Pamela Machado, ICMAB PhD fellow, is the new President of the Catalan Society of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (SCN²), and Jordi Floriach Clark, ICMAB MSc fellow, is the new Communication Manager. They both start this new role in the SCN² with a lot of enthusiasm and exciting future plans!

The Aireamos platform is the result of the efforts of different Spanish research groups and entities that are studying the virus transmission mechanism via aerosol by analyzing CO₂ levels in air. The platform was presented via Youtube on 3 December 2020. Albert Verdaguer, ICMAB researcher, is part of this group.

Judith Guasch is interviewed in Onda Cero Radio on 21 November 2020 in the programme "De cero al infinito" con Paco de León, to talk about her recent research on hydrogels to mimic lymph nodes for cancer immunotherapy. 

The AGenT Postdoctoral Programme is an European H2020 Marie Sklodowska COFUND that offers training opportunities for researchers at CRAG and other associated partner organizations like ICMAB. The AGenT programme will aims to improve career prospects for plant and farm animal researchers in Europe and contribute to the their training in the areas of plant and agricultural sciences.

The rapid characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has allowed researchers at the Soft Matter Theory Group to learn more about how it interacts with surfaces through extremely precise simulations. The results have been published in the scientific journal Biointephases.

On 3-4 December 2020, the ICMAB Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) meeting will take place to evaluate the research lines and the overall performance of the Institute. The SAB is composed of 12 worldwide scientific experts in the areas of the targeted research of our Severo Ochoa project: Smart Functional Materials for a Better Future (FUNFUTURE) in the areas of Clean Energy, Sustainable Electronics and Smart Nanomedicine.

We would like to invite you to the third PostDoc Talk of this new cycle of Online ICMAB Seminars:

Plasmon-enhanced light–matter interaction: from molecular detection to energy harvesting applications

by Luis Alberto Pérez, NANOPTO group, ICMAB, CSIC

Monday, 30 November 2020 @ 12 pm
Online Invited Seminar by Zoom. Register here to attend.
PostDoc Talks cycle

The Nanostructured Materials for Optoelectronics and Energy Harvesting (NANOPTO) research group, which focuses on producing and characterizing advanced semiconducting structures for optoelectronics and energy-related and sensing devices, has started using one the most popular techniques for scientific outreach: YouTube!

We are very happy to announce that the NFFA-Europe project that enables the use of shared research infrastrucures in nanoscience and nanotechnology will continue during the next years as NFFA-Europe Pilot (NEP). The project, in which the ICMAB participates as partner, will be strengthened bya new consortium with third parties, which will enhance the impact on European research.

The Applied Superconductivity Conference 2020 conference awarded Artur Romanov, PhD researcher at the SUMAN group, on 5 November 2020, the third prize in the materials section of the Student Paper Contest and additonally the Alexander Shikov memorial award for design and manufacturing of "LTS and HTS Conductors". 

The OPTOFEM 2020 School on Optically Controlled Ferroelectric Memristors held its first edition in an online format on 22-23 October 2020. The ICMAB school was a huge success, and counted with more than 85 participants from 18 countries around the world, who attended more than 16 hours of lectures on the topic. 

On 9 November 2020, Judith Guasch appered in the cover of the Agencia SINC in an interview to talk about her research on 3D hydrogels that mimic lymph nodes and that will be used as scaffolds for T cell culture in cancer immunotherapy.

This year Expominer will not take place as we know it, in Fira Barcelona. However, there will be a selection of online talks and workshops under the name MinerMat2020, that will be online during the Science Week (Setmana de la Ciència). 

Doctor Guillem Vargas from the Nanomol group at ICMAB defended his PhD thesis entitled "Novel Quatsome nanovesicles, prepared using compressed CO₂, for the development of advanced nanomedicines" on Friday, 23 October 2020 in an online session. The PhD Thesis was supervised by Nora Ventosa, Nanomol Group, and Lídia Ferrer, Nanomol Technologies. 

Research on room temperature superconducting materials has been one of the biggest challenges of condensed matter physics in the last century. Let's see how we started and where are we now, after the recent results obtained by researchers at the University at Rochester and published in Nature. 

To celebrate the Open Access Week 2020, we invite you to attend the following Online Seminar: 

Open Access: novedades en el CSIC

by Alejandro Santos, Manuel Cardona Library, ICMAB-CSIC

Tuesday, 27 October 2020 @ 12 pm
Online Seminar. Register here to attend the seminar via Zoom. 

Leonardo Grants (BBVA Foundation) are intended to directly support personal projects of cultural researchers and creators in intermediate stages of their career, between 30 and 45 years of age, which are characterized by a highly innovative scientific, technological or cultural production. 

The European Commission has launched a Manifesto to maximise the accessibility of research results in the fight against COVID-19. The manifesto provides guiding principles for beneficiaries of EU research grants for coronavirus prevention, testing, treatment and vaccination to ensure that their research results will be accessible for all and guarantee a return on public investment.

We would like to invite you to the second PostDoc Talk of this new cycle of Online ICMAB Seminars:

Thermal transport and mechanical properties characterization using Extreme Ultraviolet coherent light

by Begoña Abad, Nanophononics Lab - Zardo group, Physics Department, University of Basel, Switzerland

Monday, 26 October 2020 @ 12 pm
Online Invited Seminar by Zoom. Register here to attend.
PostDoc Talks cycle

María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, President of the Women for Africa Foundation (Fundación Mujeres por África) visited the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB) on Monday, 28 September 2020, in the afternoon. The visit was in the framework of the programme "Science By Women" (Ellas Investigan), which the ICMAB wishes to join in its next edition.

The treatment and cure of all kinds of cancer is still one of the key issues science has to face. On the occasion of the World Cancer Research Day, we want to highlight the ways in which ICMAB Researchers are currently working to improve the diagnosis and treatment of this illness.

