Scientific interests

• Interrelationship and microstructures of minerals at the nanometer to micron scales.

  Some minerals display mesostructures, i.e., a rigorous organization with characteristic dimensions intermediate between the size of usual unit-cells (angstrom-nanometer) and the grain size of common materials (micron-millimeter). Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) is one of the very few techniques that allow the structural study of materials in this scale range. Mesostructures in minerals include long range superstructures, modulations, and very exotic, non-periodical, cylindrical or conical structures.

• Mineralogy of carbonaceous chondrites.

  These meteorites are among the oldest materials in the solar system. They formed 4.5 billion years ago by the accretion of pristine material in the solar nebula, and were subsequently incorporated in some asteroid, where they suffered only limited modifications. It is believed that some particles in carbonaceous chondrites are cosmic dust even older that the solar system! Due to the very small grain size of most minerals in these meteorites, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Analytical Electron Microscopy (AEM) are most useful techniques.

Publication list

Résumé