The purpose of this project is to develop eco-friendly products (admixtures) which aim to replace products subjected to REACH authorisation in order to modify the concrete surface and to improve the corrosion resistance of rebars. Reinforced concrete are composite materials made of cement, aggregates and metallic reinforcements. This project deals especially with concrete that are more eco-friendly than the traditional Ordinary Portland Cement (CEM I): different cements containing components resulting from the recycling of by-products from the iron and steel industry, such as CEM II and CEM III, will be used. These new admixtures resulting from biotechnologies will allow decreasing the capability of concrete surfaces to be colonised by biofilms. The use of such product aims to control the surface bio-contamination of concrete and their durability. The active principles of the developed admixtures will consist of bacterial exo-products: two different ExtraCellular Substances (ECS) having anti-corrosive and anti-fouling properties will be used. These bio-products will have to fulfil two functions: (i) the inhibition of the corrosion of the rebars in reinforced and prestressed concrete, and (ii) the inhibition of the biocontamination of their surface. The implementation of such admixtures will consist in incorporating them as mass products in the concrete formulation. This industrial research project aims to offer new products allowing the elaboration of new materials i.e. concrete that are more eco-friendly and more resistant to natural environments. It implies 4 institutional research laboratories having expertise in concrete surface analysis and in physico-chemical analysis of layers developed on steel and concrete, in electrochemistry for the steel corrosion inhibition and in petrophysics for the physico-chemical characterisation of concrete. Knowledge in microbiology, chemistry and microscopy are also needed for the products development and the analysis of the surface biocontamination. One industrial partner is also highly implied for its expertise in concrete admixtures; it already offers a range of products for surface protection but no mass treatment product and no product against biological fouling. Finally, the products will have to satisfy the criteria allowing the establishment of the Sanitary and Environmental Data Cards (FDES). Eco-profiles of each developed product will be elaborated to constitute a base for the development of new materials having optimised performance. For that, the determination of the ultimate biodegradability according to the OCDE 301 standard as well as the determination of the aquatic eco-toxicity will be performed. These whole results will allow the determination of the acute toxicity class of the admixture. Due to the recent growth of the concrete protection agents market, the deliverables of this project, i.e. the couples (admixture, concentration), will then constitute eco-friendly and innovating answers with a high potential of valorisation. This project was submitted last year (SEXPOLBE) and was classified on complementary list. The improvements to this project concern the production way of extra-cellular substances (Task 2). The industrial participation remains important and is balanced by the scientific demand of the institutional partners.

The goal of our project “HEROES” is to provide to the national and international scientific community two ultra-high resolution spectrometers in the THz (0.1 THz-1.1 THz) and far-IR (1 THz-6 THz) spectral regions using the heterodyne techniques. These instruments will be set-up on the AILES beamline of SOLEIL facility. The AILES beamline extracts synchrotron radiation emitted by various operating modes of the SOLEIL machine in a broad spectral range covering the THz and far-IR regions. The AILES beamline aims at characterizing the spectral properties of various materials and molecular species using the synchrotron radiation. While in the IR several light sources and spectrometers are highly performant, THz technologies still suffer of either limited power, or low spectral purity or narrow bandwidth despite the large technological advances realized in the last years (e.g. opto-electronic conversion, quantum cascade lasers, multiplication chains pumped by microwave synthesizers, …). Since ten years the AILES team made important efforts to optimize the performances of the THz and far-IR radiation extracted by the beamline. As every synchrotron-based far-IR spectroscopy stations over the world, the AILES beamline makes use of Fourier transform interferometry to acquire high resolution absorption spectra. Due to the limited optical delay line obtained using mechanical displacement of the moving mirror, such technique has inherent limited spectral resolution (30 MHz is the highest spectral resolution available from commercial interefrometers). Since its opening, AILES beamline had a federative role in the scientific community leading to the creation of several consortia dedicated to instrumental developments and specific spectroscopic applications. The present project is a consortium of four different laboratories having very complementary skills ISMO (UMR 8214 – U-PSUD), IEMN (UMR 8520 – U-Lille), LPCA (EA 4493- ULCO), la ligne AILES (SOLEIL Saclay). Our consortium relies on two recent discoveries: the implementation on QCL-based new molecular far-IR lasers on one side and the dense THz frequency comb (FC) emitted by the Coherent Synchrotron Radiations (CSR) operating modes. In the present project, the first realization we intend to set-up is based on the recent advances performed by the IEMN laboratory concerning THz molecular lasers pumped by mid-IR QCLs. The patent describing these new far-IR laser sources is pending and the HEROES consortium propose to use such devices as Local Oscillators (LO) in a heterodyne receiver for the far-IR synchrotron continuum. The huge number of far-IR laser emission lines of the LO (available from such optical excitation), and the coupling with the bright far-IR continuum source will permit a full frequency coverage in the 1-5 THz spectral range with unprecedented resolution (better than 1 MHz). This original approach will open new, broad perspectives for high resolution molecular spectroscopy in terms of size of the molecular families to be studied, observation of fine coupling between angular momenta, energy levels splittings due to large amplitude motions … The second realization proposed in this project follows our recent discovery of the discrete nature of the CSR in various operation modes. We demonstrated that CSR is emitted through a very stable THz frequency comb with 846 kHz spacing between comb teeth. Thanks to this very interesting spectral characteristic, we propose to develop a dual-comb spectrometer. Our idea is to probe the CSR-FC with a second FC having a repetition rate close to 846 kHz. This leads to detect the beating between the two FCs in the radiofrequency domain where electronic devices are extremely performant. This new THz spectrometer will combine high brilliance and spectral coverage from CSR with the high resolution (846 kHZ), and ultra-fast spectral analysis of the dual-comb approach which revolutionized molecular spectroscopy in the mid- and near-IR regions.

