NUCLE is a fundamental project with applied purposes. It focuses on the control of nucleation and growth of hydrated calcium silicate (CSH) phases, the main constituent of cement, as it is a potentially effective strategy to improve the flexibility and elasticity of cementitious materials. For this, the addition to the transmission electron microscope of the ARCEN platform of devices enabling electronic tomography experiments to be carried out on nanoparticles fixed from their “natural” state (nucleation and / or start of growth) is necessary.
NUCLE also refers to two other projects: the one led by the NANOCEM consortium, which aims at understanding the processes of formation of nanoparticles that constitute cements, and the “Chemistry beyond the crystal (Chimie au-delà du cristal)” supported by I-SITE BFC and which relates to the characterization and self-assembly of metal clusters and metal oxides in the solution phase.
This project is held by ICB (V Potin) and is supported by the Bourgogne Franche-Comté region and the National Research Agency (ANR):
icb.u-bourgogne.fr/applications-recherches-et-caracterisations-a-lechelle-nanometrique-arcen/