PC2A Research Featured in SOLEIL Synchrotron's “Highlights 2025”

Of the nearly 700 articles published in 2025, SOLEIL selected 41 for its “Highlights” collection. A study conducted at PC2A in collaboration with the Rennes Institute of Physics and the DESIRS-SAPHIRS team is included. It focuses on the early stages of soot particle formation in flames, which are still poorly described by classical mechanisms. By coupling a laminar diffusion methane flame with the i2PEPICO spectrometer on the DESIRS line, several resonance-stabilized aromatic radicals were directly identified—for the first time in a flame—within the soot particle nucleation zone. These results provide important insights for combustion modeling and the reduction of particulate emissions. They also shed light on the formation of carbon grains in interstellar media, where similar chemical pathways operate.

 X. Mercier, J. Bourgalais, A. Faccinetto, L. S. Tran, J. Elias, P. Demaux, A. Lahccen, B. Calimet, L. Nahon, G. A. Garcia. Direct observation and identification of resonance-stabilized radicals in a sooting flame. Communications Chemistry 8 (2025). https://www.nature.com/articles/s42004-025-01689-7

Actualité SOLEIL : https://www.synchrotron-soleil.fr/en/news/soot-particles-stardust-mysteries-their-formation-revealed-synchrotron-light
Recueil des Highlights : https://www.synchrotron-soleil.fr/highlights/2025