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The fascinating molecular motors and machines that sustain life offer a great source of inspiration to the molecular explorer at the nanoscale. Among the major challenges ahead in the design of complex artificial molecular systems and is the control over dynamic properties and responsive far-from-equilibrium behavior. Chemical systems and adaptive materials ultimately require integration of structure, organization and function of multi-component dynamic molecular assemblies at different hierarchical levels. A major goal is to achieve and exploit translational and rotary motion.

While the research teams at ESPCI Paris - PSL are settling into their new building, the question of ecological transition lies at the heart of the school’s transformation: revising the training of engineering students, recruiting dedicated professors, and adapting laboratories to accelerate research on this theme.

Scientists from ESPCI Paris - PSL, CNRS, and the French company Calyxia observed that a thin layer of oil separating two water droplets could induce adhesive interaction between them while preventing their coalescence. This discovery enables the creation of ultra-pure materials without solvents or surfactants, ranging from biodegradable colloidal capsules to a new generation of hybrid materials

Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) are the two most widely produced plastics today, but they rank among the least recycled. Objects made from PE and PP, such as bags, detergent bottles, cosmetics containers, or milk bottles to cite a few, are difficult to rapidly sort at recycling facilities. It would thus be ideal to directly reuse blends of PE and PP.

Starting in November, the teams of seven joint research units of ESPCI Paris – PSL will occupy state-of-the-art laboratories, marking a major turning point in the school’s history.