Media mentions

The famous Damascus steel swords – RNE

Our Director, José Manuel Torralba has spoken with Manuel Seara Valero on the popular Spanish science podcast A Hombros de Gigantes about Damascus steel and how a 2000-year-old manufacturing technique is inspiring the production of a new generation of steels. You can listen to the complete

Nuclear fusion: what material can contain a star on Earth?

IMDEA Materials researchers, Prof. Javier Segurado and Dr. Carlos Ruestes, have penned this fascinating article for The Conversation España about their ongoing project to develop new materials for the future of nuclear fusion reactors. You can read the article, here (content available in Spanish

A new, cheaper, more durable earthquake sensor – SINC

The Service for Scientific News and Information (SINC) has highlighted IMDEA Materials' role, alongside the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), in the development of a new type of earthquake sensor. You can read the article here (content in Spanish only):

High entropy alloys for surprising materials – RNE

Spanish national radio has featured an interview with IMDEA Materials Director, Professor José Manuel Torralba about the potential of high entropy alloys on its popular scientific podcast "On the Shoulders of Giants" with journalist Manuel Seara Valero. You can listen to the complete interview

TeleMadrid interviews IMDEA Materials researcher Lola Martín

Lola Martín tuvo que elegir entre el Real Madrid Femenino y la ciencia: no tuvo dudas. La investigadora de IMDEA Materiales, Lola Martin habla con el periodista Pablo Fritschi en el programa Juntos de TeleMadrid sobre su decisión para dejar el Real Madrid C.F. para

The chemistry of poetry – El Mundo

El Mundo's Diario de Castilla y León talks to IMDEA Materials Institute researcher Carmen Martínez Alonso about receiving a prestigious Fulbright grant, her work in catalysis and the hydrogen economy, and her passion for literature and poetry. You can read the article here (full content

Smart implants for minimally invasive surgeries

We just kicked off the iMPLANTS-CM project (Printing metamaterials using shape memory alloys and functional gradients for a new generation of smart implants) in collaboration with the Technical University of Madrid. The project aims to design and manufacture active implants capable of modifying

Jose Manuél Torralba awarded with the FEMS Gold Medal 2021

Our Director, José Manuel Torralba, has been awarded the European Materials Gold Medal 2021 by the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS). The European Materials Medal (Gold Medal), established in 1993, is the most prestigious award of the FEMSand is awarded in recognition of outstanding

Materials for high altitude pseudo-satellites

We will soon start collaborating with the Madrid-based start-up SmartHAPS to investigate materials for High Altitude Pseudo-Satellites (HAPS). The work will be lead by Dr. De-Yi Wang, head of our research group on High Performance Polymers and Fire Retardants. More information about this project

Making plastics less flammable

Our research group on High Performance Polymers and Fire Retardants, headed by De-Yi Wang, has found that a polystyrene that incorporates ultrafine particles of iron in a mesoporous silica matrix is much less likely to burst into flames or emit smoke when heated. This technique, which also slightly

Chasing new water treatment technologies

Cleis Santos explains in this article for RETEMA magazine the prototype of water purification based on carbon nanotube fibers we have developed in collaboration with IMDEA Energy (page 26 onwards).

Miguel Herráez receives the AEMAC best PhD Thesis award

Our alumny Miguel Herráez has received the best PhD Thesis award by the Spanish Association of Composite Materials (AEMAC). His work was supervised by Carlos González and Claudio Lopes. Miguel is now working at the Laboratory of Applied Mechanics and Reliability Analysis (LMAF-EPFL) in Switzerland,

Optimizing metal powders for 3D printing

Our Deputy Director, Teresa Pérez Prado, works in optimization of metallic powders. This interview in "El Mundo" journal explains the ultimate goals of her research activity. Source | El Mundo

IV Edition of the Young Talent Awards

Our colleague Andrea Fernández Gorgojo, has been awarded one of the Young Talent Awards (premio Talento Joven-Carné Joven ) from the regional government of Madrid (Comunidad de Madrid) in the environmental category due to her innovative project focused in the application of new materials to obtain

Women who design the future

In this opinion article in "El País" journal, our researcher Andrea García-Junceda claims the role of women in research centers, Universities and laboratories around the world. In order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender

Large surface area lends superpowers to ultra-porous materials

Some materials are special not for what they contain, but for what they don’t contain. Such is the case with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) – ultra-porous structures that are being developed for a variety of future applications from fire-proofing to drug-delivery. Read the whole article in HORIZON

Modelling superalloy behaviour to improve aircraft engine design

The MICROMECH project, part of the Sustainable and Green Engines (SAGE) Integrated Technology Demonstrators (ITD) of Clean Sky, has successfully developed a multi-scale computational tool to predict the mechanical behaviour of the Ni-based superalloys used in the hottest parts of aircraft engines.

Future bulbs will be made of proteins

LED lights are the true heir to Edison’s electric bulb. They are a major breakthrough in lightning, but still require advances related to their manufacture using cheaper sustainable materials. In this interview (in Spanish), Rubén Costa (senior researher at IMDEA Materials) explains his vision of

Quantum Dots, Fluorescent Proteins Vie for Supremacy

Since the mid-50s the full-color display technology began its rise to success. The origins of this technology was the old-fashioned cathode ray tubes, which were displaced from the top about a decade ago by liquid crystal displays (LCDs) using a back-lighting system based on white inorganic

Rubén Costa selected top Spanish talent by the MIT

Rubén Costa, head of the research group on hybrid optoelectronic materials and devices at IMDEA Materials, has been selected as one of the Top Spanish Talents by the MIT Technology Review. He will be competing for a spot among the final list of Innovators Under 35 Europe 2017. Rubén

A yarn like sensor for composites

J. Carlos Fernández-Toribio There is a clear evidence that composites are an increasing field of interest. Thus, the demand for composites end products has reached 22.2$ billion in 2015 . This is due to their low weight and high mechanical resistance. Therefore, lighter structural parts can be

Promoting Spanish science in the UK

Prof. Ignacio Romero, Deputy Director of IMDEA Materials, showcased the Institute’s scientific activity, our most well-known scientists and the available job positions for the coming months in the event “Science in Spain 2016 – Science Jobs Opportunities”, which took place past September 15th at the

Carbon nanotube “stitches” strengthen composites

The newest Airbus and Boeing passenger jets flying today are made primarily from advanced composite materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (extremely light, durable materials that reduce the overall weight of the plane by as much as 20 percent compared to aluminum-bodied planes). Such

2016 ESCM young investigator award for Dr. Juan José Vilatela

Dr. Juan José Vilatela, leader of the research program on "Nanomaterials for Multifunctional Applications" at IMDEA Materials, has received the young investigator award from the European Society of Composite Materials (ESCM). This award recognizes the accomplishments of a young researcher who has