TMP Team – Interfacial Reactivity

Partnairs : Olivier DEZELLUS (Resp.), Jérôme ANDRIEUX, Bruno GARDIOLA, Mathias DESSEAUX, Baptiste FORGET, Justine TAURINES, Nicolas BOULIEZ, Tanguy MANESCAU

Our research activities are focused on studying Chemical Reactivity at high temperature at the interfaces between a metal (most of the time under liquid form) and ceramics (or another metal).

The objectives are the determination of the phases formed at the interface as a function of synthesis parameters (time, temperature, composition). First, the determination of the spatial and temporal reactivity series leads to the comprehension of the reactivity mechanisms of phases formation at the interface. Second, experimental identification of the stable phases as a function of temperature allows thermodynamic and kinetic calculations and optimisations. These calculations give then access to thermodynamic functions (Gibss free energy…), that can be extrapolated to higher temperature and composition domains to obtain phase equilibria, non-measurable by direct experimental measurement.

The comprehension of reactivity mechanisms and thermodynamic calculation are performed in order to optimize industrial processes of joining or materials synthesis in the fields of thermostructural materials, aeronautics, aerospace, energy and environment.


Metal and Alloys Processing


CALPHAD optimisation of the Al-C-Mg ternary system

  • Development of experimental techniques in order to work with liquid Magnesium up to 1500ºC (sealed Tantalum crucible).

  • Synthesis of the ternary compound Al2MgC2 in Mg matrix followed by selective extraction to perform physico-chemical characterizations: single crystal XRD, Heat capacity by DSC, Decomposition temperature by DTA.

These experimental measurements, together with DFT calculation performed in collaboration with Alexander Pisch (SIMaP, Grenoble) lead to the CALPHAD optimisation of the Al-C-Mg ternary system.

Guillaume Deffrennes PhD thesis:

  • “Thermodynamique et cinéique des réctions interfaciales entre alliages de magnéium et renfort méalliques ou céamiques”
  • G. Deffrennes et al., “Synthesis, crystallographic structure and thermodynamic properties of T2-Al2MgC2”, J. Solid State Chemistry 273 (2019) 150-157.

Metal Matrix Composites, MMC


MMC Al-$\tau$3 by Global Reactive Synthesis

Reaction : 24 AlB2 + 2C -> 21Al + Al3B48C2

NRA project “NANOTICAL”


MMC Al-TiC by Global Reactive Synthesis

Reaction: Al3Ti + C -> 3 Al + TiC

NRA Project “NANOTICAL”

  • Samer N. et al., “Microstructure and mechanical properties of an Al-TiC metal matrix composite obtained by reactive synthesis”, Composites Part A 72 (2015) 50-57.

Reactivity and evolution of the mechanical properties of a Ti-TiC MMC during the implementation process

NRA Project “COMMETI”


Comprehension and optimization of joining processes (brazing, soldering etc…)


Brazing with isothermal solification TA6V/Ag-Cu/AlN

Supersonic network project, in collaboration with SIMaP-LTPCM and CEA-Grenoble.