Materials Chemistry

Biography

Biography: Bruno Bureau

Abstract

The glass-forming ability of chalcogen elements has been known for several decades but compared to classical oxide glasses; this class of vitreous materials is just emerging in particular in order to shape optical lenses or fibers. Indeed, they look like metallic alloys rather than classical glasses, and their main interest relies on their large optical window extending in the mid-infrared. This exceptional transparency, associated with suitable viscosity/temperature dependence is a favorable context to seize the opportunity to develop innovative optical fibers for mid-infrared sensing in biology and medicine for example. Recently, some new families of glasses, based on tellurium, have been developed to extend the working domain of these sensing devices. In particular, they give access to the CO2 absorption band in the mid-infrared which is useful for the Darwin mission of the ESA on the one hand, and in the context of the strike against the global warning on the other hand. Also, due to their unusual high electrical conductivity, some tellurium based glass compositions appeared as nice candidate for thermoelectric application as soon as they are doped with metallic elements such as copper. The talk will be devoted to the description of this atypical family of glass and their applications for the mid-infrared sensing as well as for thermoelectricity.