The research activity of the group is currently focused on the development of these projects: MAT2012-33483 (IP Andrés Cantarero, CSD2010-0044 (Coordinator Clivia Sotomayor, from the ICN) and the ITN Nanowiring (Coordinator Angela Rizzi, from the University of Göttingen, Germany).
Within the framework of these projects, we study the applications of semiconductor nanowires in the fields of energy and photonics. The studies range from the fundamental level, through the study of their structural, electronic and optoelectronic properties, to their application in thermoelectric or optoelectronic (in particular solar cells) devices or in integrated photonics.
The theoretical support is oriented towards the development of semi-empirical methods for the design and modelling of semiconductor nanostructures. A wide variety of techniques have been implemented to exploit existing experimental results and those obtained by first-principles techniques. Semi-empirical methods facilitate the synergy between theory and experiment. These methods also allow the design of electronic and optoelectronic devices.
Synthesis and characterisation of conductive, thermostable and thermoplastic polymers.
We are a research group in the interface between inorganic and materials chemistry. We are part of the Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol) at the Universidad de Valencia.
Our research encompasses different targets ranging from the synthesis, characterization and nanostructuration of inorganic, porous materials. Built upon a thorough understanding of these basic principles we aim to enable environmentally relevant application based on these materials like catalysis, chiral separation, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis or energy storage. We collaborate nationally and internationally with renowned research groups, including scientists at ICIQ (Tarragona), Polymat (San Sebastián), ETH (Zurich), ICN2 (Barcelona), University of Liverpool, University of Warwick and IMDEA Nanoscience (Madrid). Our labs are located at the state-of-the-art facilities of ICMol.
The activity of the group focuses on the design, synthesis and characterisation of new molecular materials that present several properties of interest in the same material and whose properties can be modulated and adjusted at will. The ultimate goal will be the preparation of devices in which these multifunctional molecular materials represent an additional advantage thanks to the possibility of modulating these properties.
To this end, the group uses the usual tools of coordination chemistry for the synthesis of materials that combine different properties. The most common properties will be electrical, magnetic and optical. Among the first ones, electronic and ionic conductors and superconductors stand out. Magnetic properties include magnetic couplings, long-range magnetic arrangements, single-molecular magnets (SMM) or single-chain magnets (SCM) as well as switch systems such as spin transition systems (SCO) among others. Optical properties include luminescence and fluorescence, as well as chiral or photoisomerisable systems.
SCO systems also exhibit optical properties such as the blocking of a light-induced excited spin state (LIESST) where a transition to a metastable spin state occurs by light absorption. We will also focus on the preparation of materials that combine magnetic properties with porosity in order to design materials capable of interacting with host molecules and thereby changing their properties (chemical sensors).
Development of 2D and 3D porous materials with applications in catalysis, magnetism and environmental remediation. In particular, the group works with a type of materials called porous coordination polymers or metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). To this end, we use the tools offered by coordination chemistry to synthesise materials with known architectures, high structural stability and the possibility of functionalising the pores of the materials "à la carte" using the "complex as ligand" technique. This allows the effective use of these materials both for the selective capture of pollutants and for the preparation of subnanometric metal clusters for application in catalysis.
Synthesis, characterisation and processing at the micro and nanometric scale of molecular compounds that switch between one or more electronic states. The immediate goal is to obtain new functional materials capable of responding to external stimuli (temperature, pressure, light or analytes) in a controlled and detectable way. The ultimate goal is the integration of these materials in devices such as molecular switches, molecular sensors, molecular memories or opto-electronic devices.
