How Engineering Shapes Scientific Research
The Year of Engineering runs from September 2025 to June 2026. The goal of this initiative is to bring together schools, research, businesses, and the general public. It highlights scientific and technological professions and knowledge to build a sustainable and responsible future.
In this context, the platform Pop’Sciences, designed and managed by the University of Lyon, offers a thematic dossier titled « How Engineering Shapes Scientific Research ». This dossier was created by Grégory Fléchet, a science journalist, Émilie Josse, a scientific graphic designer and illustrator (graphisme pour la science), and Pierre Henriquet, a science mediator (Astropierre).
As a result, two researchers from IRCELYON, Gilles Berhault (from the CARE team) and Aude Demessence (from the C\’DURABLE team), contributed their expertise to articles in this dossier.
Photocatalysis Promising a Bright Future
In this article, Gilles Berhault presents a simple method to improve hydrogen production by photocatalysis by combining a TiO2 semiconductor with a ferroelectric material. This so-called “assisted” photocatalysis approach allows, through the polarization induced by the ferroelectric material, to better stabilize the photogenerated charges in the semiconductor, making them more available for the photocatalytic reaction.
These research projects were funded in whole or in part by the French National Research Agency (ANR) under the ANR-APRICOT-AAPG2022 project. This communication is carried out and funded as part of the Sciences With and For Society – Scientific, Technical, and Industrial Culture call for projects for JCJC and PRC projects in the generic calls 2022 (SAPS-CSTI-JCJ and PRC AAPG 22).
New Hybrid Materials with Multiple Benefits
In this article, Aude Demessence demonstrates how molecular engineering can be used to build custom hybrid materials, favoring low-dimensional structures, 1D – 2D, to enhance electrical conductivity.
These research projects were funded in whole or in part by the French National Research Agency (ANR) under the ANR-MOTIC-AAPG2021 project. This communication is carried out and funded as part of the Sciences With and For Society – Scientific, Technical, and Industrial Culture call for projects for JCJC and PRC projects in the generic calls 2021 (SAPS-CSTI-JCJ and PRC AAPG 21).
Learn More:
You can read the full Pop’Sciences and CNRS dossier here: When Engineering Shapes Scientific Research.
And do visit the page of our ongoing projects.
