BCMaterials Brings MOFs and Hydrogels to the BeZientzia 2026 Science Fair

BCMaterials took part on 26 and 27 October in BeZientzia, a science fair held at the Ensanche building in Bilbao. It brought together the five BERC research centres of Bizkaia: Achucarro, BC3, BCAM, Biofisika Institute and BCMaterials. In this third edition, more than 250 primary school pupils from Bizkaia experimented with neuroscience, climate change, mathematics, materials, biomedicine and biotechnology.

At BCMaterials we prepared two workshops to show how materials are behind everyday challenges such as cleaning water or advancing medicine.

Water remediation and valorization

"MOFs: 'magic' powders that clean water", pupils discovered how these materials work. MOFs, or metal-organic frameworks, are porous materials made of metal atoms and organic molecules that act like tiny sponges able to trap pollutants in water. In the workshop, participants saw how MOFs perform this function in water from mining operations and, at the same time, how they can recover valuable elements such as lithium, cobalt or gold. Researchers Ainara Marigómez and Marco Montesi led the activity.

Hydrogels with multiple applications

In "From liquid to material: make your own hydrogel", Ane García and Guillermo Conejo explained what hydrogels are: polymer networks that can hold large amounts of water. They also showed how hydrogels are used in medicine, biotechnology and agriculture. Afterwards, each group made its own hydrogel spheres.

BeZientzia was organised by all the BERC centres of Bizkaia, with the support of Bilbao City Council and the Basque Government, and the sponsorship of Rural Kutxa. Activities like this bring materials science closer to the next generation of researchers and show how research helps address the challenges facing society.