The Paul Pascal Research Center (CRPP) is proud to announce the participation of two of its researchers, Alexandre Baron and Rodolphe Clérac, to the new book edited by CNRS Éditions, Étonnants Matériaux (Amazing Materials), published on September 10, 2026. This book was co-directed by Séverine Martrenchard, Laurent Orgéas, and Anne-Valérie Ruzette. It is part of a collection, composed of Étonnant Vivant, Étonnante Chimie, Étonnants Infinis, and Étonnante Physique.
Our researchers share their expertise through two chapters:
- Alexandre Baron from the META team contributed to the chapter entitled “From soft matter to optically active metamaterials” (De la matière molle aux métamatériaux optiquement actifs).
- Rodolphe Clérac from the M3 team wrote the chapter entitled “The molecular magnet revolution” (La révolution des aimants moléculaires).
Étonnants Matériaux gathers about sixty short, accessible articles, co-written by 121 researchers from CNRS laboratories. The book invites readers to explore behind the scenes of materials science research in confronted to major contemporary challenges involving energy transition and sustainable development. It illustrates how numerous disciplines intersect to design the materials of tomorrow: resource-efficient, resistant, recyclable, or bio-inspired materials.
It represents a strong educational commitment to youth, as this book is fully integrated into the educational project “Amazing Chemistry and Physics for a powerful Grand Oral!” (Chimie et Physique étonnantes pour un Grand oral percutant !), stemming from a partnership launched in 2021 between the CNRS and the French Ministry of National Education. Each chapter offers high school students a starting point for scientific exploration and the preparation of a speech for the Grand Oral exam. This educational initiative helps organize meetings with scientists in classrooms as well as laboratory visits. It also includes a competition where students select an article and present it in the form of a short, original video, which is then evaluated by academic juries. The goal of this approach is to promote sciences, improve public speaking skills of future high school graduates, and encourage them to pursue scientific studies.
The book is available now for anyone who wishes to discover the materials that will shape our future!