The ultimate goal of in gas-phase kinetics experiments is to characterize the reactive process under investigation in the fullest possible sense, through the precise determination of its reaction rate and the quantitative detection of products and intermediates over as wide a temperature range as possible. In particular, the study of chemical reactivity at low temperature is an area which has attracted considerable attention in recent years. The improving sensitivity and spatial resolution of modern telescopes continue to allow an ever increasing number of complex molecules to be identified in astronomical environments which were previously thought to be bereft of all but the most simple species. The study of how molecules form and evolve at such low temperatures is the primary objective of astrochemistry. Significant advances have been made in this field over the last few decades through the application of sophisticated techniques allowing low temperatures to be reached whilst maintaining appreciable concentrations of reactive species in the gas-phase. In this way, chemical reactivity can be investigated at temperatures which are directly relevant for astrochemical environments. Whilst the measurement of reaction rates for simple bimolecular reactions over a wide temperature range is relatively straightforward in the present day and age, the same cannot be said of studies targeting product formation. Such measurements are very rare indeed at low temperature due the distinct lack of a suitable universal method allowing multiple product species to be followed simultaneously in a quantitative manner. To address this issue we propose to combine state-of-the-art methods in rotational spectroscopy and low temperature chemical reactivity, whilst developing in parallel a prototype instrument for future spectroscopic applications at higher frequencies. The project can be organized into 3 main scientific aims. 1) The development and validation of a broadband high resolution electronic spectrometer in the sub-millimeter wavelength range (SMM) to investigate the rotational spectroscopy of a wide range of radicals and stable molecules. This instrument will be conceived with its future application to gas-phase spectroscopy and low temperature reactivity in mind. Its initial performance will be enhanced through the rotational spectroscopy of stable molecules. Its capabilities will be tested through the detection of photochemically produced radical species at ambient temperatures. 2) The deployment of the SMM instrument on a state of the art flow reactor capable of attaining low temperatures whilst avoiding problems associated with condensation and wall reactions. The application of the SMM instrument to the study of low temperature reactivity will be validated initially by the low temperature spectroscopy of stable species in the flow reactor, before demonstrating the power of this combined method through spectroscopic studies of cluster formation. Finally, we will use the combined instrument to study chemical reactivity at low temperature, simultaneously following the formation of (multiple) reaction products and reagent loss for specific test reactions over a wide temperature range. 3) The development and the validation of a ground-breaking spectrometer using optoelectronic conversions to overcome the limitations of purely electronic devices. While maintaining the high spectral resolution of the all-electronic instrument, the optoelectronic spectrometer will also present a much higher instantaneous bandwidth and a better continuous tunability along with the potential to work at much higher frequencies. Consequently, a wider range of molecular species could be investigated in a shorter time

At a time when terrorist threats have continued to grow, researchers have worked to develop several innovative sensors where the combined research of sensitivity and selectivity has been favored. With regard to the detection of explosives, a difficulty concerns the great diversity of the available compounds whether they are industrial or home-made. The aim of the METIS project is to propose an alternative and a novel approach able to detect and discriminate the presence of explosives or specific markers. This involves probing the vapor pressures of a set of targeted molecular species representative of the presence of explosives in the millimetre-wave spectral band which provides an excellent resolution (discriminating character) by probing their rotational spectra . To achieve this goal we will use a recent technical development of the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of the Atmosphere (LPCA) which has been the subject of a patent application with high potential for technology transfer.Considering the civil or military targets of terrorists, METIS is by nature a DUAL project that follows the very encouraging results by the laboratories LPCA from Dunkirk and Physics Lasers, Atoms and Molecules (PhLAM) from Lille which have succeeded for the first time in recording, solving and analyzing the high-resolution rotational spectrum of mononitrotoluene taggant (NT) at room temperature with the association of preliminary microwave experiments at low temperature to determine the lower energy rotational states; measurements at room temperature using a versatile spectrometer based on a frequency multiplication chain and modeling tools to predict and analyze spectra (quantum chemistry calculations, specific Hamiltonians ...). To go further in this type of study and respond to economic, social and security issues, the