IRCER – Institute of research for ceramics
UMR CNRS 7315

Work at the Institute of Research for Ceramics – IRCER – is devoted to the transformations of matter involved in processing of bulk ceramics and processing used in surface treatment. The laboratory activities are situating at the intersection of materials science – mostly ceramics – and process engineering.

The IRCER houses in a single building of 8500 m2, called the « European Ceramics Centre« , all 200 members of the laboratory as well as the scientific equipment.

The IRCER is partner, with XLIM laboratory of the laboratory of Excellence Sigma-Lim: “From specific ceramic materials and components to integrated, secured and intelligent communication systems”.

Research Themes: Ceramic Processes – Plasmas and Lasers Processes – Multi-Scale Structural Organisation of Materials – Ceramics under environmental conditions

Keywords: Ceramics ; Biomaterials ; Eco-materials ; Materials with Controlled Microstructure and Architecture ; Materials with Controlled Porosity ; Nanostructures Materials and Coatings ; High-Temperature Materials ; Materials for Energy and the Environment ; Materials for Technologies of Information and Communication (TIC) ; Solid State chemistry ; Crystal Chemistry ; Modelling ; Ceramic Processes ; Surface Treatment Processes (plasma, flame, CVD, laser ablation, etc.)

> The IRCER guide

Production/Manufacturing: CVD, PECVD, laser ablation ;  Plasma spraying ; HP, HIP, SPS ; Powder synthesis using spray pyrolysis, coprecipitation, sol-gel process ; Ceramic shaping

Characterization: Powder characterization ; Acousto-phoropter, zetameter ; Capillary and rotational rheometer ; Plasma arc and spraying diagnosis ; FTIR and Raman spectrometry, Fluorometry ; AFM ; XPS ; Ellipsometry ; Powder XRD, thin films, single-crystal, small-angle scattering, reflectometry ; SEM + EDX + cryo FEG ; HRTEM + EDX

CARMALIM (Platform of Ceramic Materials characterization of Limoges)

Fields of application: Material science, ceramics, chemistry, surface treatments, electronic, optics, Technologies of Information and Communication (TIC), energy, environment, mechanics, health, transport.

Industrial applications: Field of energy (Correspondant laboratory with CEA) Syngas, hydrogen and oxygen (Joint Laboratory with Air Liquide) Space propulsion ; Biomaterials (implants, prosthesis) ; Metallurgy (special refractory materials) ; Optic (Joint Laboratory with Cilas); Glaze layers manufactured by a thermal spray route for environmental barriers ; DLC layers manufactured by a vapor deposition route for tribological applications ; Thermal barrier coatings manufactured by a thermal spray route

Enterprises created since 2005: 3DCeram – Ceradrop – Glass Surface Technology – FERLIM

Clusters: ALPHA-RLH (Photonics and Microwaves Competitiveness Cluster in Nouvelle-Aquitaine) – European Ceramics Centre

Partnerships with technology centers: CITRA (Center for Innovative Technology and Research in Advanced coatings) – CTTC (Center for Technology Transfers in Ceramics)

• National University Partnerships: UPR 2949, Institut Néel (Grenoble) ; UPR 3079, CEMHTI (Orléans) ; UPR 9048, ICMCB (Bordeaux) ; UMR 5085, CIRIMAT (Toulouse) ; UMR 5615, LMI (Villeurbanne) ; UMR 6172, XLIM (Limoges) ; UMR 6595, IUSTI, (Marseille) ; UMR 7647, LPICM, Ecole Polytechnique (Palaiseau) ; UMR 8578, LPGP (Orsay)
• International University Partnerships:

