I earned my PhD in Chemistry from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in 2000, focusing on the activation of carbon-oxygen and carbon-sulfur bonds by low-valent transition metal complexes. Following this, I joined the Université Pierre et Marie Curie as a postdoctoral researcher, where I worked on the design and synthesis of organometallic complexes with non-linear optical (NLO) properties. In 2001, I was honored with a prestigious Humboldt Fellowship, which provided me the opportunity to collaborate with Prof. J. A. Gladysz at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. There, I conducted research in organometallic chemistry and homogeneous catalysis.
In 2003, I transitioned to the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB), where I collaborated with Profs. F. Teixidor and C. Viñas as part of the I3P Postdoctoral Program (2003-2006) on various projects on the synthesis of functional boron cluster based molecular materials. This was followed by a Ramón y Cajal Fellowship (2007-2008), culminating in my appointment as a tenured researcher in 2008.
Since 2024, I have co-led the Inorganic Materials and Catalysis Laboratory (LMI) at ICMAB, where I coordinate research activities centered on boron-cluster-based molecular and polymeric materials, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and their diverse applications. My current work focuses on exploring the limits of boron clusters based polymeric materials in the fields of optics, magnetism, (electro/photo)catalysis and biomedicine, thus bridging various research areas, including chemistry, physics, material science and biomedicine.
Research interest
My research focuses on the synthesis, characterization and application of inorganic (boron based) and inorganic-organic hybrid solids.
My focus for several years has been on the development of new carborane based ligands or linkers for preparing a variety of molecular, supramolecular and polymeric materials.
The following are the main areas of interest in this research:
1. New concepts in Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) Chemistry.
2. Multiffunctional Molecular Materials.
3. Crystal Engineering.
University Degrees:
1993 Licenciate in Chemistry, Universidad de Murcia (Spain).
Doctorates:
2000 PhD in Chemistry, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (Japan).
Most significative academic merits:
Monbusho Doctoral Fellowship, Japan, 1996.
Postdoctoral Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, Germany, 2002.
Scientific Highlights:
A Metal‐Organic Framework Incorporating Eight Different Size Rare‐Earth Metal Elements: Toward Multifunctionality À La Carte.
Adv Funct Mater 33, 2307369 (2023).
Biomimetic Photodegradation of Glyphosate in Carborane-Functionalized Nanoconfined Spaces.
J Am Chem Soc 145, 13730–13741 (2023).
Water-Stable Carborane-Based Eu 3+ /Tb 3+ Metal–Organic Frameworks for Tunable Time-Dependent Emission Color and Their Application in Anticounterfeiting Bar-Coding.
Chemistry of Materials 34, 4795–4808 (2022).
A Highly Water-Stable meta -Carborane-Based Copper Metal–Organic Framework for Efficient High-Temperature Butanol Separation.
J Am Chem Soc 142, 8299–8311 (2020).