We would like to invite you to the second PostDoc Talk of this new cycle of Online ICMAB Seminars:

Nanoprobes for the next generation of Optical Imaging

by Judit Morlà Folch
Institut Ciencia dels Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) - Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red CIBER-BBN, Barcelona, Spain
Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Newark, United States

Monday, 5 October 2020 @ 12 pm
Online Invited Seminar by Zoom. Register here to attend.
PostDoc Talks cycle

A route to control the conductivity in the functional oxide Er(Mn,Ti)O₃ through the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) could allow for an improvement of conductivity that is not detrimental to other materials’ properties like magnetism or multiferroicity, as demonstrated in a new Nature Materials article that counts with the collaboration of ICMAB Researcher Konstantin Shapovalov from the Electronic Structure of Materials (LEEM) Group.

On 17-18 September 2020, the 5^th Scientific Meeting of PhD Students (JPhD2020), organized by PhD fellows of the ICMAB, IMB-CNM, ICN2 and the UAB takes place! This new edition is ONLINE, representing a challenge for the organizers and speakers. During two days, 4 invited speakers and more than 80 participants are connected and will be sharing their research in amazing fields. Good luck! 

We announce the ICMAB "summer" school on “Optically Controlled Ferroelectric Memristors" (OPTOFEM 2020) goes Online! The School will finally take place on October, 22-23, 2020, in an online format, due to the current COVID-19. Great and experienced lectureres from around the world will participate. Register now before October 11, 2020 to attend! 

We would like to invite you to the Invited Seminar organized by the Tech Transfer Office: 

Catalonia clusters

by Joan Martí, ACCIÓ

Friday, 2 October @ 12 pm
Online Invited Seminar by Zoom. Register here to attend by Zoom. 

Training of young researchers in the field of materials science for energy applications receives funding from the European Commission. The ICMAB-CSIC is one of the eleven partners of this MSCA-ITN international project that aims to advance in the field of organic thermoelectrics. 

The magazine edited by Ecoembes, Circle, which has sustainable innovation as its central theme, includes in its last issue a report about the future of Li-ion batteries waste generation entitled "Rumbo al mañana (eléctrico y sostenible) de los residuos" and includes some thoughts about Li-ion batteries by ICMAB researcher M. Rosa Palacín.

The Efficient Energy Cluster of Catalonia (CEEC), the Community RIS3CAT Energy and the Network of R&D&I: Energy for Society (XRE4S), organize the Energy Innovation Day, on October 8, 2020. This day of innovation seeks to connect the needs of companies with technology and investors. The day will promote the identification of possible solutions with new technology partners and the establishment of potential synergies. 

The XRE4S  (R+D+I Energy for Society Network) launched the first call for the Lab-to-Market (L2M) program, the technology scouting program for the members of the network. It consists on the pre-screening on technology assessment, market opportunity and analysis of the intellectual property status and strategy.

We would like to invite you to the first PostDoc Talk of this new cycle of Online ICMAB Seminars:

Energy solutions at the micro- and nano-scale

by Miquel López-Suárez, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy

Monday, 21 September 2020 @ 12 pm
Online Invited Seminar by Zoom. Register here to attend.
PostDoc Talks cycle

ICMAB and ICREA researcher, Alejandro Goñi, from the NANOPTO group, is author of an article in the News & Views section in Nature Materials, in which he was asked to review one publication from Laura Herz and co-workers from the University of Oxford, published in Nature Materials about hybrid halide pervoskites and some of their fascinating properties. 

On 11-19 November 2020, a virtual immersion in the Silicon Valley health and entrepreneurship ecosystem (DISRUPTOUR) will take place in digital format. The initiative, organized by Biocat and ACCIÓ (Silicon Valley office), will allow companies and projects to meet and interact with top investors, companies, and academic agents in the health sector in the United States. Register before 11 September 2020!

The journal Materials Horizons (RSC) includes in its last "Emerging Investigator Series" collection, an interview to ICMAB researcher Ignasi Fina, for his recent publication "Local manipulation of metamagnetism by strain nanopatterning". 

The Materials Horizons journal, from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) ,features in its FRONT COVER the recently published article "Local manipulation of metamagnetism by strain nanopatterning" by Ignasi Fina et al. 

The "Interviews" section of the CSIC website includes on 7 August 2020 an interview to ICMAB researcher Mariano Campoy-Quiles for his recent ERC Proof of Concept, awarded to him for a project to develop organic thermoelectric generators for self-powered sensors to be applied in vineyards. 

On Monday, 21 September 2020, the special workshop organized by the TU Darmstadt on "Women of Distinction in Materials Science" will take place online, via Zoom. Among the invited speakers, ICMAB researcher Clara Viñas will give the talk "Towards purely inorganic nanomaterials: new opportunities of boron clusters in biomaterials and medicine". 

The International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has defined new recommendations for the nomenclature of boranes and other related species, a field in constant change, in order to include the great diversity of new specialized composites that have appeared since the last time a standard was instituted.

The CSIC Annual Report 2019 showcases the current state of the 120 research centers that are part of the council. The 2019 edition of this publication shares some of the top research done through the year, including some of the work being done at ICMAB.

A recent publication in Nature Nanotechnology in which Massimiliano Stengel, ICREA scientist, and Konstantin Shapovalov, postdoctoral researcher at ICMAB, participated, show how Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM) is an effective tool to visualize and characterize moiré patterns in a wide range of twisted bilayer systems including twisted bilayer graphene. The publication is a collaboration between researchers from Columbia University in USA, the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan, Nanjing University in China, Stony Brook University in USA, the Flatiron Institute in USA and the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona.

The International Meeting for Chemistry Expoquimia hosted the UNPRECEDENTED Industrial Dialogues Webinars, seminars discussing different topics related to the cores of the triennial meeting: circular economy, digitalization, and technology transference. This last topic was covered in one webinar by Nora Ventosa, from the Molecular Nanoscience and Organic Materials (NANOMOL) group. 