METIS project aims to initiate a detection system capable to detect, discriminate and quantify gas traces of explosives taggants. in a complex mixture.To achieve this goal, we aim: to measure and analyze the millimeter-wave spectra of the most used taggants including heavier and less volatile species (DNT, DMNB, ...); to gain several orders of magnitude in terms of sensitivity by increasing the rotational absorption intensities; to automatize the measurement and the analysis of dense spectra mixing the spectral signatures of numerous molecular species and finally, to demonstrate the taggant detection in a realistic sample in an institute authorized to handle explosives. This research project brings together three partners with complementary skills and expertise associated with an observer member: the LPCA, specialized in the development of experimental and theoretical tools for gas trace metrology in the THz domain, the PhLAM laboratory, expert in modeling and spectroscopy of complex molecular structures in the gas phase, the pyrotechnic laboratory of the Saint Louis Institute (SLI) specialized in the handling of explosives and the SATT-Nord to study the potential of technology transfer and maturation. This consortium proposes a 36-month project in which, on the one hand, experimental rotational spectroscopy and quantum chemistry calculations will be used to create a new database of millimeter- wave, high-resolution rotational signatures of the main explosive taggants and on the other hand, to create an ultra-sensitive instrument accompanied with a spectral taxonomy program. The ability to detect gas traces of explosive taggants on a pre-established mixture will be demonstrated in the SLI with our partners experts in energetic material handling.

Global efforts to mitigate climate change have largely focused on reducing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is responsible for 55-60% of current anthropogenic radiative forcing on warming impact. Because of its long lifetime (~ 130 years [Sonnemann 2013]) in the atmosphere, long-lasting CO2 will remain the primary driver of long-term temperature rise even if new CO2 emissions dropped to zero. A "fast-action" climate mitigation strategies is therefore strongly needed to provide more sizeable short-term benefits than CO2 reductions by reducing emission of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) having atmospheric lifetimes of less than 20 years [Zaelke 2013], which would lead to short-term drops in atmospheric concentrations and hence slow climate change over the next several decades. Black carbon (BC), one of the most important SLCPs with an atmospheric lifetime of about one week, warms the atmosphere by absorbing sunlight. BC is considered as the third most powerful climate-forcing agent in the atmosphere after CO2 and CH4 [IPCC 2013]. The uncertainties associated to BC radiative forcing are, for now, larger than 70% and are mainly related to actual measurement techniques that provide limited information to distinguish BC from other aerosols and to its optical properties [Bond 2013]. BC has been also identified as the most harmful air pollutant in terms of its adverse impacts on human health [WHO 2013]. Despite intensive efforts over the past decades, no widely accepted standard measurement method exists for the determination of BC. The most widely used methods are filter-based online aethalometry and off line thermal optical analysis. However all filter-based photometers suffer from non linearity due to the loading of the filter, which may lead to a large measurement bias [Lack 2008]. In this proposal, we propose to develop a novel Black Carbone Analyzer based on an innovative multi-channel aerosol albedometer for direct and filter-free simultaneous measurements of wavelength-dependent optical extinction and absorption of BC and other aerosols in the major spectral region of the solar radiation (300-2000 nm). This all integrated compact photonic albedometer consists of two main devices : (1) an innovative broadband optical cavity coupled to a high-sensitivity CCD spectrometer to form a BroadBand Cavity enhanced Extinctiometer (BBCE) for wavelength-resolved extinction measurements; (2) a multi-microphone enhanced Photoacoustic Absorptionmeter (PA) for wavelength-dependent integrated absorption measurements. Both devices are coupled to a single broadband high-brightness photonic light source. The implementation of the advanced photonic technologies will significantly improve the instrument performance allowing for the determination of high quality data of BC and other aerosols, such as BC and BrC fractions, their optical parameters (single scattering Albedo and complex refractive index), derived from the measured spectral data over the full spectral regions of 300-2000 nm, with a lower uncertainty of ~ 5% (compare to 20-35% of the filter based techniques [Lack 2006]). Based on the expertise acquired in our previous work, the measurement sensitivity and precision of the proposed multi-channel BBCE-PA albedometer are expected to be ~ 0.1 Mm-1 and ~ 0.5 Mm-1, respectively, with a higher temporal resolution of approximately 1 minute (compared to 1-10 minutes requested by European Environment Agency [EEA 2013]). After validation and characterization in laboratory, the BBCE-PA albedometer will be tested and calibrated in the Environnement S.A field test laboratory, and then validated via intensive field intercomparison with other field-established instruments on national and European observation network sites (like ORAURE and ACTRIS).