in connection with issues related to material synthesis, remarkable properties, and innovative applications. Addressed from either fundamental or applied perspectives, the proposed topics seek in particular to understand and control material properties in relation to their structure across multiple scales (crystallinity, microstructure, processing and shaping). The nature of the materials involved can be highly diverse: specialty polymers, glasses, crystals, oxides with remarkable properties, semiconductors, catalysts, functional surfaces, biomaterials, etc. Their forms are also varied: dispersions, powders, thin films, surfaces, bulk materials, and more.
The themes covered may include materials chemistry (new synthesis strategies, processing methods), structural characterization, and the study of physical properties in various domains (optics, transport, magnetism, etc.). The topics are generally at the interface of several disciplines: chemistry, electrochemistry, process chemistry, solid-state physics, mechanics, surface science, biology, and others. Research is often conducted with potential targeted applications in mind, with perspectives toward the development of innovative materials.
Examples of techniques used:
Materials chemistry: colloid chemistry, inorganic chemistry, thin-film deposition, CVD, PVD, ceramic processing, electrochemistry.
Advanced structural characterization: nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared and Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray scattering, studies using large-scale facilities (synchrotrons), electron microscopy.
Modeling: modeling of materials, synthesis/processing routes, and physical properties.
Characterization of physical or physicochemical properties: optical measurements (absorption, luminescence, nonlinear optics), ionic or electronic conduction, superconductivity, piezoelectricity, magnetism.
Types of internships:
Internships may take place in France or abroad, in either an academic or industrial context.
For example:
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Research centers at École Polytechnique: LPMC, LPICM, LSI, LMS, CPHT, LOB
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Other academic institutions: Université Paris-Saclay, Collège de France, Institut Curie, etc.
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Industrial R&D sites in France: Saint-Gobain, Solvay, Arkema, Michelin, Essilor, Thales, L’Oréal, etc.
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Foreign universities: MIT, Harvard, UC Santa Barbara, NIMS (Tsukuba), etc.
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Industrial R&D centers abroad: Solvay (USA), Saint-Gobain (USA, India, China), etc.
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Start-ups or within technology maturation programs.
