Our group developed a generalized protocol for performing a monolayer of human serum albumin (HSA) on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) of different sizes (Reference: ACS Appl. Bio Mater. 2019, 2, 3084−3094, Nanoscale 2016, 8, 14393−14405).

The proposed project will investigate the possibility of controlling the number of proteins decorating each nanoparticle with the aim to increase the library of magnetic particles as T1 contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The trainee will be a member of a very active, interdisciplinary and multicultural group (nn.icmab.es, @NNgroupICMAB) and will be trained in the fabrication of magnetic nanoparticles and protein coating. To characterize the materials, she or he will use electronic microscopy, dynamic light scattering, isothermal calorimetry, magnetometry and magnetic resonance imaging.

Contact: Anna Roig (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites
Twitter: @NNgroupICMAB

Molecular and supramolecular nanomaterials and active surfaces are one of the fields that have attracted intensive research due to their potential applications in different fields. In this project we are interested in the preparation of materials based on Curcuminoids, which are derivatives of curcumin, for the preparation of sensors of metals and biological processes, due to their fluorescent performance. The synthesized CCMoids will be anchored on surfaces and particles and studies with metals will be tested. Techniques of characterization in solution and in solid will be used

Contact: Arántzazu González Campo (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Functional Nanomaterials & Surfaces
Twitter: @funnanosurf

The group is currently focused on the design and engineering of novel bionanomaterials to be used as artificial extracellular matrices (ECM) of tumoroids, i.e. tumor organoids. Our objective is to improve novel cancer (immuno)therapies and reduce animal experimentation in preclinical testing, thus lessening the implied ethical and economic burden, as well as decreasing the translation problems associated to variations among species.

In this project, the student will be involved in the synthesis and physicochemical characterization (NMR, X-ray tomography, rheology, SEM, confocal microscopy, etc.) of synthetic 3D hydrogels to act as artificial ECMs. He/she will also perform cell culture studies to evaluate the effectivity of such bionanomaterials, where different patient-derived tumors (hematological, pancreatic, lung, or colorectal tumors) will be used. The organoids will be analyzed by optical and fluorescence microscopy, ELISA, flow cytometry, etc. in collaboration with (pre)clinical settings such as IDIBAPS-Hospital Clinic de Barcelona and Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO).

Contact: Judith Guasch (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Nanomol-Bio and Max Planck Partner Group “Dynamic Biomimetics for Cancer Immunotherapy”

El proyecto tiene como objetivo el diseño y desarrollo de nuevos sistemas luminiscentes que presente una alta eficiencia y estabilidad para mejorar las propiedades de emisión de luz del material, tanto en disolución como en estado sólido. Las propiedades fluorescentes podrán ser moduladas mediante la introducción de compuestos de boro en la estructura.

Contact: Rosario Núñez (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Inorganic Materials and Catalysis

Currently a large variety of nanomaterials and polymers exist potentially useful in medicine, food industry and cosmetics. Although mechanisms to design, produce and characterize those materials are efficient and quick, it takes 11-15 years and € 350-550 million for a product to arrive to the market. Therefore, reliable and fast models to screen potential drugs, food and cosmetic additives to save money and time are in need.

For this purpose, we use the 1 mm-long nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as an animal model to test the toxicity of the materials we design. Between 60-80% of the C. elegans genome has human homologous genes and most of the metabolic pathways are also conserved. Transparency, short life cycle and minimal maintenance and growth requirements stand out among all the advantages of using this worm. The use of simple non-mammalian model organisms minimize the cost associated with in vivo experiments in the early stages of discovery and yields highly informative results such as survival rate, growth effects, reproduction toxicity and changes in the metabolism. Moreover, we can study how the materials are transformed by characterizing them after their pass through the organism.

Polymers synthesized by living organisms, biopolymers, are used for drug and food complementation without any evidence of being toxic but its size´s decrease at the nanoscale can affect the toxicity and their properties. Additionally it has been observed that the oral administration of biopolymers produced changes in the motility, absorption and metabolism of the intestine, key for treating gastrointestinal diseases.

The project will consist on: A) Production and characterization of polymer or nanomaterials B) Evaluation of them in vivo using C. elegans as an animal model. The survival rate, growth effect and reproduction will be the primary endpoints that will be studied. C) Identification of metabolic changes produced by them.

The student will have the opportunity to get experience in an international research environment. We, the group of Nanoparticles and Nanocomposite group at ICMAB, are chemists, physics and biotechnologists from all over the world focused on the rational synthesis of functional nanomaterials. The student will learn about a broad range of techniques of synthesis and characterization techniques. We are looking for a highly motivated student, matured and with interest to work in an interdisciplinary field.

