Our research is mainly focused on organic functional materials with a chemical structure precisely designed to enable self-assembly at the nanoscale and tailored properties for applications in material science and nanomedicine. We have strong expertise on synthetic covalent, supramolecular and dynamic chemistry as well as self-assembly techniques directed to organic materials and nanomaterials based on liquid crystals, polymers or DNA. Our synthetic toolbox includes organic synthesis, click chemistry, controlled radical or ring-opening polymerizations, dendrimer synthesis, photopolymerization, dynamic covalent chemistry and DNA-nanotechnology. Our competences extend to the structural and functional characterization of organic materials and polymers. The multidisciplinarity of our team is key to reinforce internal complementarities and we work in collaboration with national and international groups to boost our skills. Currently our research interests are mainly directed to materials based on the self-assembly properties of liquid crystals, for applications in organic electronics, chiroptical systems or membranes, and precise macromolecules, hydrogels, dynamic systems and DNA nanotechnology for applications in nanomedicine (drug/gene delivery, antimicrobials, diagnosis among others).
Research Lines:
Nanoarchitectures inspired by Liquid Crystals
- Functional supramolecular materials from bent-core building-blocks
- Self-assembled functional columnar nanostructures
- Template-based supramolecules for nanoporous membranes
- Complex Liquid Crystal Emulsions
Macromolecules and dynamic systems for nanomedicine
- Stimuli-cleavable hydrogels and antimicrobial polymers
- Responsive polymers and copolymers
- Dendrimers and dendritic polymers
- Tailored nanostructures through DNA self-assembly
- Dynamic polymer materials
