Research Strategy

Research at ICPEES focuses on the development of basic molecules, then their assembly to build reactive assemblies. These assemblies are then developed into functional materials for targeted applications ranging from advanced detection and energy storage to pollution control and host structures. With regard to detection and depollution, research projects focus on small molecule analysis, biological and chemical marking, and depollution (soil, water and air). Projects focusing on fibrous and bio-sourced materials are developing new structures and raw materials for applications ranging from tissue engineering, through membranes for energy storage, to environmentally-friendly materials to replace fossil-based plastics. The development of research into renewable energies and energy carriers (organic photovoltaics and hydrogen, both photo- and electro-catalytic), will reinforce the unit's expertise in these highly competitive fields. Finally, projects based on the storage of renewable energies, either chemically or electrochemically (synthetic methane, fuel cells, supercapacitors and batteries), will enable the electrification or decarbonization of industrial sectors with a view to reducing dependence on fossil energy sources. In parallel with these developments, the unit is strongly committed to implementing advanced characterization techniques to better understand reaction mechanisms, as well as the relationships between active centers and reactants, with a view to optimization studies. Research covering the entire value and technology chain, from TRL1 to TRL8, has earned the unit national and international recognition, and attracted collaborations with numerous laboratories worldwide. The unit's research output has been disseminated in numerous journals and conferences, and has enabled its researchers to be highly ranked in various ranking systems, notably the ScholarGPS site, demonstrating the unit's place in the global research system.  

The unit has a number of strategic research priorities for the short and medium term: (i) advanced biological and chemical detection in medicine and the environment to improve patients' chances of treatment, and also to prevent the sources of pollutants responsible for public health problems; (ii) the production of renewable energies by soft routes such as photocatalysis, electrocatalysis or photovoltaics; (iii) the production of fibrous compounds for energy and depollution applications, and the manufacture of biosourced compounds to replace materials derived from fossil sources: (iv) the conversion of waste materials, either by thermal catalysis or assisted reactive catalysis, into high value-added products, such as biomass (organic waste) or plastics (non-organic waste), which will form part of the decarbonization of polluting sectors (see below) advocated by the European Commission; (vi) the production of building blocks for the chemical and petrochemical industries, such as synthesis gas, light olefins and aromatics (it should be noted that reactions between these families of building blocks can produce over a hundred thousand chemical compounds used in everyday applications). All these areas of research are designed to address current and future societal demands in an efficient and sustainable way, and form the basis of the research carried out at ICPEES. 

The combination of some of the above-mentioned areas of research also provides a global response to some of the challenges ahead, which more specifically concern the electrification of industrial sectors that are difficult to decarbonize. Indeed, the European Commission's Net-Zero Emissions (NZE) environmental policy aims to achieve a strong electrification of three high-emission sectors: the steel, cement and chemical industries. The combination of research carried out within the unit, concerning the development of new materials (by assembling molecular building blocks or by extrusion via additive manufacturing) and catalytic processes,  enables the unit to position itself as a leader in the decarbonization (by electrification) of its sectors, by developing new heating methods that use electricity rather than fossil fuels, targeting the material to be heated rather than the entire device, and considerably reducing the share of waste heat in various sectors. This heating can be either electromagnetic induction or microwaves, which are already mature technologies frequently used in various sectors. The electrification of the industrial sector, particularly the chemical industry, also calls for advanced detection techniques - another of the unit's strengths - to map pollutants and greenhouse gases during transport and distribution. 

The energy transition we are now facing remains difficult to implement, given the many economic and logistical problems involved. To meet these challenges, based on the amount of hydrogen needed to decarbonize various sectors, five major processes will be developed and implemented by 2030: electrolysis of water, catalytic reforming with CO2 capture, pyrolysis of methane (fossil or biomass), pyrolysis or gasification of biological waste (biomass and household waste) or non-biological waste (plastics), data taken from the annual report of the think tank Hydrogen Europe, 2024. ICPEES already possesses the skills needed to meet these challenges, and in this coming energy transition, the opportunity we have before us stems from the fact that we are at the crossroads of a hybrid system, where the old is destined to disappear while the new has yet to take shape, and where all or part of it has yet to be developed.