The conference Sadi Carnot’s Legacy – Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics aimed to honor Sadi Carnot’s groundbreaking work that led to the concept of entropy and the formulation of the second law of thermodynamics. Held at École polytechnique, Carnot’s alma mater, in Palaiseau near Paris (just 30 minutes by RER trains from the city center), the conference took place from September 16 to 18, 2024. It brought together scientists from various fields (mainly physics and chemistry) to present their work and discuss theoretical, practical, and pedagogical questions that contemporary thermodynamics raises. The sessions covered domains such as small- and large-scale thermodynamics, applied thermodynamics, and thermodynamic paradigms.
The conference featured a mix of invited talks, moderated panel discussions, and poster sessions. The diversity of topics was both inspiring and stimulating, preventing anyone from “living in an echo chamber”. For instance, talks and posters included “Quantum Thermodynamics & Coherences”, “Thermodynamics Applied to Gas–Solid Materials Fabrication processes”, “Black Hole Thermodynamics”, “Stochastics Thermodynamics”, and even “Entropy of Paleolithic Stone Tools”.
I had the opportunity to present a poster on our recent work, which focuses on applying the quantum mechanics-aided COSMO-SAC model to the thermodynamics of drug–polymer systems. To tie the work into the conference’s broader theme, the poster also highlighted the entropic aspects involved in exploring drug–polymer systems with COSMO-SAC. The poster sessions enabled me to share our latest findings and discuss related details and potential collaborations with leading experts in applied thermodynamics and modeling, including Jean-Charles de Hemptinne (IFP Energies nouvelles, France), Elisabeth Blanquet (TOP – SIMAP, Grenoble, France), and Thomas Bernet (Imperial College, London, UK).
The conference was also an inspiring demonstration of how to honor great scientific figures with both kindness and a commitment to facts. A social event, including a concert in Paris near the Musée d’Orsay, further exemplified this.