Research interests: Nanostructures, Porous materials, Catalysis, Separation, Nanomaterials
Biography
Eric Prouzet carries out research in material chemistry and nanotechnology. His research is focused on the synthesis of nanostructured materials such as porous materials and nano-objects. His main domain of research is using soft matter such as micelles, liquid crystals and biogels, as adaptive soft templates or molds.
Eric has developed a specific method for the preparation of mesoporous silica with a good control over the pore size in the range 2 – 9 nm and a narrow pore size distribution. These objects are perfect nanobricks that allow him to build porous bodies where the porosity is created by the assembly of surfactants and the walls by condensation of silica oligomers. His current research in this domain aims to offer a sustainable easily scaled-up industrial process, where organic templates used for the synthesis can be recovered and reused. Eric also develops ceramic membranes for both liquid and gas separation in place of energetic processes (distillation, cryogenic processes). Among the most promising fields are sea water desalination for production of fresh water, hydrogen production for fuel cells, and CO2 recovery from fossil fuel power plants.
In another nano research area, Eric specializes in porous matrixes that can be used as molds for the generation of nanoparticles in a confined environment. He uses the dynamics of soft matter to define specific molds that allows him to shape materials synthesised within. Eric is also highly committed to innovation, including teaching, scientific consulting for two startups, and co-founder of two companies, one in biotechnologies (industrial production of microalgae), and one in IT (document search engine).
Innovation
Academic research has four outcomes: knowledge, expertise, discovery, and invention. We tend to claim that "innovation" is any discovery or invention because they share novelty. As a researcher and startup founder, I'm working on applying the best innovation path for scientists, illustrate it via seminars and education programs, combining both creative and critical thinking. I also use the most modern methods in the management of innovation to some specific projects: the capture of flue gas and bioconversion of CO2 via the Clear Skyline Project, Intelligence and Management of Information via iMi. Inc., and more specific projects in material chemistry.
Education
This is the time of the "Gig Economy" when companies are offering fewer jobs but are looking for more skills. We need to find better ways to allow more people to access knowledge and expertise, especially when they cannot even access high education institutions. I create online courses and training programs, and I design and build specialized content specially adapted to online teaching. It includes a method to create a multilingual approach automatically, to adjust our education/training structures to the challenges opened by World globalization, and the need for delivering affordable tailor-made teaching and training to those who need it, wherever they are.
Information
Is it our main challenge to produce more information or to be able to retrieve and use what we have already created? All current search engines can rapidly find thousands of documents within seconds, but we do nothing with them usually because there are too many. Since we are not looking for papers but information, I've developed a new type of search engine (US & Canada patented) based on a brand new paradigm in information searching: no more keywords, metadata, boolean logic, etc.