It is a pleasure to announce the 5^th Scientific Meeting of PhD Students at UAB Campus (JPhD2020), organized by PhD fellows of the ICMAB, IMB-CNM, ICN2 and the UAB, which will be held ONLINE during September 17-18, 2020. This scientific meeting of PhD students is mainly addressed to PhD students of any year, who are interested in sharing their research and connecting with other research groups. Master's and undergraduate students are welcome to participate as well. Send your abstracts before 31 July 2020! Extended deadline: 15 August 2020!

A new publication in Scientific Reports by researchers of the Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures (SUMAN) group at the ICMAB, the ALBA Synchrotron, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and CERN, has studied the surface resistance and vortex properties of seven superconducting coated conductors at microwave frequencies, high magnetic fields and low temperatures (mimicking the expected conditions of the Future Circular Collider at CERN) to study how they respond.

We are very happy to announce that the ICMAB has been granted the project "Matheroes: The Box" in the last FECYT 2019 projects call for the promotion of science, technological and innovation culture. This project is the second part of the project "Matheroes: Supermaterials, the heroes of the future" and also counts with the participation of many ICMAB researchers and staff, and with our collaborators, ESCIENCIA. The mission is to explain our 5 Research Lines in Materials for Energy, Superconductors, Oxide Electronics, Molcular Electronics and Biomaterials to young students! 

Low-gradient magnetic separation (LGMS) is a complex phenomena with a behaviour so contradictory with classic magnetophoresis models that it was considered to be almost paradoxical. An Editor’s Choice feature article at the Langmuir journal, co-authored by ICMAB Researcher Jordi Faraudo, proposes a unified theoretical framework to understand and control this helpful separation technique.

Scientists have managed to draw at high resolution and speed, local patterns in organic semiconductor films used in optoelectronic and photonic applications. The new method enables the patterning of material characteristics and concomitant final properties, including molecular conformation, orientation, crystallinity and composition. The technique, published with open access in Nature Communications, has also been patented and industrial partners are sought for further co-development.

Metamaterials have revolutionized the field of photonics because of their exotic optical properties absent in natural materials. Made from the arrangement of subwavelength units, the properties of metamaterials do not derive from their chemical composition but rather from their physical structure. Therefore, properly designing the geometry, size and media involved in a metamaterial, it is possible to engineer the overall electromagnetic response beyond the conventional behaviors. 

The Severo Ochoa Excellence award is given to centers that showcase leadership and scientific impact in the international scale, and will help fund some of ICMAB’s research lines until 2023. On 15 July 2020 the provisional resoluiton announced the awarded research centers of its last call. 

The way the different countries in the world reacted to the emerging crisis that a global pandemic brings and the results they achieved can illuminate the path for a new way to structure scientific innovation. ESADE Professor Xavier Ferràs helps us understand what was the scientific paradigm when COVID-19 hit and how can we expect it to shift.

The project to improve the rechargeability of zinc-air batteries, led by ICMAB researchers from the Solid State Chemistry group, has been featured this week in R+D CSIC news. These batteries have more capacity than the lithium-ion ones, and are made of cheap materials, which are widely available in nature as well as safe.

Researchers from the Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures (SUMAN) group will be joining researchers from 13 other countries in the development of a network with the intention to push for the implementation of Hight Temperature Superconductors (HST) to all the different parts of the electrical energy chain, in the framewor of a European COST Action.

The SIESTA methodology and program, first described in 2002, is a simulation paradigm that has allowed for extensive and precise theoretical research in the properties of materials based on first principle electronic-structure methods. Almost two decades later, a new publication details the improvements made to the paradigm and how this new tools can be applied.

Amanda Muñoz, a PhD researcher from the Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites (NN) group, joined the Biorender Graphical Abstract challenge with a visualization of her group’s work with C. elegans and nanoparticles. Her figure has become one of the finalists in the contest, and it has already opened new opportunities for learning. 

The Seminars & Training Committee would like to invite you to the following Online ICMAB Invited Seminar: 

Science, Technology and Innovation after Covid: Challenges and Opportunities

by Xavier Ferràs, Associate Professor of Operations Management, Innovation and Data Sciences, ESADE Business School

Monday, 13 July 2020 @ 6 pm
Online Invited Seminar. Register here to attend the seminar via Webex. 

Face masks are still one of the key factors helping us face the current COVID-19 pandemic, and have been part of the conversation since the first responses to the virus started to appear. The other key factor is physical distancing. In this Online ICMAB Seminar, Jan Grzelak, from the Nanoparticles & Nanocomposites (NN) Group, presents the current knowledge we have on the materials used to create the masks and their reusability.

ICMAB Researcher Riccardo Rurali, from the Materials Simulation and Theory (MST) group, has found two of his theoretical predictions to be confirmed through experimental approaches, regarding the use of hexagonal SiGe alloys for optoelectronic applications and the use of domain walls as switches for phononic devices.

As part of the celebration of the European Sustainable Energy Week, the Vice-presidency of International Relations of the CSIC has organized a campaign that aims to raise awareness about sustainable energy and its efficient use through the promotion of CSIC's European projects. Next Thursday 25 June at 1 pm the online round table will take place: "Accessible, clean and sustainable energy in the future: connecting the ODS and the European Green Deal", in which M. Rosa Palacín, ICMAB researcher, will participate.

In its 15th edition, the L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science" awards five prizes of 15,000 euros each to support research projects carried out by Spanish women scientists in the area of Physical Sciences, Mathematics and/or Computer and Information Sciences. The deadline for application will remain open until 13 September 2020. These should be done through the official website "For Women in Science".

this year, Science is Wonderful! will take place online – through an array of innovative, interactive digital activities. The event will highlight some of the solutions Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and other EU-funded research and innovation projects are developing to address the COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath, as well as the priorities that are at the core of both European and Global recovery efforts. The call for applications is now open! If you have an EU-funded project, you should be interested!

