Archaeomaterials and Prediction of Alteration Laboratory
LAPA brings together equipment and researchers from CEA (NIMBE) and CNRS (NIMBE UMR3685 and IRAMAT UMR7065). LAPA specializes in the study of composite systems made partly of metallic materials.
LAPA’s specific feature is its highly interdisciplinary positioning between chemistry and the human sciences (archaeology and history). This enables addressing the long-term behavior of materials (particularly metals) from several points of view. The first is predicting the long-term behavior of materials for nuclear waste storage (with original approaches to “thick corrosion layers” – whether archaeological analogues or derived from laboratory experiments). The second point of view is the protection of heritage metals. The third point of view is that of historical studies, where chemical information is considered as a historical source in its own right. This particular positioning sets the LAPA at the heart of issues supported by the CNRS for interdisciplinary approaches in archaeological sciences, and by the CEA for waste storage issues. The LAPA has been named PRIME lab in 2021. It is also involved in discussions concerning the structuring of heritage science research within the various institutes (federation of analytical chemistry for heritage within INC, participation in EHRIS, etc.).
