Functional surfaces and coatings

To provide surfaces with additional functionalities beyond the traditional decorative or protective ones is a key issue in science and technology. In particular, surface properties present relevant and specific scientific challenges that must be understood in depth prior to their implementation in devices. Paving the way towards a systematic functionalization of surfaces of active materials, via patterning and/or chemical modification techniques, will lead to obtaining specific and tailored magnetic, optical and mechanical responses in these materials upon the application of the pertinent stimulus. In this context, BCMaterials is working on the investigation of patterned surfaces and films and well as on the functional surface modification following a wide variety of methods, including chemical and physical deposition and printing techniques, among others.
Researchers
Gallardo, Adriana | Pre-Doctoral Researcher | |||||
![]() Adriana Gallardo graduated in Chemical Engineering in 2018 at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Her degree thesis was on “Methanation of CO2 using Ni and Ru catalysts” in Tecnologías Químicas para la Sostenibilidad Ambiental research group of the Faculty of Science and Technology of Leioa. She worked on the synthesis and characterization on monometallic and bimetallic catalysts. Subsequently, she finished her master’s degree on Chemical Engineering in 2020 at the University of the Basque Country and the University of Cantabria. Her Master thesis was on “Recycling lithium batteries by hydrometallurgical processes” with a fellowship in Gaiker. Nowadays, she is working on her PhD in self-repaired materials for fretting damage in BCMaterials. Her research will be focused in the computational modelling and synthesis and characterization of the materials by different techniques. |
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Morales, Rafael | Ikerbasque Research Professor – UPV/EHU Research Associate | |||||
![]() Expertise Bio Interests and objetives |
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Porro, José María | Ikerbasque Research Fellow | |||||
![]() Bio His expertise is focalized in nanomagnetism, with demonstrated hands-on experience in the design and fabrication of micro and nano-patterned structures, as well as in their characterization by means of standard lab-based techniques, combined with a strong experience in the usage of large scale structures such as neutron and synchrotron sources to complement the characterization of the materials. In particular, he has experience in preparing, submitting and performing neutron scattering and synchrotron-based experiments in the following centres: Institute Laue-Langevin (Grenoble, France), ISIS neutron and muon source (Oxfordshire, UK), SPring-8 synchrotron (Hyogo, Japan), ALBA synchrotron (Barcelona, Spain), Diamond Light Source (Oxfordshire, UK), NSLS-II synchrotron (Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA), SOLEIL synchrotron (París, France) and Advanced Light Source (Lawrence-Berkeley National Laboratory, USA). He has secured funding as a PI of an H2020 project (MSCA-IF-EF-ST), and as researcher in international (EPSRC, UK), national (MINECO) and regional (ELKARTEK) projects. He has published several manuscripts in indexed journals with a strong percentage of them in Q1, with an h-index of 9, and has presented his work as invited and oral speaker in several international and national conferences in the area of magnetism and material sciences. Research interests |
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Río-López, Natalia Ahiova | Pre-Doctoral Researcher | |||||
![]() Natalia Río López graduated in Chemistry in 2019 at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM). Her degree thesis was on “Synthesis and characterization of carbon nanomaterials for its use in supercapacitors”. Afterwards, she continued her studies with a masters´ degree in New Materials, which she finished developing a thesis on “Ferromagnetic shape memory alloys for its use as micro and nanoactuators” at BCMaterials and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Currently, she is starting her PhD focused on the development of smart and tunable surfaces made of magnetic shape memory alloys. |
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Rosero Romo, James | Pre-Doctoral Researcher | |||||
![]() J.J. Rosero-Romo, received the title of Physical Engineer in 2016, and his M.Eng. in Materials and Process Engineering in 2019 from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellìn and candidate to a student of the PhD. in science and technology in 2021 in the Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea. From 2016 to 2020, he worked for the Facultad de Minas, laboratory of Biomaterials in the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellìn. His research interests include Biosensors, methods electrochemistry and technique characterization of materials. “Currently, I am involved in MULTI-FUN project, to the development of novel materials and progress of Additive Manufacturing, my other interest lies in the field of surfaces modification and development of biosensors.” Areas of action
Expertise
Operation of: The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Carl zeiss, Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) Park System NX 10, microRaman confocal spectrometer HORIBA and Knowledge in Electrochemical Techniques. o Documentation o Material characterization CvLAC https://scienti.minciencias.gov.co/cvlac/visualizador/generarCurriculoCv.do?cod_rh=0000054418 |
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Teijido Fernández, Ruben | Pre-Doctoral Researcher | |||||
![]() Rubén Teijido Fernández received his Chemistry graduate (2019) and his Master´s degree in New Materials (2020), both from “Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU)” in Leioa, Spain. In 2017 h started to collaborate with the Chemistry Physics department in its macromolecular chemistry research group under the supervision of associate professor Leire Ruiz Rubio and department director Jose Luis Vilas Vilela. Since then he has followed diverse investigation lines gaining experience with the most commonly employed methodologies and techniques in polymer science. Once a proper initial experience was achieved, he focused his work in hybrid biopolymer-inorganic hydrogel systems, developing both his grade and master’s thesis in developing and studying chitosan-polyoxometalate hybrid hydrogels. In September 2020 he joined BCMaterials as predoctoral researcher to develop his thesis in the developing of alginate-based anticorrosion coatings for metallic pieces under the supervision of Qi Zhang (BCMaterials) and Leire Ruiz Rubio (UPV/EHU). Currently, besides his recently started predoctoral research, he is still involved with macromolecular chemistry department at UPV/EHU, following the research line of developing new multifunctional hybrid hydrogels with applications in biomedicine. His abilities include the synthesis and characterization of hybrid hydrogels, including: thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), diferential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle, among others. ATTENDED SCIENTIFIC CONGRESSES: Jovenes Investigadores en Polimeros (JIP 2019) in Universidad de Burgos (UBU). Oral Communication. Title: ESTRUCTURAS HÍBRIDAS POLÍMERO POLIOXOMETALATO: INTERACCIONES, PROPIEDADES TÉRMICAS Y COMPORTAMIENTO DE AUTO REPARACIÓN. |
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Zhang, Qi | Ikerbasque Research Professor | |||||
![]() Q. Zhang graduated in physical chemistry at Wuhan University, Wuhan, China in 1982. He received his MSc in inorganic materials at Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China in 1986. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in chemistry at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia in 1995. He is now an Ikerbasque research professor in BCMaterials. Before that, he worked in Cranfield University, UK as a research fellow in 1996, a senior research fellow in 1998, a senior lecturer in 2007, and now a visiting academia. He has been a visiting professor in Wuhan University of Technology, China since 2012. |
Research Associates
In this research line also take part several Research Associates, that belong to the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and perform part of their activity within BCMaterials. Thus, the work of the different lines is carried out in close collaboration with research groups at the University, promoting excellence and worldwide impact.