Laurent J. Michot
PHysicochimie des Electrolytes et Nanosystèmes InterfaciauX (PHENIX), CNRS UMR 8234, Sorbonne Université, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
E-mail: laurent.michot@sorbonne-universite.fr
Abstract:
Swelling clay minerals are major hydrated components of soils and sedimentary rocks both on Earth and Mars where they play a key role in the control of water cycle. Their hydration behaviour impacts various geological processes and is also of prime importance in numerous industrial applications (oil industry, civil engineering, cosmetics, waste management…). These materials are multiscale by essence, and to understand their behavior, it is crucial to study their properties in various time and space windows for a wide range of water contents.
In this talk we will summarize the work we have been performing over the last 20 years on swelling clay-water interactions through the coupling of experiments and simulations. This is applied to crystalline swelling, i.e. for low water activity, as well as to osmotic swelling, i.e. the range of water content extending up to the formation of colloidal clay suspensions.
