ITODYS is a joint Paris Diderot University-CNRS joint research laboratory. A multidisciplinary physical chemistry laboratory, ITODYS has been enriched in the last 10 years with the integration of new teams bringing new themes and new competencies. Instrumentation has also been considerably extended and renewed. ITODYS is enowned in the fields of surfaces and functionalisation, nanostructuration, characterisation as well as in the areas of inorganic, organic and hybrid architectured materials and nanomaterials. Applications are ranging from nanochemistry, nanoelectrochemistry, optics, photonics, magnetism, biosensors,.. Molecular modelling is also one of the strengths of ITODYS. Our successful recruitement policy aimed at supporting existing themes and developing new ones. While our teams have a strong expertise in their own fields, most research programs rely on close cooperation of several teams. We are now 50 researchers in the laboratory, 25 engineers, technicians, administrative staff and 46 PhD students.
The main research themes are as it follows : surfaces and interfaces, new chemical strategies for the covalent functionalisation of surfaces, structuration, modification of surfaces at molecular and nanometre scale, original assemblies and structures : atomic contacts, nanogaps, nanoplots, molecular actuators, plasmonic nanodevices, nanostructured assemblies of colloïds, nanoparticle/liquid crystal hybrid systems, biosensors with electrochemical detection, intertwined SAMs on nanostructured gold surfaces, polymer brushes growth on surfaces from grafted initiators,... nanomaterials, nanoobjects, nanochemistry.
We develop new ways of synthesis of metallic, bimetallic, oxide nanoparticles (reduction in polyol medium, biological way using micro algae) and perfectly control their size, shape and composition. We also produce hybrid and polymer nanoparticles and develop innovative applications : nanowires, insulators/metallic nanoparticles architectures, 2D assemblies of anisotropic particles, nanomaterials for biomedical imaging, high density magnetic recording, plastic magnets, photonic crystals, ... modelling is tightly linked to experimentation and is aiming at interpreting and predicting phenomena : spectroscopic properties of conjugated systems, photochromic molecules, interaction of surface plasmons with photochromic molecules for the development of plasmonic nanosystems. organic synthesis and physical chemistry of metal capture and transport. These teams are interacting with the biosensors team (new molecules for molecular recognition) and the nanomaterials team (vectorisation of nanoparticles into living cells). Either fundamental or applied, our advances rely on a large panel of competencies and on the synergies between the teams. Some of the last results with strong impact are : label free and reagentless original electrochemical biosensors (DNA, proteins) electrochemically generated atomic contacts, molecular junctions at the metal-oligomer Interface nanostructured surfaces and interfaces for applications in plasmonics, electronics, very high sensitivity Raman spectroscopy, plasmons-photochromic molecules interactions new functionalisation techniques of various surfaces (metals, polymers, carbon, carbon nanotubes) ; surface initiated ATRP polymerisation or photopolymerisation perfect control of nanomaterials composition, shape, size, crystallinity, and innovative applications of magnetic materials (high density recording, magnets, biomedical imaging). Over the last 5 years, we renewed and extended our facilities for surface and materials analysis and characterisation.
We are now equipped with XPS, high resolution SEM, XRD, ATD, ATG, IR (and PM-IRRAS), Raman, AFM, STM, SECM, NMR (400 MHz), GC-MS. We also have recent UV, visible, near IR, chromatography, electrochemistry instrumentation. Modelling uses work stations and a cluster of 80 processors. The main equipments are : XPS (Thermo Escalab 250) spectrometer : chemical analysis and chemical state imaging with a spatial resolution of 3 µm (imaging) mode and 30 µm (spectroscopy). IR spectrometer devoted to surface spectroscopy fitted with Attenuated Total Reflexion (ATR) and Polarization Modulation InfraRed Reflexion Absorption Spectroscopy (PMIRRAS). LABRAM HR Raman spectrometer equipped with an achromatic monochromator and 2 gratings. Raman mapping of the surface may be carried out with a step of 0.1 µm. Scanning Electro-Chemical Microscope (SCEM) allowing the characterization of surfaces at the micro or nanoscale but also localized modification / patterning of surfaces. Scanning Electron Microscope with a field emission gun and e-beam lithography.