M2 - Physics of Complex and Disordered Matter (SoftMat)

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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Polymer physics, to which this course provides an introduction, focuses on the physical properties of covalent chain assemblies, ranging from a few dozen to several million elementary molecules: polymers or macromolecules.

These synthetic or natural molecules can be observed in the solid state, liquid state, in solution, in a colloidal state, or confined to an interface.

Their very specific physical properties have led to the development of specific theoretical tools and the emergence of this new branch of physics with numerous applications.

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Bibliographic study on a research topic related to the course and potentially relevant to the M2 internship subject.

80 hours of independent work spread over the first semester of M2. Several project progress meetings will be scheduled with expert supervisors and scientific coordinators for the program.

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English tutorial course for students enrolled in the Master 2 Physics program who are seeking professional integration in English in a contemporary context.

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This module gives students the opportunity to discover the specifics of the world of work and prepare themselves to enter it in the best possible conditions, in particular through sharing experiences with professionals from the field. Students practice how to successfully apply for a job, using a methodical approach, optimizing their analysis of the job offer, writing a targeted resume and cover letter, and preparing for the job interview (role-playing, simulations).

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This course provides a general introduction to 1) the physics and mechanics of granular media and 2) their modeling using discrete methods (DEM). The multiscale nature of granular materials is discussed from the microscopic scale (contact interactions) to the macroscopic scale (structure scale). A phenomenological description of macroscopic behavior and microscopic properties is discussed for the static, quasi-static, and flow states of granular media. Micro-mechanical models and scale-changing approaches based on dimensionless analyses, averaged quantities, force transmissions, and the existence of anisotropies are introduced. The influence of particle properties and contact interactions on microstructure is also discussed. Discrete approaches (Discrete Element Methods (DEM)), regular approaches (Molecular Dynamics) and non-regular approaches (Contact Dynamics) are presented. In particular, the Contact Dynamics method will be implemented on simple examples using the LMGC90 calculation code.

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This module aims to teach the operating principles of the main techniques used to characterize the structure (in volume and on the surface) and properties (optical, electronic, etc.) of condensed matter:

• X-ray and electron diffraction techniques
• optical spectroscopy techniques (absorption, reflection, luminescence)
• local probe microscopy

  This module aims to teach the operating principles of the main techniques used to characterize the structure (in volume and on the surface) and properties (optical, electronic, etc.) of condensed matter:

  • X-ray and electron diffraction techniques
  • optical spectroscopy techniques (absorption, reflection, luminescence)
  • local probe microscopy

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This course provides an introduction to the field of complex fluids and active matter, with applications in both soft matter physics and chemistry and the physics of living organisms and biological objects.

It is common to both the PhyMV and SoftMat courses.

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Completion of a long-term research project (6 months) in an academic or industrial research laboratory.

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