A jury formed by specialists in science and dissemination will decide on the contest winners, who will be announced on Thursday, June 25, 2020, at a ceremony where the finalist nanostories will be read. The contest is part of the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Festival, 10alamenos9, which aims to bring this science closer to young audiences. Register here to attend to the final event to discover the winners! 

The Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera develops the program "Bojos per la Ciència" to open the doors of the most relevant research institutes to the most excellent secondary school students. The ICMAB joined in 2017 the initiative "Bojos per la Física" coordinated by the ICN2, and the IFAE. This year the session had to be online, due to the coronavirus pandemic, and finally the 25 students could join researchers Ignasi Fina and Jordi Faraudo and Anna May, coordinating the event, on an online session during more than 4 hours on Saturday, 13 June 2020, in the morning. 

Gaudeamus Igitur is a traditional anthem for students all over Europe, played in many graduations and commemorative events. This tradition is kept alive in our institution thanks to the ICMAB Choir, who sings this hymn to all of their members once they become doctors. Do you want to know its origin?

This year the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Festival 10alamenos9 was cancelled, due to the coronavirus. However, another initiative in the framework of the festival appeared: the short talks (around 20 minutes) about nanoscience and nanotechnology through YouTube, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12 pm, called "Vermut de Nanociència" (Nanoscience Vermouth). On 3 June 2020 Irene Anton made her contribution, explaining the curious facts of one day of a PhD researcher in this field. 

Stefania Sandoval participated during two weeks in May in the initiative We are Scientists, get us out of here! in which she answered questions from primary and secondary school students eager to learn more about the job of a scientist and science itself. Stefania had a great experience, which she wants to share with us all. Read here what she has learnt from it and has taken as a take-home message!

The 15th edition of the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities has been published, ranking researchers in Spain as well as Spaniards doing research abroad, and the list features more than a hundred ICMAB researchers. This initiative developed by CSIC intends to boost online publication of research.

The Seminars & Training Committee would like to invite you to the following Online ICMAB Invited Seminar:

Face masks during COVID-19 pandemic: current knowledge on materials and reusability

by Jan Grzelak, NN Group, ICMAB

Monday, 15 June 2020 @ 12 pm
Online Periodical Lecture. Register here to attend the seminar via Zoom.

The Seminars & Training Committee would like to invite you to the following Online ICMAB Periodical Lecture:

From soft materials to complex material systems

by David Amabilino, University of Nottingham

Monday, 29 June 2020 @ 12 pm
Online Periodical Lecture. Register here to attend the seminar via Zoom. 

The 12th International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics #HOPV20 was an online conference held beween 26 and 29 May 2020. Enrique Pascual, PhD fellow at the Nanopto Group, received the Best ePoster Content and Discussion award at the Symposium S4 on Organic Solar Cells. His poster was entitled "Towards Photovoltaic Windows: Laser-assisted Fabrication of Semitransparent OPV Modules Based on Non-fullerene Acceptors’". Congratulations!

Giulia Fabriani, a science communication student in La Sapienza University, Rome, participated in the FETFX programme "Journalist-in-the-lab" and interviewed researcher M. Rosa Palacín about the CARBAT project. The result: a nice pice of news entitled "If batteris are the question, Calcium could be the answer" published at the FETFX website. 

Arianna Ricchiuti, one of the science communication students involved in the FETFX initiative Journalist-in-the-lab, has made the fantastic infographic "The future of batteris is (E)MAGIC" to explain the European Magnesium Interactive Battery Community (E-MAGIC)  international project, which is developing new technologies based on magnesium for energy storage. 

Researchers from the Nanomol group at the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), the CIBER-BBN network and the ICTS Nanbiosis U6, and members of the TECNIO technology transfer network ACCIÓ-Generalitat de Catalunya, together with the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT, USA) and the University of Parma (UNIPR, Italy) have developed a new nanomaterial for bioimaging. The results of the study are the result of the TECNIOspring PLUS project co-financed by ACCIÓ and the European Commission.

As scientific developments get more and more complex, the challenge of communicating any innovation increases. Despite the increasing amount of applications of new materials in day to day life, explaining how they work is not an easy task, especially with younger people, who might not see any of the more advanced concepts in their science classes. Anna May Masnou, Head of the Communication Department at the ICMAB, has written an article at the SOCIEMAT magazine Material-ES about the MATHEROES initiative, which personalizes material properties into superheroes.

Researchers at the ICMAB, UAB and the ALBA Synchrotron, in collaboration with the UB and ICN2, have developed a new technique to locally modify the properties of a metamagnetic material. The method consists in applying local pressure to the surface of the material using nanometric needles and allows a much more easy and local modification than current methods. The research opens the door to a more accurate and precise control of magnetic materials and allows to improve the architecture and capacity of magnetic digital memories.

The MSCA IF Project entitled Tuning COPs (Conducting Organic Polymers) with IP Clara Viñas, was selected for publication in the ‘Results in Brief’ section of the European Commission’s CORDIS website, in six languages. The article features the main results of the project. "Tuning COPs" started in October 2017 and finished in October 2019.

The Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) features in its FRONT COVER the recently published article "Too Persistent to Give Up: Aromaticity in Boron Clusters Survives Radical Structural Changes" by Francesc Teixidor et al. Do you think the balls look like Christmas balls or like billiard balls?

The researchers from four ICMAB Research Groups will be joining another 35 groups from 14 different universities, as well as research and technology centers, with the objective of boosting the energy sector in Catalunya and turning it into a strong international referent for innovation, at the R+D+I Energy for Society Network (XRE4S). 

