Orientation 1

Replacing petroleum-based materials is becoming an increasingly important issue from both a technological and economic perspective. This module enables students to acquire skills in the field of agropolymers, bio-based polymers, degradable materials, and biocomposites. New, more environmentally friendly synthesis methods will be presented with a view to preparing synthetic degradable polymers.

The degradation, biodegradation, and recyclability of polymers will also be discussed.

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 11CM

            TD: 9 TD

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The development of materials involves numerous coupled phenomena, some of which are linked to the nature of the materials and their intrinsic properties, while others are linked to the processes used during material and/or energy transformation operations. Morphogenesis is therefore the result of interdependent, coupled mechanisms, whose relative kinetics will lead to one structure or another. Mastering and controlling these coupled mechanisms requires a good understanding of the transformation dynamics of the materials themselves, as well as a precise description of the transfer and transport phenomena involved in the process. Integration into the reactive environment will be addressed at the end of the course unit.

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 11

            TD: 9

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One of the major issues related to the use of different materials in our daily lives is their durability and therefore their degradation. In this course, we will address issues related to the sustainability of materials (resources, reserves, criticality of materials, etc.) as well as methodologies for studying sustainability (types of surface/volume aging, temporal extrapolation, multi-scale, combination of effects, experimental representation, and industrial validation). This will then allow us to model the kinetics of aging using different models.

The different types of degradation affecting polymers will then be analyzed.

Finally, the aging of different types of materials will be illustrated by various concrete case studies (concrete, ceramics, metals, and elastomers).

Hours per week*: 11 hours CM:

                                    9 a.m. tutorial

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The materials used in housing and road construction have a variety of characteristics and properties (durability, mechanical strength, thermal and acoustic insulation) that enable them to be adapted to the characteristics, implementation conditions, and cost specified in a set of technical specifications. This course provides basic knowledge on different types of materials used in housing (concrete, plaster, paint, adhesives, etc.) and road construction (asphalt) in terms of preparation, formulation, and implementation. For each of the materials presented, innovative approaches to reducing their ecological footprint while maintaining their performance will also be described.

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 11

            TD: 9

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The principles governing thermal energy exploitation sectors are addressed in this EU. After presenting the technological challenges and prospects associated with thermoelectric conversion and thermochemical storage, the focus is placed in particular on the design and development of functional materials for the direct conversion of thermal energy into electricity and for the storage of thermal energy by sorption.

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 11 a.m .

            Tutorial: 9 hours

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This teaching unit is dedicated to presenting materials and nanomaterials intended for use in the biomedical field (imaging, therapy, implants, etc.). The aim is to provide a representative overview of health issues where materials and nanomaterials play an essential role in diagnosis, therapy, and well-being. Strategies for developing the materials and nanomaterials of the future will also be discussed.

The prerequisites for developing materials for healthcare and their behavior/interaction with living organisms will be explained. Examples of inorganic materials and nanomaterials (inorganic nanoparticles, various materials for implants, etc.), organic materials (polymers, liposomes, etc.) and materials of biological origin used as contrast agents for various types of imaging, as therapeutic agents, or as implants will be presented.

The EU offers courses taught through lectures and tutorials. 

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 11

            TD: 9

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This teaching unit covers the various aspects of the current fuel cycle and future nuclear cycles. It will cover concepts relating to the front end of the cycle (mineral resources, uranium extraction and purification, isotopic enrichment), the passage of fuels through nuclear reactors, and the back end of the cycle (reprocessing of spent fuel, recycling of recoverable materials and fuel remanufacturing, management of final nuclear waste). This will be followed by several aspects relating to future nuclear fuel cycles, in particular the use of unconventional resources, advanced separation concepts, and the development of fourth-generation reactors.

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 3 p.m.

            Tutorial: 5 hours

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Metallurgy encompasses all industries and techniques involved in the processing of metals.

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 11

            TD: 9

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This EU will address the main conventional membrane technologies in liquid and gas environments. With regard to liquid environments, the focus will be on baromembrane technologies such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis, as well as technologies based on electrochemical potential gradients (electrodeionization) or temperature gradients (membrane distillation). In addition, gas permeation and pervaporation for the separation of gases and/or vapors will also be presented. For all technologies, the question of choosing suitable membrane materials will be addressed and representative examples of appropriate areas of use (related to current environmental and energy issues) will be given.

