| Institut Charles Sadron | |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Director | Jean-François Legrand |
| Location | Strasbourg, France |
| Affiliations | CNRS - University of Strasbourg (UPR22) |
| Website | http://www-ics.u-strasbg.fr/?lang=en |
The Institut Charles Sadron (ICS) is a research center of the CNRS (National Centre of Scientific Research), associated with the University of Strasbourg, which was created in 1954 to answer the demand for fundamental research in the emerging field of polymer science.
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In 1947, following the initiative of Charles Sadron (1902–1993), the CNRS grounded the Centre d'Etude de Physique Macromoléculaire (CEPM, Centre for Study of Macromolecular Physics). This multidisciplinary center including physicists, chemists and biologists, was dedicated to research in the field of macromolecular science.
In 1954, the Centre de Recherche sur les Macromolécules (CRM, Centre for Macromolecular research) derived from CEPM was created and became the first individual CNRS research unit to be installed in a provincial city.[1] Charles Sadron was appointed director until his departure for Orléans in 1967. His successor, Professor Henri Benoît led the CRM until 1978.
During the 1970s, after the departure of the biologists, the CRM developed two major topics of research: the study of the solid state of macromolecules and the study of their structure and behavior in solution. The last axis was enhanced by the development of light and neutron scattering and a strong collaboration with Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (collège de France), Paris) and the research institut at Saclay.[2]
In 1985, integrating the research laboratories of the Ecole d'Application des Hauts Polymères (EAHP, School of Application of High polymers), the CRM became the Institut Charles sadron (ICS).[3] The objective was to bring fundamental and applied research closer.
In 2008, the ICS moved to the Campus of Cronenbourg in order to facilitate collaborations with the Pôle Matériaux Alsace.
The successive directors were C. Wippler, G. Weill, G. Maret, J.C Wittmann and J.-F. Legrand.
The Institut Charles Sadron (ICS) is a multidisciplinary laboratory performing research at the interface of chemistry, physics and material sciences. In 2011, it was composed of about:
The research activity covers the fields of polymer chemistry, supramolecular engineering, physico-chemistry of materials and soft matter physic. The three main research axes concern: polyelectrolytes, polymers at the interfaces and self-assembly systems.
Polyelectrolytes are water-soluble natural or synthetic ionic polymers used in pharmacology, biology, cosmetics etc. In many of the applications, polyelectrolytes are in contact with compounds possessing opposite charges and the complexity introduced in this mixture requires theoretical and experimental studies on model-compounds whatever the system used: polyelectrolyte complexes in solution or alternated multilayer of polyanions and polycations (LbL, Layer by layer).[4]
In many situations of surface chemistry or physics, grafted polymer chains are adsorbed or confined in thin films. Conformation and dynanmic of macromolecules on surfaces are different from those observed in solution. This results in differences in physico-chemical and mechanical or structuration properties, which are still not perfectly understood and necessitate theoretical investigations and the use of simulation programs to complete the experimental observations.
They are due to molecular organization phenomena which result from the association and the reversible and spontaneous structuration of molecular or macromolecular species into entities with higher complexity. Nature is full of examples of complex systems governed by supramolecular chemistry principles. Despite their complexity, biological systems are an important source of inspiration for the development of new self-assemebly systems. This approach needs converging efforts in organic synthesis and physico-chemistry in order to understand the thermodynamic and kinetic phenomena which allow self-assembly and self-organization of functional systems.
A fourth transverse axe is dedicated to theoretical studies and simulation of polymers.
Some members of the institut Charles Sadron were awarded for their research.
Professor Henri Benoît and doctor André Kovacs received the Physics Polymer Prize from the American Physical Society in 1978 and 1986 respectively.[5]
In 1990, doctor Jean-Miche Guénet received the Dillon medal from the same scientific society, for his research on polymer chains conformation in semi-crystalline polymers and his contribution to the understanding of the nature of gel state.[6]
Professor Gero Decher received the Emilia Valori Prize 2009 [7] attributed by the French Sciences Academie (Académie des sciences) and the prize Rhodia 2010,[8] for his research on the layer by layer technique.
Moreover, doctor Martin Brinkmann, obtained the prize GFP/SFP 2010, attributed by the French Polymer Society ((French)GFP, Groupe Français d'études et d'applications des Polymères) and the French Physical Society ((French) SFP, Société Française de Physique), for his work on conjugated polymers.
Two other researchers, Professor Nicolas Giuseppone and doctor Jean-François Lutz were laureates of the ERC Strating Grant 2010,[9] attributed by the European research Council.