When the SARS-CoV-2 virus began to break out in Spain, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association in Barcelona launched a fundraising campaign. Some institutions and people in China contacted them and donated them some masks. Wenchao Duan is a PhD fellow at the ICMAB and member of this Association: "On the premise of respecting their wishes, the Association has donated masks mainly to hospitals, nursing homes, health departments and research institutes in Spain", he says. 

The ICMAB has started this week to resume the scientific activity in the laboratories that were stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This week the Metropolitan Area containing Bellaterra and the UAB Campus has passsed to the advanced phase zero (phase 0.5), so researchers and other workers considered to be "non-essential" can start to return to their workplaces. The return will be at a slow pace, but we are very happy to be able to do so!

Nerea Murugarren, Biochemisry Bachelor's Degree student at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), has prepared a video entitled "BACTERIA: a nanobiotechnology factory for biomedicine" as part of her Final Degree Project. The idea came from all that she learnt during her stay at the Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites (NN) Group at the ICMAB. 

A research recently published on Nature Materials, carried out jointly by the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB), Nanchang University (China) and Chongqing University (China), has demonstrated that light can increase by orders of magnitude the electricity produced by bending (flexoelectricity) in semiconductors. This phenomenon, called photoflexoelectricity, allows a single device to harvest energy from multiple environmental sources.

Teresa Puig appears on the 34th volume of Superconductor Week, a monthly newsletter dedicated to bringing news and analysis about superconductivity to all related parties, from scientists to investors in the industry. Their latest issue covers the breakthrough achieved by the Superconducting Materials Research Group (SUMAN) in the field of growth of YBCO epitaxial films, which was already covered in Nature Communications 11, 334 (2020).

New technologies are frequently supported on innovative functional materials that allow for improvements in performance in order to leave behind the physical limitations of current materials. The economic supplement of La Razón Innovadores talked with 6 expert researchers on the field of materials, amongst which was ICMAB's Director Xavier Obradors, to find more about the future of hardware in advanced technologies. 

The Seminars & Training Committee would like to invite you to the following Online ICMAB Periodical Lecture:

Molecular probes and gated materials in biomedical applications and communication between nanoparticles

by Ramón Martíñez Máñez
Dept de Química, Escuela de Ingeniería Industrial, Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
Monday, 8 June 2020 @ 12 pm
Online Periodical Lecture. Register HERE to attend the seminar. 

The Seminars & Training Committee would like to invite you to the following Online ICMAB Periodical Lecture:

Crystal structure determination by diffractometric direct methods: Evolution and recent advances

by Jordi Rius, Crystallography Group, ICMAB-CSIC
Monday, 25 May 2020 @ 12 pm
Online Periodical Lecture. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO THE SEMINAR.

The relationship between environmental factors and SARS-CoV-2 will shape the ways in which we respond to the virus as the weather changes. It is still soon to have a definitive idea of how it is affected by variables like temperature, humidity, or ultraviolet radiation, but José Vidal-Gancedo has been compiling what we know and developing a comprehensive article on the topic. His findings have been echoing on the media: he first published the article on La Vanguardia, which was followed by an interview on Aquí Cuní on SER Catalunya.

The ICMAB is now a member of SECPHO, a national technological innovation cluster formed by companies, technology centres and research centres. SECPHO is focused on promoting technological unnovation through the application of photonic technologies, or technologies based on light, to all types of sectors of our economy.

Although the concept of aromaticity in chemistry is something that chemists have in their minds very clearly, they find it very difficult to define. Moreover, among chemists, there are two currents with two distinct points of view: the experimental chemists and the theoretical chemists. What happens when we look at the aromaticity of 3D boron clusters?

The article published in JACS by Pepe Giner et al. in which the international team reports a MOF (metal-organic framework) that can separate biobutanol from the biomass fermentation products has received much attention in the American media, since there is a high demand for gasoline, and one of the research collaborators was from Oregon State University.

With cancer as the second leading cause of death worldwide, investigation on its treatment stays relevant. New mononuclear ruthenium–carboranyl complexes bearing bipyridyl derivatives are being developed for bimodal therapy applications, unifying BNCT (boron neutron capture therapy) and chemotherapy on a single smaller dose and giving a more effective response thanks to a synergistic effect. These complexes are being characterized and tested against melanoma and glioblastoma, and showing successful results so far.

Manuel Souto, former PhD researcher at the Nanomol Group, has been awarded with the European Award for Doctoral Thesis in Molecular Magnetism (ADocMolMag) call 2019, organised by the European Institute of Molecular Magnetism, for his PhD Thesis "Multifunctional Materials based on TTFPTM dyads: towards new Molecular Switches, Conductors and Rectifiers" carried out at the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). Congratulations, Manuel!

Organic electronic devices with an X-ray sensitivity competitive with the inorganic devices in the market are developed at the Nanomol group at the ICMAB, by Marta Mas-Torrent et al. and published today, May 1, 2020, in Nature Communications.

Nora Ventosa and Nathaly Segovia, from the NANOMOL Group at the ICMAB, have been selected as part of the NARTIC Project team for an incubation program by Barcelona Activa. NARTIC is a biotech project for the development of molecular therapy based on Quatsomes for diseases such as cancer.

The article "Efficient blue light emitting materials based on m-carborane-anthracene dyads. Structure, photophysics and bioimaging studies" published in 2019 in Biomaterials Science, by Núñez et al. has been featured recently in UAB Divulga. You can find the text in English, Catalan and Spanish. 

This year the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Festival 10alamenos9 was cancelled, due to the coronavirus. However, another initiative in the framework of the festival appeared: the short talks (around 20 minutes) about nanoscience and nanotechnology through YouTube, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12 pm, called "Vermut de Nanociència" (Nanoscience Vermouth). Anna Roig, and Judit Morlà participated in the initiative!

