The Energy and Environment (E&E) pole of IJCLab consists of chemists and physicists whose research is related to nuclear energy and environment issues. Research projects address fundamental science questions of interest to the development of nuclear energy.
The scientific coordination of the E&E pole is steered by Frederico Garrido, Associate Scientific Director of the E&E pole. Jean-François Le Du is assistant director and is responsible for technical missions.
The pole’s activities are organized in two teams :
- CHIMèNE – Chemistry, Irradiation, Materials, Modeling, Electrochemistry, for Nuclear and Environment
- RAPHYNEE – RAdio-chemistry and PHYsics for Nuclear Energy and Environment
The research projects carried out by the E&E pole combine diversity and complementarity: chemistry and physics for nuclear energy, studies of energy scenarios on a global scale, new reactor concepts and development of new fuels, innovative treatment of nuclear waste and transmutation, recycling of actinides, study of nuclear fission, physicochemical properties of actinides in condensed phases (solids, aqueous solutions, molten salts, ionic liquids, solid / liquid interfaces) and their speciation, chemical behavior of radioactive materials and their interactions with environment, new materials for the electronuclear cycle and fusion (advanced metal alloys, oxide dispersion steels, advanced ceramics for the future of nuclear energy), experimental simulation by ion accelerator of the consequences of the irradiation of solids and associated modeling.
A detailed description of the research projects are given in the pages dedicated to the research topics.
The experimental activities of the E&E pole benefit from unique equipment at IJCLab, such as the actinide chemistry building dedicated to experimental activities, and the MOSAIC platform with ion accelerators and in situ characterizations (especially the JANNuS-Orsay experimental hall).