Expérimental
The objective of this internship is to gain new experimental insights on the mechanical interactions (friction, adhesion...) in nanoconfined solid contacts in aqueous electrolytic solutions. The general context is to understand what sets these interactions in macroscopic construction materials (e.g. cement paste), where extreme physicochemical conditions (high molarity, high pH, ion-specific effects...) leads to poorly understood physics. To do so, we will rely on advanced Atomic Force Microscopy techniques to probe friction between micrometric silica colloids in various aqueous solutions. We will explore in particular the role of the local frictional history on the contact strength, related to poorly-understood "aging" effects, and their relation to ion-specific effects (e.g. why do Ca2+ ions seem to act as a glue in these ultra-confined contacts?!). This M2 internship can be followed by a Cifre PhD thesis (funding acquired).