An article published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry , and with the participation of Elies Molins, shows a new family of molecules with high affinity to join imidazoline receptors, which are altered in the brain of those patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s. According to the preclinical study, the merge of these specific ligands to I₂ receptors improves cognitive skills and some biomarkers which are indicators of brain neurodegenerative processes in murine models.

Since the coronavirus outbreak in Spain, in February-March 2020, many of the research funding agencies, the European Commission, and private institutions have opened research project calls to face the COVID-19. Here we have collected some of this calls. Feel free to contact us if you think some of the important calls are missing.

Researchers from the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) have discovered a water stable metal-organic framework (MOF) that allows for the separation of butanol from acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) mixtures that are extracted from the fermentation process of biomass feedstock, as part of the standard industrial process to produce biofuels. This new compound, mCB-MOF-1, shows promising results compared to other methodologies or other MOF materials. The study is published in JACS on 27 April 2020. 

On 1 April 2020, the ICMAB researcher Ignasi Fina, from the Laboratory of Multifunctional Thin Films And Complex Structures (MULFOX) group, was interviewed in the radio show “La Buena Tarde”, broadcasted in Radio Asturias  to talk about the flexible antiferromagnetic tapes. “La Buena Tarde” is a light variety show that discusses culture and science, with a few different collaborators on every episode.

Sant Jordi will be a slightly different experience this year, but that does not mean that we shouldn not celebrate it. At the ICMAB we wanted to focus on one of the most important parts of this festivity: books!

First results of bacterial nanocellulose ocular bandages for innovative ophthalmic treatment have been published at Biomaterials Science. The bacterial nanocellulose, which is more affordable and easier to maintain than current treatments for corneal repair, will be impregnated with growth factors to accelerate corneal regeneration. The research is developed by the Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites Groups (NN) in close collaboration with the Barraquer Ophthalmology Centre in Barcelona, which supports this project from a clinical perspective.

On 26 March 2020, ICMAB researcher Nora Ventosa, from the Molecular Nanoscience and Organic Materials (NANOMOL) group, was interviewed in the radio show “La Nit dels Ignorants 3.0”, broadcasted in Catalunya Ràdio. “La Nit dels Ignorants 3.0” is a night time show that focuses on knowledge and company, both asking and answering public interest questions.

On 2 April 2020, ICMAB researcher Judit Morlà, from the Molecular Nanoscience and Organic Materials (NANOMOL) group, had her first appearance in “Som-hi”. Her section aired on tac12, a TV channel that can be tuned in from any point in the Tarragonès and is also available online. “Som-hi” is a television magazine that offers local news and information as well as some light educative sections.

The Seminars & Training Committee would like to invite you to the following Online ICMAB Periodical Lecture:

What's what in the European research activities? Are we in a challenging threshold?

by Rafael Rodríguez Clemente, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC
Monday, 4 May 2020 @ 12 pm
Online Periodical Lecture. REGISTER TO THE EVENT HERE. 

J. Sebastian Reparaz, researcher at the NANOPTO group (ICMAB-CSIC), is co-author of the Chapter 11 "Thermal Transport and Phonon Coherence in Phononic Nanostructures", together with Markus R. Wagner (TU Berlin), in the book "21st Century Nanoscience – A Handbook. Nanophysics Sourcebook (Volume One)" edited by Klaus D. Sattler (Taylor & Francis). 

The “Idees Innovadores Isabel P. Trabal” award is organised by the Caixa d’Enginyers and is looking for scientific enterprises to boost the development of technological and innovative projects with a focus on engineering and sustainability. The SENSORAÏM project, born at ICMAB, is now eligible for a 10.000 € grant.

Four ICMAB graduates have been awarded by the UAB with the PhD Extraordinary Award for their doctoral thesis, developed during the period 2016-2017: Bernhard Dörling in the field of Physics, Laura González and Magdalena Kierkowicz in the field of Materials Science, and Elena Oleshkevich in the field of Chemistry. Congratulations!

For the first time researchers have observed directly sound-driven spin waves (magnetoacoustic waves) and have revealed its nature. Results show that these magnetization waves can go up to longer distances (up to centimeters) and have larger amplitudes than the commonly known spin waves.

The Seminars and Training Committee kindly invites you to the first ICMAB Online Periodical Lecture:

Magnetism fights for health. A quantitative lab-on-chip rapid diagnostic test for Malaria

by Riccardo Bertacco, Department of Physics, Politecnico di Milano, Milano (Italy); Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie (IFN) – CNR, Milano (Italy)

Monday, 20 April 2020 @ 12 pm
Online Periodical Lecture. Click here to register. 
(You will receive an email with the link to attend the meeting once registered)

Dolores Bueno, aka Ununcuadio, has written a science outreach article about how nanomedicine could help to cure the COVID-19. The article is published in "Hablando de Ciencia".

Th article published in the Open Access journal ACS Omega "On the Study of Ca and Mg Deintercalation from Ternary Tantalum Nitrides" by M. Rosa Palacín, Amparo Fuertes et al. and the article "Role of Polymorphism and Thin-Film Morphology in Organic Semiconductors Processed by Solution Shearing" by Marta Mas-Torrent et al. have been selected for the the journal's first-ever Virtual Issue "Women at the Forefront of Chemistry". This special collection of articles, handpicked and guest-edited by the Associate Editor, Professor Luisa Torsi, celebrates the contributions of 50+ leading women scientists at various stages of their career, selected from around the world, who have published high-quality articles in our journal as corresponding authors.

Doctor Researcher Dolores Bueno, from the NANOMOL Group at ICMAB, defended her PhD thesis on Friday, 20 March 2020. Her PhD Thesis was entitled "Peptide functionalized nanoliposomes for biomolecule intracellular delivery, prepared using compressed CO₂" and was supervised by Nora Ventosa and Elisabet González. If you want to know more about Dolores' experience during her PhD and her future plans, continue reading this post! 