Contact: Anna Laromaine (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites
Twitter: @NNgroupICMAB

The project aims at the synthesis and study of nitrides of transition metals and rare earth or alkaline earth metals showing new applications as polar and magnetic materials. The student will be trained in non-conventional synthesis methods at high temperatures in order to produce the targeted nitrides, in the determination of the crystal structures by diffraction methods and in the study of their physical properties.

Contact: Amparo Fuertes (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Solid State Chemistry

We investigate quantum wells displaying superconductivity and spin-orbit coupling. The aim is to control spins by light or electric fields for applications in classical and quantum computing. Our methodologies embrace nanodevice fabrication, optics, magneto-transport and numerical modelling.

Contact: Gervasi Herranz (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Multifunctional Thin Films and Complex Structures

The coupling between the spin, charge and thermal degrees of freedom in solids leads to rich physics and potential applications. Spintronic thermopower generation is one such example that can convert thermal energy into electricity but with very low efficiency. This concept, once optimized, can be used for recycling waste heat in microchips (mobile devices, computers, etc.) back into electricity, hence significantly reducing the battery consumption. In this project, we will develop micro-energy harvesting devices by taking advantage of relevant spintronic phenomena and materials. The student will be involved in the material/device design and development and their electrical characterization and optimization.  

Contact: Can Onur Avci (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Multifunctional Thin Films and Complex Structures

The discovery of a robust ferroelectric phase in doped HfO2 has caused a huge interest because the compatibility of this material with current microelectronic technologies. Now, research efforts are focused on understanding and enhancing the ferroelectric properties. Epitaxial films, with less defects and more reproducible microstructure than polycrystalline films, can be used as model systems for this purpose.

The student will investigate epitaxial films of (Hf,Zr)O2 deposited on oxides and Silicon substrates. Samples with different defects amount will be prepared, and the structural and functional properties will be studied in detail. The student will get formation on advanced techniques of thin film deposition (pulsed laser deposition and sputtering), structural characterization (X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy) and ferroelectric characterization (polarization and permittivity loops, and ferroelectric endurance).

Contact: Florencio Sánchez (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Multifunctional Thin Films and Complex Structures

New computing paradigms such as neuromorphic computing demand new materials able to be integrated in more energy efficient and reliable devices. Ferroelectric materials are materials able to fulfill these requirements. However, the use of ferroelectric materials by electronics industry has been usually relegated to some niche memory applications. The main reason is that the memory density achieved using ferroelectric materials is much lower than that achieved in memory devices based on dielectric (non-ferroelectric) or magnetic materials due to growth constrains. Recently, new ferroelectric materials fully compatible with CMOS industrial processes have been discovered and therefore devices based on ferroelectric materials with high density and better performance are envisaged. The aim of the project is to investigate the use of theses new ferroelectric materials to perform variety of neuromorphic functionalities. Therefore, the student will intensively work on electric characterization using state of the art macroscopic and nanoscopic characterization techniques. In addition, the work will be also focus on the materials growth using physical techniques (Pulsed Laser Deposition) and on the structural, morphological and compositional characterization using X-ray characterization, atomic force microscopy, electron microscopies, and ferroelectric characterization tools. Moreover, he/she will be required to develop his/her presentation and writing skills.

Contact: Ignasi Fina (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Multifunctional Thin Films and Complex Structures

Una introducción al desarrollo (preparación y caracterización) de nuevos materiales magnéticos frustrados con propiedades funcionales (electrónica de bajo consumo) basadas en órdenes (magnéticos, electrónicos) no convencionales. Estudio mediante haces cuánticos (técnicas sincrotrón y neutrones).

Contact: José Luis García Muñoz (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Crystallography of Magnetic and Electronic Oxides and Surfaces

En el Icmab se diseñan y construyen materiales para controlar la congelación del agua mediante modificaciones superficiales. Estos materiales no solo permiten evitar la congelación del agua y proteger aviones, maquinaria etc. sino que también pueden usarse para ayudar a la congelación del agua. Facilitar la congelación del agua ayuda a la fabricación de nieve, la fabricación de hielo para la alimentación o también nuevas tecnologías de depuración de agua basadas en la congelación sin ningún agente químico presente.

