Track 1

Replacing petroleum-based materials is an increasingly important issue from both a technological and economic perspective. This module provides students with the skills needed in the fields of agropolymers, bio-based polymers, degradable materials, and biocomposites. New, more environmentally friendly synthesis methods will be presented to enable the preparation of synthetic degradable polymers.

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

Hourly volumes*:

            CM: 11CM

            TD: 9 TDs

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Material development involves numerous coupled phenomena, some of which are related to the nature of the materials and their intrinsic properties, while others are linked to the processes employed during the transformation of matter and/or energy. 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 thorough 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 challenges associated with the use of various materials in our daily lives is their durability—and, consequently, their degradation. In this course, we will address issues related to material durability (resources, reserves, material criticality, etc.) as well as methodologies for studying durability (types of surface/volume aging, temporal extrapolation, multiscale analysis, combination of effects, experimental representation, and industrial validation). This will then enable us to model the kinetics of aging using various models.

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

Finally, the aging of various types of materials will be illustrated through a number of real-world case studies (concrete, ceramics, metals, and elastomers).

Hours per week*: 11 hours CM:

                                    9:00 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 allow them to be adapted to the specifications, installation conditions, or cost requirements set forth in specific technical specifications. This course unit provides a basic understanding of the different types of materials used in housing (concrete, plaster, paints, adhesives, etc.) and road construction (asphalt) in terms of preparation, formulation, and application. For each of the materials presented, innovative approaches that reduce their environmental footprint while maintaining their performance will also be described.

Hourly volumes*:

            CM: 11

            TD: 9

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This course covers the principles governing thermal energy conversion technologies. Following an overview of the technological challenges and prospects associated with thermoelectric conversion and thermochemical storage, the course focuses in particular on the design and development of functional materials for the direct conversion of thermal energy into electricity and for thermal energy storage via sorption.

Hourly volumes*:

            CM: 11:00 a.m .

            TD: 9:00 a.m.

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This course is dedicated to introducing materials and nanomaterials intended for use in the biomedical field (imaging, therapy, implants, etc.). The goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of healthcare issues in which materials and nanomaterials play an indispensable role in diagnosis, therapy, and well-being. Strategies for developing the materials and nanomaterials of the future will also be discussed.

The prerequisites for the development of materials for healthcare and their behavior and interaction with a living organism will be explained. Examples of inorganic materials and nanomaterials (inorganic nanoparticles, various implant materials, etc.), organic materials (polymers, liposomes, etc.), and biologically derived materials used as contrast agents for various types of imaging, as therapeutic agents, or as implants will be presented.

The EU program includes instruction delivered through lectures and seminars. 

Hourly volumes*:

            CM: 11

            TD: 9

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

Hourly volumes*:

            CM: 3:00 p.m.

            TD: 5 hours

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

Hourly volumes*:

            CM: 11

            TD: 9

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This course unit will cover the main conventional membrane technologies in liquid and gas media. With regard to liquid media, the focus will be on baromembrane technologies such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis, as well as those 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 issue of selecting suitable membrane materials will be addressed, and representative examples of appropriate applications (related to current environmental and energy challenges) will be provided.

Hourly volumes*:

            CM: 11:00 a.m.

            TD: 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 their modern applications, as well as electrochemical mechanisms. Finally, connections will be drawn between modern energy conversion and storage technologies and current societal challenges.

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 program’s three targeted specializations: sustainable development, health, and membrane engineering. This may take the form of a research, development, or analysis project conducted in a laboratory or at a company. Students will work in small project groups. They will choose their topic and define the goal, objectives, and methods under the guidance of a mentor. The ultimate goal is to develop a product or methodology using the synthesis and analysis skills they have already acquired in preparation for the internships that will take place in S8.  

Hourly volumes*:

            CM: 6 a.m.

            TD: 6:00 a.m.

            Practical Training: 4:00 p.m.

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Membrane materials are typically divided into two categories: polymer membranes and inorganic (or ceramic) membranes. Each of these categories will be covered in this course unit. The first part will focus on the design of polymer membranes. In this section, we will primarily discuss phase inversion preparation techniques (NIPS, VIPS, TIPS), with an overview of research and innovation (SNIPS, aquaporins, etc.). In addition, we will describe additives (particularly pore-forming agents and hydrophilizing agents), which play an important role in phase inversion approaches, and we will present the various methods for chemically modifying membranes after synthesis. The second part will be devoted to the design of inorganic membranes. In this section, we will present, on the one hand, wet processes—namely the main methods for depositing liquid films (dip-coating, spin-coating, spraying, tape-casting, screen printing) and deposition from solutions (electrolytic or chemical processes) or suspensions (electrophoresis, Langmuir-Blodgett), and, second, dry processes (PVD techniques [evaporation and sputtering], CVD techniques [thermal, PECVD, and ALD], MBE, and surface treatment). Finally, to illustrate these two families of membranes, we will discuss case studies on membrane applications, particularly in the field of packaging.

Hourly volumes*:

            CM: 11:00 a.m.

            TD: 9 a.m.

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It is essential today to design products that are environmentally friendly throughout their entire life cycle. It is widely recognized that as a product moves through the various stages of manufacturing, technical options narrow and the opportunities to reduce environmental impacts diminish accordingly. Therefore, environmental considerations must be integrated right from the start—that is, at the product design stage.

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

• The selection of materials and raw materials
• The technologies used during the manufacture, use, and maintenance of the product, as well as during its disposal as waste.
• The product's lifespan and the ability to recover materials at the end of its life (recycling, etc.).
• Analysis of user behavior.

Hourly volumes*:

            CM: 11:00 a.m.

            TD: 9:00 a.m.

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This is a lecture course intended primarily for students majoring in materials science and sustainable development. It presents the role played by heterogeneous catalysis in the development of clean chemistry and in the treatment of gaseous and 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,
• Applications in Solid-State Electrochemistry: Energy and the Environment (Batteries, Rechargeable Batteries, Sensors, Electrochromic Devices, etc.)

Hourly volumes*:

            CM: 11:00 a.m.

            TD: 9:00 a.m.

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This end-of-program internship for Master 2 students is designed to provide students with a pre-professional experience in an academic research laboratory or an industrial research and development laboratory, either in France or abroad.  

The student will seek out a host team in an academic setting at the institutes of 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 previously approved by the academic team to ensure that the internship topic is relevant to the master’s program curriculum, the skills and expertise acquired during previous semesters, and the courses taken—particularly in Semester 9—depending on the chosen specialization. Furthermore, the academic team will ensure that the internship takes place in an appropriate environment and with adequate resources.

This 5- to 6-month internship may begin in mid-January after the exam period and may not exceed 6 months during the 10th semester.

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