A project to improve the security of the identification systems using magnetic memories, a project to enhance the duration of Zn-air batteries, and a project to treat corneal wounds with nanocellulose patches.

What was your one constant excuse for almost everything that you have always wanted to do? To begin with, let me be honest about mine, it was this: “But, I don't have time for that!” or “Yes I would love to. But where is the time?” Well, now we have answer to all those “but's”. The time is here. So, are you ready? During this testing time in history, I would like to shift the focus a little bit and see it from a different perspective…

The FASTGRID project, in which the SUMAN group at ICMAB participates, has released a new video, shot in the premises of one of the partners (SuperGrid Institute, France) to explain in simple terms and with animations the objectives of the project. The video includes footage from the production line of the German industrial partner THEVA and from the winding process made by the French company Sigmaphi in collaboration with the SuperGrid Institute.

In 2019 the ICMAB applied for 4 priority patent applications, all of them European, and for an extension in Europe of a French priority patent. This means that from the 34 European patent applications from the CSIC, 5 are from the ICMAB (nearly 15 %). The CSIC leads the European patents applied in Spain, and there is a new record of European patent applications from Spanish origin according to the 2019 Patent Index of the European Patent Office (EPO). 

"Nanomaterials purament inorgànics: noves oportunitats del bor en medicina" is the title of the article that Clara Viñas, researcher at ICMAB, has written for the Catalan magazine L'Atzavara. L'Atzavara is a scientific publication of the Natural Science section of the Museum in Mataró that aims to explain scientific concepts in a way that people can understand it since 1979, once a year. This last number (Vol. 30 (2020))  was devoted to the Periodic Table elements and its misteries: "Els elements endreçats: la taula periòdica i els seus misteris".

The EU project FETFX has completed its Journalist-in-the-lab programme last 24-26 February 2020. The initiative, designed by FETFX partner Fondazione iCons, allowed science communication students get hands on with content creation at the ICMAB and the ICN2 with researchers working on FET European projects.

POSTPONED! We proudly announce the ICMAB summer school on “OPTICALLY CONTROLLED FERROELECTRIC MEMRISTORS” (OPTOFEM2020). The School will finally take place on October, 22-23, 2020, at the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), since it was postponed due to the COVID-19. Deadline for registration is September 2, 2020. 

On Monday, 24 February 2020, the workhop between ALBA and ICMAB scientists took place at the Maxwell Auditorium at the ALBA Synchrotron facilities. The idea of the meeting was clear: get the scientists of both centers to talk and create the seeds to start new project collaborations between both institutions. Do you want to know more?

Doctor Cristiano Matricardi from the NANOPTO Group defended his PhD thesis entitled "Hybrid plasmonic-photonic nanostructures for enhanced spectroscopy" and supervised by Agustín Mihi, on Friday, 21 February 2020 at the ICMAB. Congratulations for the good job! If you know more about him, his research and his future steps, continue reading!

The journal Chemistry. A European Journal features in its COVER the recently published article "An enantiopure propeller‐like trityl‐brominated radical: Bringing together a high racemization barrier and an efficient circularly polarized luminescent magnetic emitter" from Jaume Veciana et al. We love the cover. Do you?

The Seminars and Training Committee kindly invites you to the following ICMAB Invited Seminar:

SPICE Simulation of large memristive cross-point arrays for pattern recognition applications. Device modelling and circuit challenges

Fernando L. Aguirre, PhD fellow, UAB and UTN-FRBA / CONICET (Argentina)
(Supervisor: Jordi Suñe)

Friday, 28 February 2020 @ 10:30 am
ICMAB - Sala d'Actes MATGAS

On Thursday, 27 February 2020, Nora Ventosa, researcher at the NANOMOL group at ICMAB, and coordinator of the SMART-4-FABRY project will participate in the NanoRare Diseases Day at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, from 11 am to 1 pm. 

From the ICMAB Gender Equality Committee we wanted to engage the ICMAB community in a social network activity for the "International Day of Women and Girls in Science" (11 February 2020) #QuotesFromWomenScientists! We had a great participation, and here is the result!

The talk "The use of synchrotron radiation in battery research" by Ashley Black, within the Webinar "Photonics for Batteries Manufacturing" organized by SECPHO is now online! Ashley Black is now currently working as postdoctoral fellow at ICMAB, where he is involved in two FET (Future Emerging Technologies) European Projects, on Calcium-based batteries (CARBAT) and Magnesium-based batteries (E-MAGIC), with M. Rosa Palacín. 

The CSIC Catalunya organized a morning in which women scientists from different CSIC centers visited the school "Escola Can Maiol" in Sants, Barcelona, to talk and experiment with science. From the ICMAB, Arántzazu González, chemist, visited the group of 3r Primària (8-9 years old) and did some experiments to discover the acid/basic properties of some natural substances that we have at home by the change of color. Sants3Radio was there to talk with them!

CANCELLED!

The Seminars and Training Committee kindly invites you to the following ICMAB Periodical Lecture:

Proteins cages as carriers for metal based theranostic agents

by Simonetta Geninatti Crich, Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences department, University of Torino (Italy)

Monday, 2 March 2020 @ 12 pm
ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles

Are you interested in photonics? And in the recent advances realted to health and medicine? The new number of Light!, the magazine edited by SECPHO, is devoted to photonic innovations and applications on the health sector. 

