A multi-scale approach to industrial minerals

We wanted to start the Chair's lectures with industrial minerals, because of their often confidential nature and their low profile in the media. They are, however, constantly present, directly or indirectly, in our everyday world, but often in small quantities, which makes them hard to notice. We present a polyhedral vision of mineral structure, allowing a unified approach through a "Lego" construction, rationalizing the understanding of their properties. Crystal morphology, surface charges and coloration are all properties linked to mineral structure. This field, which has been revitalized by atomic-scale observations and numerical simulation, is a particularly fertile and active area of research. The properties of natural minerals often give rise to the synthesis of new materials with improved properties or in larger quantities.