The GDR SoPhy

The mission of the "Soft Physics for Hard Materials'' GDR is to gather the French community involved in studying hard materials obtained from soft precursors. This applies to a large number of materials such as cement, porous catalyst supports, and biological or bioinspired materials such as nacre or collagen-based composites involving biomineralization processes. This GDR covers all the stages of the synthesis of hard materials, which often involve complex physical processes associated with the application of internal stimuli (e.g., ice templating, etc.) or external stimuli (e.g., mechanical shear, power ultrasound, etc.) during the shaping of the soft precursor. This GDR will examine the possibility of playing on the structural, mechanical, or functional properties of these precursors to better control their final microstructure and properties in the cured state.

The GDR is led by the Institut Lumière Matière (ILM) and attached to the Institut de Physique (INP) of CNRS.