Biography

I Graduated in Physics at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) where I also got my PhD under the supervision of Prof. S. Ferrer. I held different post-doctoral positions: Fritz Haber MPI (Berlin), Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories (USA), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (France), University San Luis and La Plata (Argentina)... Back to Madrid, I became first staff university professor of the UAM, and then staff reseach scientist at the Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM) of the CSIC until 2007. During 2004 I was invited researcher at the department of Chemie-Physique des Matériaux of the Université Libre de Bruxelles supported by the Spanish MEC.

In 2007 I moved to Barcelona where I am full Research Professor at the Instituto de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC). Here I founded and lead at present the Group of Physical Chemistry of Surfaces and Interfaces, counting with a Scanning Probes Microscopy (SPM) laboratory and an STM/nc-AFM in ultra-high-vacuum that is installed since 2011 in the Spanish synchrotron facility ALBA within a specific agreement. 

Member of the Condensed Matter Division of the RSEF (GEFES) and the Surface Science section of the European Physical Society (EPS)

Commited with equality, I am involved in education and science gender issues, being member of AMIT (Asociación de Mujeres Investigadoras y Tecnólogas), the GEMF-RSEF (Grupo Especializado de Mujeres en Física de la Real Sociedad Española de Física) and participating in diverse initiatives within the ICMAB.

ResearchID:G-8590-2013

ORCID: 0000-0001-8790-8844

Research interest

Growth and surface crystallography of organic and inorganic materials.  During years I have being mainly involved in the field of Self Assembled Monolayers of organic molecules on metals and the use of these systems for the selective growth of Metal Organic Frameworks and, in general, hybrid materials. The last two main projects concern the investigation at the molecular scale of the physical and chemical processes involved in the photo-charge generation, charge transport and charge collection in organic systems for photovoltaic and electronic applications. 

Background in Surface Science and related experimental techniques Surface Crystallography, thin films growth, surface functionalization (chemical modification for molecular recognition) and surface characterization including atomic structure, morphology, mechanical and frictional (Nanotribology) and electronic  (conducting and electrostatic) properties at the nanoscale. Main expertise in Scanning Probes Microscopes and, in particular, in different modes of Scanning Force Microscopies and their application to the investigation and the correlation between physical and chemical properties of the surfaces as well as the role of structural effects on the final material characteristics. These techniques are used in my group also to manipulate and modify the surfaces of the materials in order to design nanoscaled devices with specific tailored properties. The group research includes organic semiconductor thin films based on small molecules of interest for organic electronic applications as Organic Thin Film Transistors (OTFTs) or to apply in organic solar cells (OSC) but also inorganic materials as thin oxide films for resistive random access memories (ReRAM).