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 11 a.m.

            Tutorial: 9 a.m.

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This course will focus primarily on the energy context and methods of energy conversion and storage, the historical development of electrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies and modern applications, as well as electrochemical mechanisms. Finally, links will be made between modern energy conversion and storage technologies and current societal issues.

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 11

            TD: 9

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This course consists of an in-depth study of a selected problem or topic related to materials chemistry for the three targeted areas of the program: sustainable development, health, and membrane engineering. This may take the form of research, development, or analysis at the laboratory or company level. Students will work in small groups on projects. They will choose their topic and define the goal, objectives, and means under the guidance of a tutor. The ultimate goal is to develop a product/methodology using the synthesis and analysis knowledge already acquired in preparation for the internships that will take place in S8.  

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 6 hours

            Tutorial: 6 hours

            Practical work: 4 hours

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Membrane materials are usually divided into two families: polymer membranes and inorganic (or ceramic) membranes. Each of these families will be covered in this course unit. The first part will focus on the design of polymer membranes. In this part, we will mainly discuss phase inversion preparation techniques (NIPS, VIPS, TIPS) with an overview of research and innovation (SNIPS, aquaporin, etc.). In addition, additives (particularly porogens and hydrophilic agents), which play an important role in phase inversion approaches, will be described, and the various methods of chemical modification of post-synthesis membranes will be presented. The second part will be devoted to the design of inorganic membranes. In this part, we will present, on the one hand, wet processes, namely the main methods of liquid film deposition (dip-coating, spin-coating, spraying, tape-casting, screen printing-screen engraving) and deposition from solutions (electrolytic or chemical processes) or suspensions (electrophoresis, Langmuir-Blodgett), and dry processes (PVD techniques (evaporation and spraying), CVD techniques (thermal, PECVD, and ALD), MBE, surface treatment). Finally, to illustrate the two families of membranes, we will discuss case studies on membrane applications, particularly in the field of packaging.

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 11 a.m.

            Tutorial: 9 a.m.

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It is now essential to design products that are environmentally friendly throughout their entire life cycle. It is widely accepted that as a product progresses through the manufacturing stages, the technical choices available become more limited and the opportunities to reduce environmental impacts diminish accordingly. It is therefore necessary to integrate environmental considerations from the outset, i.e., at the product design stage.

The method is based on analyzing a product's life cycle. It takes into account factors such as:

• The choice of materials and raw materials
• The technologies used during the manufacture, use, maintenance, and disposal of the product.
• The product's lifespan and the possibility of recovering materials at the end of its life (recycling, etc.).
• Analysis of user behavior.

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 11 a.m.

            Tutorial: 9 a.m.

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This is a lecture course, primarily intended for students studying materials and sustainable development. It presents the role played by heterogeneous catalysis in the development of clean chemistry and in the depollution of gas/liquid effluents. The basic concepts of heterogeneous catalysis, as well as the main families of catalytic materials, will be discussed.  

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• Transport mechanisms in solids,
• Complex impedance spectroscopy
• Solid electrolyte electrochemical systems,
• Application in solid-state electrochemistry: energy and environment (batteries, accumulators, sensors, electrochromics, etc.)

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 11 a.m.

            TD: 9 a.m.

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This Master's 2 end-of-studies internship is designed to place students in a pre-professional situation, in an academic research laboratory or an industrial research and development laboratory, in France or abroad.  

The student will seek a host team in an academic setting at one of the institutes belonging to the Chemistry Cluster at the University of Montpellier (ICGM, IEM, IBMM, etc.), in academic laboratories outside the University of Montpellier (in France or abroad), or in the private sector working in the field of materials. The research project on which the student will work will have been validated in advance by the teaching team to ensure that the internship topic is related to the Master's program, the skills and expertise acquired during previous semesters, and the courses taken in semester 9 in particular, depending on the chosen specialization. In addition, the teaching team will ensure that the internship takes place in an appropriate environment and with adequate resources.

This internship, lasting 5 to 6 months, may begin in mid-January after the exam session and may not exceed 6 months in semester 10.

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