The Seminars and Training Committee kindly invites you to the following ICMAB Invited Seminar:

Nano-PHONONics and Nano-PHOTONics with semiconductor nanostructures

by Marta De Luca, Physics Department, University of Basel, Switzerland

Monday, 24 February 2020 @ 12 pm
ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles

The Technology and Knowledge Transfer Unit kindly invites you to the following ICMAB Invited Seminar on 10 March: 

Big Science: Material Challenges and Participation in the ITER Project

by Stefan Wikman, Head of Materials & Manufacturing Technologies & Processes. F4E (Fusion for Energy). EU Domestic Agency for ITER

Tuesday, 10 March 2020 @ 12 pm
ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles

The Seminars and Training Committee kindly invites you to the following ICMAB Periodical Lecture:

Microneedle and nanochannel arrays to build the next generation of diagnostic tools

by Beatriz Prieto;Monash University and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia, and Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV)

Monday, 9 March 2020 @ 12 pm
ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles

Biocat has opened the call for applications to the second edition of CRAASH Barcelona, a 12-week acceleration program that helps research teams from Catalonia and other European countries successfully launch innovation to market in the healthtech arena. The deadline for applications is 16 March.

Within the framework of the 10alamenos9 Festival of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, a NANO-STORIES contest has been launched for high school students, from 3rd and 4th ESO and 1st and 2nd BTX. The contest is open to participants of the high schools in Catalunya, in a first stage. Send your NANO-STORY until 3 April 2020! 

On Tuesday, 11 February 2020, we celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Many activities around this topic are held at the ICMAB during the whole week, and even month! Take a look here at the different activities! From "Madame Châtelet and her Instagram followers", to seminars and workshops, "El Enigma Agustina" and "Quotes" from women scientists. 

On Friday, 14 February 2020, the film "El Enigma Agustina" will be screened at the ICMAB (in Spanis, with English subtitles). After the success of the film that we screened to celebrate Christmas at the ICMAB, we will show it again, in the framework of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11F). Don't miss the opportunity to meet Agustina Ruiz Dupont!

The kick-off meeting of FusionCAT project took place on 29 January 2020 at the UPC Rectorat and was organized by Barcelona SuperComputing (BSC), who coordinate the project. From the ICMAB,  Xavier Granados and Joffre Gutierrez from the SUMAN group participate in this project, which aims in establishing an active fusion community in Catalonia.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a commonly used clinical imaging technique for noninvasive diagnosis and characterization of soft tissues. The technique provides images in excellent detail of tumors and related pathological conditions thanks to the contrast agents used in the procedure. Now, a group of researchers from the ICMAB led by José Vidal-Gancedo, from the Nanomol Group, have developed organic metal-free magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents based on dendrimers with a totally innovative synthesis procedure.

In the framework of the International Day for Women and Girls in Science (11 February), the UAB organizes a colloquim about Energy and Climate Change (Energia i Canvi Climàtic), in which M. Rosa Palacín, ICMAB researcher expert in the field of batteries, will participate. The event will be at 1 pm at the "Sala d'actes" (Edifici C), Science Faculty, UAB. Come and join us!

On 28-30 January 2020 the Young Researchers Meeting in the field of Chemistry, organized by the Catalan Chemical Society (SCQ, IEC) will take place in Vilanova i la Geltrú. Many ICMAB PhD fellows will participate in the meeting presenting their research results, from curcuminoid-based compounds, fabrication of high-temperature superconducting layers, boron-based sensors, or bacteria-based protein nanoparticles for cell guidance and PAH-based electrochemical platforms. 

Nine ICMAB researchers appear on the Webcindario h-index ranking. A database which contains information of the researchers working in Spain in different areas, which have a high h-index (higher than a certain threshold). Our researchers appear in 7 different research areas, being Multidisciplinary Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry and Applied Physics the most common ones. 

The Seminars and Training Committee kindly invites you to the following;ICMAB Seminar, to commemorate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, on 11 February:;

Science and gender: perspectives from the history of science

by Clara Forensa, CEHIC-UAB

Tuesday, 11 February 2020 @ 12 pm
ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles

Elena Oleshkevich, previous PhD fellow supervised by Clara Viñas at the LMI group, and currently working at the Norwegian company Jotun, has been awarded with one of the "Producto del Año 2020" awards for the industrial project "Majestic Pure Color" paint, selected as the best innovative product of 2020 in the sector of coatings and paintings.

The Seminars and Training Committee kindly invites you to the following ICMAB Periodical Lecture:

Polypeptide-based Conjugates as Versatile Therapeutics

María J. Vicent, Polymer Therapeutics Lab, Centro Investigación Príncipe Felipe (CIPF), Valencia

Monday, 3 February 2020 @ 12 pm
ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles

The dramatised reading "Madame Châtelet and her Instagram followers" will be played on Saturday, 8 February 2020, at Vil·la Urània (Barcelona) at 6 pm, in the framework of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11F). Come and join us!

Principios de bioseguridad en laboratorios de investigación

by Carmen Romera, Técnico de Prevención, Servicio de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales de Cataluña y Baleares, CSIC

Tuesday, 28 January 2020 @ 10 am
ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles

• The new low-cost, environmentally friendly and scalable method, designed by ICMAB-CSIC researchers, represents a breakthrough in the production of superconducting materials
• A transient liquid phase is formed with the new precursors, from which the superconducting films grow at speeds of 100 nm/s
• This method is fully compatible with the incorporation of nanoparticles into the superconductor structure, essential for high magnetic field applications in wind generators, electric aviation or particle accelerators

Iván Caño and Remei Escudero, former Bachelor Students in Physics and Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the UAB, have won, respectively, the 2nd and 3rd prize of the Dresselhaus Awards, organized by the Catalan Society of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (SCN2). The two students had to defend their work by presenting a poster to a jury formed by PhD fellows of related fields. 

New advances in Solid Oxide Cells Technology: 3D printing approach

On 17-20 May 2020 in Bordeaux (France), the 18th European Meeting on Supercritical Fluids will take place. The objective of the meeting is to gather together all the members of the supercritical fluid community and to give the opportunity to academic researchers and industrial practitioners to provide a complete and critical up-date on all the current technologies using Supercritical Fluids, their different applications as well as the latest innovations being developed. Abstract deadline for orals and posters is January 15, 2020.