Research
Photocatalytic and Light Down-Shifting luminescent Metal-Organic Materials for sensing and Solar Energy Harvesting: Currently, the development of novel materials, including Metal Organic Materials (MOMs), is a cornerstone in the technological challenges that our society and industry must face, among which outstand the global climate change boosted by the emission of greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels. For these reasons, much of the current research is focusing on the implementation of technologies that can aid in reaching zero–net emissions, such as CO2 capture, storage, and valorization technologies and exploitation of solar energy as a source of renewable energy (for instance, photovoltaic energy) and fuels (for instance, green hydrogen). Another major concern related to human health and the environment is the omnipresence of pollutants spread all over the hydrosphere, such as pesticides, pharmaceutical residues, and dye wastes discharged from the paper, textile, and printing industries. Read more >>
2D-Polymers. Graphene can be considered as the first two-dimensional covalent polymer prototype. This novel material has caused a deep scientific and even social impact. However, this material lack the rational design and precise control that chemical synthesis can offer. Covalent and metal-organic chemistry allow structural design resulting on materials with predetermined physic-chemical properties unprecedented for organic materials. In this context, the use of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and metal-organic frameworks could represent a breakthrough Bottom-up and top-down approaches are strategies to be develop with the aim to produce single or few-layers of COFs and MOFs Read more >>
Coordination Polymers (CPs). Coordination polymers are currently one of the hottest topics in Inorganic and Supramolecular Chemistry. A large amount of work has been carried out in the synthesis and structural characterisation of CPs. This structural control has produced a considerable improvement of the properties associated with these materials. However, most of the work has focused on the study of properties such as catalysis, chirality, luminescence, magnetism, spin-transition (spin-crossover), non-linear optics (NLO), porosity or zeolitic-like behaviour. Electrical conductivy CPs arepromising materials for applications (porous electrode for batteries, fuel cells, capacitors, sensors, nanomaterials, etc). Read more >>
DNA-based materials. DNA nanotechnology provides one of the most interesting approaches to form tailored complex structures with precise control over molecular features. The ability of nucleic acid arrays to arrange other molecules allows potential applications in molecular-scale electronics. The nucleic acid nanostructures could provide a method for nanometer-scale control of the placement and overall architecture of these components, essentially using nucleic acid structures as a molecular breadboard. Coordination polymers may remarkable physical (luminescence, non-linear optics, magnetism and electrical conductivity) and chemical properties. Our approach tries to combine the molecular recognition capability of the DNA with the (multi)functional properties of certain coordination polymers as well as create artificial-DNA architectures using simple molecules and chemical reactions. Read more >>
Graphene. Graphene shows exceptional physical properties including ultrahigh electron mobility, quantum Hall effect and ballistic charge carrier transport, transparency, extremely high breaking strength and Young Modulus. Based on its prominent physical properties several device prototypes have already shown potential applications in electronics, sensors, catalysis, ion exchange, molecular adsorption, magnetics, energy storage and conversion, just to mention a few of them. Our research addresses the development of methods for mass production of respectively, few layers graphene suspensions and films for specific large area applications with important added value: Conformal Coatings, Transparent Electrodes, Printable Inks and Membranes. Read more >>
