MEM

The Centre des Matériaux (CMAT) is a research center of the Common Center to the Ecole des Mines de Paris and to ARMINES. CMAT is also an UMR CNRS 7633. The CMAT is involved both on scientific research and on teaching undergraduate and graduate students in materials, mechanics and physics (75 permanent staff, 95 doctoral and post-doctoral fellows). The research activities of the CMAT center are focused on high performance and multifunctional materials for aerospace, ground transportation, energy and microelectronic industries. A recognized expertise has been developed on the development of (i) relationships between manufacturing processes, and micro-structural and performance variables, and (ii) mechanistic models and computational tools to predict the mechanical behaviour of materials under realistic loading and environmental conditions. The research teams have largely contributed to setting standards for the design of new alloys and composites and are at the forefront of mechanics and materials research in France and at the international level.

The Chair Messiah project (2020–2025) pioneered innovative experimental approaches for characterizing materials in a hydrogen gas environment. This project significantly enhanced our understanding of degradation phenomena induced by hydrogen exposure in transport materials, yielding several key publications and strengthening national expertise in the field. The new European Hyway project (2024–2028) aims to deepen the in situ characterization of materials under hydrogen exposure. Hyway will use advanced instruments like synchrotrons to study how hydrogen interacts with steels and other transport and storage materials, aiming to improve their design and reliability.

Within the framework of the DIM MaTerRE project, the acquisition of a ToF-SIMS spectrometer perfectly complements our multidisciplinary approach. It will enable multi-scale mechanical testing in a 250-bar hydrogen environment, advanced surface analyses, and the development of multiphysics models, offering unique real-time insights into hydrogen penetration and degradation mechanisms.