French-Japanese laboratory to study materials under extreme conditions

To strengthen their collaboration in materials science and engineering, the CNRS, Université de Lyon, and Tohoku University are launching an international joint unit (UMI)¹ based in Sendai, Japan, on October 4, 2016. Named Engineering Science Lyon – Tohoku for Materials and Systems under Extreme Conditions (ELyTMaX), this new laboratory studies the behavior of materials subject to extreme and complex stress. One of its primary goals is to understand the mechanisms of their deterioration over time, in an effort to better assess their life span. The research conducted at the ElyTMaX laboratory (CNRS/Université de Lyon/Tohoku University) focuses on the behavior of materials—and the systems they form with other structures—under extreme and complex conditions (pressure, temperature, radiation, or highly corrosive environments). Three areas of research in particular are being developed: - Analysis of the evolution of materials used in industry , for example in energy production or transportation. The research is based on both experiments and modeling, within a context of extremely rapid deformation, in order to develop strategies for the conditioning, protection, and healing of surfaces used in industry; - The study of microsystems used for the conversion of energy , and their resistance to pressure and electric fields. Researchers study new materials and energy conversion systems, using both multi-scale (molecular, macroscopic, etc.) and thermodynamic approaches, in an effort to understand, for example, how the nano-architecture of materials is responsible for the macroscopic effects observed. The study and modeling of physical mechanisms makes it possible to simulate how the microsystems operate, and optimize them prior to their manufacturing; - The study of the ageing of materials used in biomedical applications