Issue 49 of Science@ifpen - Special Applied Physical Chemistry and Mechanics Division

The context of climate change and energy demand requires an acceleration in R&I efforts to develop the low-carbon technologies of the energy and ecological transition.

These developments necessitate multidisciplinary innovative research combining pragmatism with industrial realities and environmental constraints.

Research conducted within the Applied Physical Chemistry and Mechanics Division meets the need for a cross-cutting scientific approach.

By drawing on the complementary disciplines of its five departments, the division is able to offer several different ways of representing phenomena. 

Irrespective of the applications considered, it is necessary to establish a dialog between different physics - and to do so on different scales - in order to explore, understand, characterize and model the behavior of materials and structures in their environment or that of complex fluids at the source of numerous phenomena involved in processes.

The ambitious objective we are pursuing is to connect the discrete and molecular world of physical chemistry to the continuous and more macroscopic world of mechanics and thermodynamics. To achieve this we draw on a pool of experimental and numerical tools, appropriate for the various study scales, and a solid bedrock of scientific knowledge, perpetually enriched by academic and industrial partnerships and via participation in collaborative projects. 

We are delighted to give you the opportunity to explore the broad lines of this research through a few recent examples illustrating the four priority areas of our scientific policy: complex fluids, fluid/system interactions, electrochemical systems and structures in their environment.

We hope you enjoy reading these articles.
   

 
    Thierry Bécue
    Director, IFPEN Applied Physical Chemistry and Mechanics Division

 
    Laurent Cangémi
    Deputy Scientific Director, IFPEN Applied Physical Chemistry and Mechanics Division