Domain, Specialties : Physical chemistry
Keywords: energy transition, low-carbon cement and concrete, SAXS, microfluidics, automation
Research Unit : NIMBE / LIONS
Summary
This project aims to adapt a cement microreactor, recently developed for in situ analysis of carbonation curing by XRD, so that it is compatible with the DIADEM FastNano automated SAXS platform. The goal is to better understand the simultaneous evolution of cement structure and porosity during the early stages of curing, a key factor for CO₂ capture and mechanical properties. The intern will contribute to the technical development of the microreactor as well as to the implementation of scripts for automated SAXS data collection and processing.
Full description
The production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) clinker accounts for up to 8% of global CO2 emissions. Approximately 40% of this CO2 comes from the energy expended by heating the raw limestone and clays needed to produce the clinker, while the remaining 60% is released from the carbonates trapped within the limestone. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of this released CO2 is re-captured when cements are hardened through standard hydration processes. To reduce net CO2 emissions, a growing number of researchers and start-up companies (e.g., CarbonCure, Fortera) are working to cure cements through a combination of hydration and carbonation to re-capture released CO2. However, the carbonation of cements is a poorly understood phenomenon that can proceed through complex multi-step pathways.
Due to its density, hardness, and opacity, cement setting processes are extraordinarily difficult to study. To overcome this challenge, our lab recently developed a cement “microreactor” that enables real-time analysis of cement curing (Figure) and used it to study the evolving structure of cements using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The goal of this internship is to adapt the microreactor for use on the new DIADEM FastNano automated small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) platform. In addition to obtaining structural information by XRD, SAXS will enable us to uncover the evolving porosity of cements during early curing stages, which is crucial to CO2 transport and mechanical strength. The intern will help us to develop microreactor hardware for performing in situ SAXS analysis and accompanying scripts for the automated collection and treatment of SAXS data.
Location
CEA Saclay, (91) Essonne, France
Internship conditions
- Internship duration: 6 months
- Level of study: Bac+5
- Training: Master 2
- Continuation in PhD thesis: Yes
- Application deadline: 2 février 2026
Experimental skills
Language : English
Useful methods and technics:
SAXS/WAXS, XRD, 3D printing, computer-aided design
Computer languages and software:
Python, pySAXS