Development and applications of plasma and laser processes (GREMI)

GREMI research concerns plasmas and plasma and laser processes. It is both fundamental and applied in the spirit of "understanding in order to design" in response to societal challenges. This research is based on a significant experimental potential dedicated to the production and diagnosis of plasma environments, as well as to the development and characterisation of materials, with a strong emphasis on modelling. The approaches are based on a multidisciplinary foundation in physics, optics, chemistry, materials and energy. GREMI is one of the leading plasma process laboratories in France and its skills are internationally recognised in a wide range of plasma applications. Its diverse applications include engineering for energy, electronics, biology, pollution control and metrology, flow modification, aeronautical safety and surface treatment. These applications exploit the thermal, reactive, conductive and radiative properties of plasmas, which can vary considerably depending on how they are produced, giving plasmas a wide adaptability to a large number of potential applications. 

Research topics:

Plasmas for the environment, life and security

These themes concern the development of plasma sources for applications related to the safety of goods, people and the environment:

• Effluent treatment and recovery: decontamination and purification of gases, liquids (micropollutants and emerging contaminantss) and surfaces; recovery of liquids (agriculture, anti-biofouling); plasma ignition, combustion assistance, flow control.
• Plasma-living environment interaction: sterilisation and decontamination; bio-engineering: treatment/prevention of bacteria and bio-corrosion, plasma medicine (anti-tumour effect), cosmetics, etc. cosmetics; plasma-plant interaction (agro-food).
• Thermal plasma processes: pulsed arcs (lightning, fault or cutoff arcs, arc-tracking); electrode phenomena; laser-induced plasmas (LIBS, ignition, fuel).

Plasma and laser functional materials

In this area, plasmas and lasers are used to design or modify materials with a view to their use in various applications, possibly, after incorporation into devices:

• Thin films and nanomaterials: growth on substrates of thin films based on oxides, alloys, semiconductors or polymers; growth on substrates of nanomaterials in the form of catalysts, aggregates, nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes; gas phase synthesis of nanopowders and aggregates.
• Surface structuring and functionalisation: structuring by plasma etching and laser processes (LIPSS); functionalisation and modification of surface reactivity by plasma

Experimental resources:

BP and HP plasma reactors, lasers (fs, ps, ns, continuous), high current fast discharges, HT pulsed discharges, lambdameters, oulemeters, X, VUV, UV, VIS spectrometers, cameras, PM, integrating sphere, chromatographs, mass spectrometers, ultrafast oscilloscopes, optical microscope, SEM/EDX, AFM, STM, ellipsometers, profilometer, X-ray diffractometer, FTIR, 3D printer, inkjet, autoclave, incubator, centrifuge, time-resolved IR optical pyrometer, electrical/thermoelectric measurements, photoluminescence, clean room, biology room, laser platform.