  Europe: Allemagne: Université de Bayreuth, Département de chimie physique ; Université de Würzburg Julius-Maximilians, Faculté de chimie et de pharmacie; Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulation, Bochum ; Université de Clausthal – Institute of Metallurgy, Thermochemistry & microkinetics, Clausthal-Zellerfeld ; Université de Bayreuth, Friedrich Baur Research Institute for Biomaterials ; Université d’Erlangen-Nuremberg, Institute for Biomaterials ; Institut für Gesteinshüttenkunde (GHI) – Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen ; Federal Institute of Materials Research and Testing, Berlin ; Université de Suttgart ; Université Technique de Chemnitz ; Institut für Oberfläche und Schichtanalytik, Kaiserslautern – Angleterre: Imperial College, Londres ; Université de Cambridge Gordon Laboratory ; Université de Southampton ;  Université de Cambridge – Autriche: Université de Leoben – Belgique: Belgian Ceramic Research Centre, Mons ; Research Institute for Materials Science and Engineering, University of Mons – Bulgarie: Université de Technologie Chimique et de Métallurgie, Sofia – Espagne: Université Carlos III, Département Sciences des matériaux, Madrid ; Université Complutense de Madrid, Center on Bioengineering Biomaterials and Nanomedicine ; Université R&V de Tarragone ; Université Castilla La Mancha et ESS Bilbao ; Universitat Jaume I, Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica ; Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Instituto de Tecnología de Materiales ; Laboratoire Instituto de Ceramica y Vidrio, Madrid – Finlande: Université Aalto, Département de Physique Appliquée  – Irlande: Materials & Surface Science Institute, Limerick ; National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology, Dublin – Italie: Université de Padou, Département d’Ingénierie Industrielle ; Université de Modène, Département d’Ingénierie Enzo Ferrari ; Université de Modène Département d’Ingénierie Enzo Ferrari ; Université de Gênes, Département de physique ; ISTEC, Faenza ; ENEA (Italian National agency for new technologies, Energy and sustainable economic development), Rome – Pologne: AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, Krakow ; Université Technique de Wroclaw ;Collaboration internationale avec l’Institut de Physique, Pedagogical University of Krakow, Cracovie – République Tchèque: Department of Glass and Ceramics, Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague ; Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Science, Wroclaw ; Institute of Plasma Physics – Roumanie: National Institute of materials Physics, Bucharest ; Université de Bucarest ; National Institute for Laser, Plasma & Radiation Physics ; Universitatea Politehnica din Timișoara ; Université de Cluj-Napoca – Suède: Chalmers University of Technology, Materials Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Göteborg ; Université de Linköping – Slovénie: Institut Jozef Stefan, Electronics Ceramics Department, Ljubljana – Portugal: Aveiro Institute of Materials – Suisse: ETH Zurich, Département des Matériaux ; Ecole polytechnique de Zurich (ETHZ)

  Afrique: Algérie: Université de Boumerdès ; U. Djillali LIABES ; Centre de Développement des Technologies Avancées, Division des Milieux Ionisés et Lasers, Alger ; Université de Constantine, Laboratoire Couches Minces et interfaces – Cameroun: Université de Yaoundé, Local Materials Promotion Authority/MIPROMALO, Yaoundé ;  Université de Douala  – Côte d’Ivoire: Université de Cocody – Egypte: National Research Center, Cairo – Ile Maurice: Institute of Science and Technology of Maurice – Maroc: Université Caddi Ayyad (Marrakech) ;  ENSA de Safi ; Université Cadi Ayyad de Marrakech, Bioorganic and Macromolecular Chemistry Laboratory ; Ecole Nationale des Sciences Appliquées de Tanger – Sénégal: Université de Ziguinchor – Togo: Université de Lomé  – Tunisie: ENI de Sfax ; Université de Tunis ; Photovoltaic Laboratory, Research and Technology Centre of Energy, Hammam-Lif ; Laboratoire de Science des Matériaux et de l’Environnement, Université de Sfax

  Amérique du Nord Canada: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Lignocellulosic Materials Research Cente, Québec ; Concordia University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Montreal  – Etats-Unis: Columbia University, Earth Engineering Center, NYC ; University of Massachusetts Lowel, department of mechanical engineering ; Université du Tennessee ; Université du Wisconsin ; Université de Californie, Davis ; The College of Optics and Photonics, Orlando

  Amérique du Sud Argentine: Université de Guyot ; Université de San Luis – Brésil: Université Fédérale de Sergipe, Aracaju ; Brazilian Center for Research in Physics (CBPF), Rio de Janeiro ; Université Fédérale de São Carlos – Chili: Universidad Tecnica Frederico Santa Maria, Santiago – Colombie: Université Eafit – Mexique: Instituto Polotecnicco, Mexico – Uruguay: Universidad de la República, Departamento de Ingeniería de Materiales, Facultad de Ingeniería, Montevideo Asie Japon: Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITECH), Ceramics Division, Department of Materials Science and Engineering ; Université de Nagaoka ; National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki – Chine: Baoding University ; Xi’an Jiaotong University, Spray laboratory – Malaisie: University Malaysia Sarawak, Kutching – Iran: Université de Mashhad – Liban: Université Libanaise – Russie: Fock Institute of Physics, Université de Saint Petersburg

  Océanie Australie: University of the Sunshine Coast, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering  – Nouvelle Zélande: University of Auckland, Research Centre for Surface and Materials Science

• Industrial Partnerships: 3DCERAM, Adisseo, Air Liquide, Alantum, Belzers, CEA, CERADROP, CILAS, Dior, EADS/Astrium, EDF, GDF, IMERYS, Oerlikon, PSA, RENAULT, RIO TINTO ALCAN, SAFRAN, SAINT GOBAIN, SEI, Thalès, Total, Usinor, Volvo, SULZER…