Science takes time, a lot of time. Our last paper just got published (https://doi.org/10.1002/srin.202200695) in Steel Research International , it might seem like just another scientific paper that no one will read, and most likely it will be true, but this paper does have a special meaning for me as a scientist.

Its inception dates back 10 years ago when I was starting out as an academic. I had this idea that we could look into laser processing for creating architectured materials, i.e. materials with behavior primarily driven by geometry, based on a paper by Olivier Bouaziz (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2012.08.008).

It only took 3 attempts at ANR, the French National Research Agency annual call of proposals to get funded (https://anr.fr/Projet-ANR-16-CE08-0009), gathering a wonderful team of young researchers and colleagues over the years, 3 prior papers on the processing method and metallurgical characterization, and a lot of pugnacity (special thanks to Zhige Wang and Pierre Lapouge) to finally reach our initial goal, which was to experimentally demonstrate the possibility of obtaining architecturation effects using a single sheet of steel and one (or two!) laser. We finally did it and it feels good to have reach this milestone, although it might seem like a very small step from the outside. This result opens many routes for new research and industrial applications, with benefits like frugal material processing, relocating steel production, recycling, and material-by-design steel. The paper is published in open access so that anybody can learn more about laser architecturation of steel sheets.