9 patents, 2 thesis prizes and 1 job. Behind these numbers one finds Alexandre Michau, former Ph.D. student in the SURF group of the CIRIMAT lab.
He was recently awarded the 2017 Innovation Prize in Chemistry & Energy, given by the Société Chimique de France (SCF) to recognise innovation having an industrial character
From October 2013 to November 2016, Alexandre Michau carried out his doctoral thesis work under the direction of Francis Maury, head of the Materials for Transport research axe of the Chimie Balard Cirimat Carnot Institute. The research, carried out in collaboration with the CEA and SIMAP (part of the “Énergies du Futur” Carnot Institute), dealt with the chemical vapour deposition of chrome-based coatings on complex surfaces meant to be exposed to extreme environments. The process that was developed also integrated the recycling of the chemical products to improve the yield to nearly 100%, thus minimising waste and the cost.
This subject led to the deposition of 9 priority patents, one of which is already extended internationally, and to two thesis prizes for Alexandre. In 2016, he was awarded the Léopold Escande Prize, which rewards the best theses of the INP school of Toulouse. This year, the French Chemical Society has awarded the Chemistry & Energy Innovation Prize to Alexandre. This young engineer will present his work and receive his award the 14th of November at the Maison de la Chimie in Paris.
Combining research and innovation, the example of Alexandre is a perfect one of partnership research with industry. His thesis led to a new project involving an SME with the goal to transfer the technology developed in the work. For his part, the former doctoral student has been recruited as a research engineer by CEA Saclay.
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