Thermodynamics, Modelling, Process Optimisation

The Thermodynamics, Modelling and Process Optimisation (TOP) team focuses its research activities on improving the performance of existing materials and developing innovative materials with optimized functionalities through a better understanding of their physico-chemical properties at different scales. It has been based on a tradition and know-how in thermodynamics for many years and organizes its activities in two thematic areas:

• Elaboration and Thermal Treatment of Materials by Various Processes: it includes everything related to the production of thin films and coatings, phase transformation studies as well as multiphase simulations and structural and functional characterisations,
• Thermodynamics, which includes activities associated with the acquisition and critical analysis of thermodynamic data, atomic and quantum simulation, as well as phase balance measurements and phase diagram modeling.

The skills and know-how acquired enable us to focus on a wide range of application fields with a significant societal impact from an economic, energy and environmental point of view, in the field of production (photovoltaics, thermodynamic solar power plants) and energy storage (batteries and electrocatalysts), micro- and nanotechnologies (components and assembly), metallurgy (metallurgy slag and steel), ceramics and glass.