Synthesis of organic aerogels from polydicyclopentadiene derivatives

The study of inertial confinement fusion of the deuterium + tritium (DT) mixture has long been a research focus at the CEA. Experiments related to this topic, carried out within the Laser Mégajoule (LMJ) facility, require the use of materials with specific properties. This includes, among others, polymer foams (organic aerogels) used as pre-ignition targets. Such materials must combine very low density with sufficient mechanical strength to be compatible with the preparation process employed.
In this context, the objective is to develop CHx polymeric aerogels based on polydicyclopentadiene (pDCPD) and other polymers derived from ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), in order to produce materials that are (i) of low apparent density (target value in the project: below 50 mg/cc), (ii) homogeneous, (iii) exhibiting fine (open) nano-porosity, and (iv) machinable.
The proposed PhD work would focus on three main areas:
1. The synthesis of new (co-)monomers
2. The preparation of organic aerogels
3. The exploitation of data using AI (opportunity)