Contact: Albert Verdaguer (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Physical Chemistry of Surfaces and Interfaces

La oxidación térmica preferencial de Si frente a Ge implica la formación por condensación en la matriz sólida de SiOx de puntos cuánticos (quantum dots, QDs) de Ge. En este proyecto se pretende controlar el tamaño y posición de dichos QDs realizando una nanoestructuración 3D del material inicial usando litografía suave (nanoimprinting) y controlando los parámetros tanto de las estructuras como del proceso de oxidación. Las estructuras iniciales se depositarán por evaporación en alto vacío. El trabajo a desarrollar se concentrará principalmente en la nanoimpresión y transferencia de los motivos, realización de los procesos de oxidación, y caracterización estructural usando tanto microscopía electrónica como espectroscopías ópticas. También se contemplará la transferencia (transfer printing) de los QDs a membranas flexibles para ser aplicados en desarrollos futuros, por ejemplo, emisión de luz en membranas tensionadas.

Contact: Maria Isabel Alonso (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) / Agustín Mihi (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Nanostructured Materials for Optoelectronics and Energy Harvesting

High performance supercapacitors based on hybrid nanocarbon-metal oxide electrodes will be fabricated by means of advanced laser processing. The structural, compositional and functional properties of these systems will be characterized by several techniques. Website: https://icmab.es/laserprocessing

Contact: Ángel Pérez (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Laser Processing

En este trabajo se desarrollará una batería de espesores del orden de 100 nm para estudios mediante microscopia de transmisión de los fenómenos químicos y electroquímicos. Se emplearan metodos de microfabricacion y se caracterizara’ mediante electroquimica y microscopia electronica.

Contact: Dino Tonti (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Solid State Chemistry

In electronics information is transferred with charge carriers, whose motion can be easily controlled with external fields. This is not the case of phononics, where phonons —the basic particles that carry heat— have no mass or charge: this is why heat is normally regarded as a source of loss. We aim at reversing this viewpoint and move to a new paradigm where heat can be used to transfer energy, thus information, in a controllable way. Additionally, learning how to modulate the heat flow will have also important consequences in conventional electronics or in devising efficient thermoelectric materials.

Contact: Riccardo Rurali (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Electronic Structure of Materials

Se estudiará el enorme potencial de los materiales óxido para mitigar las limitaciones de las tecnologías fotovoltaicas actuales: estabilidad, coste, eficiencia, y acelerar su despliegue. Además, contribuiremos  al reto de preparar este tipo de materiales como membranas 2D para fabricar dispositivos fotovoltaicos flexibles y estudiar sus prestaciones. 

Contact: Mariona Coll (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Polymorphism in organic semiconductor (OSC) thin films is a common phenomenon with large impact on their optoelectronic properties. Many organic semiconductors undergo a structural transformation during thermal annealing, which can be exploited to improve the device properties. In this project, the student will employ advanced atomic force microscopy methods to study structural transformations in an OSC film in-situ during thermal annealing.

Contact: Eshter Barrena (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Physical Chemistry of Surfaces and Interfaces

Los dispositivos electrónicos orgánicos tienen un alto potencial en el campo de los bio-sensores para el desarrollo de pruebas de punto de atención. En este proyecto se fabricarán transistores orgánicos electroquímicos para detectar bio-marcadores relevantes para el diagnóstico de enfermedades.

Contact: Marta Mas Torrent (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Molecular Materials for Electronic Devices
Twitter: @MMTgroupICMAB

Los dispositivos electrónicos orgánicos están despertando un gran interés en aplicaciones de bajo coste. En este proyecto se optimizarán las propiedades de transistores orgánicos (OFETs) controlando la morfología, estructura y nivel de dopaje de películas imprimidas de semiconductores orgánicos.

Contact: Marta Mas Torrent (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Molecular Materials for Electronic Devices
Twitter: @MMTgroupICMAB

The curcuminoid (CCMoid) family comprises linear conjugated molecules with versatile chemistry. We propose the synthesis of units that will assemble with CCMoids to create nanoribbons, providing flexible systems and coordination with metals/metalloids, toward the study of their electronic behaviour.

Contact: Núria Aliaga Alcalde (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Functional Nanomaterials & Surfaces
Twitter: @funnanosurf

The candidate will be in charge of the preparation of hybrid materials by the self-assembly of functional organic molecules onto conducting surfaces or nanoparticles. These molecules can interact with certain analytes thus, allowing to prepare platforms with high potential in (bio)sensing applications.

Contact: Núria Crivillers (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Group: Molecular Materials for Electronic Devices
Twitter: @MMTgroupICMAB