News

Celebrating 10 years of the ERC

Back in 2007, the European Commission established the European Research Council (ERC) with the mission to encourage excellent frontier research in Europe through competitive funding, supporting top researchers across all fields and of any nationality. Since then, the ERC has had a considerable

Prof. Ignacio Romero, appointed new Director

On April 28th, Javier LLorca stepped down as Director of IMDEA Materials Institute, after 10 years in this position. The newly appointed Director is Ignacio Romero, formerly Deputy Director of the Institute, and head of the Computational Solid Mechanics Group. Dr. Romero is Full Professor at the

Annual report 2016 is out

The outcome of the research activities performed during year 2016 is summarized in this document. The personnel, current research projects, research infrastructures as well as disseminations activities (publications, conferences and seminars, patents, theses, etc.) can be found in this annual report

CRASHING II project

The CRASHING II project is the follow up of the Clean Sky CRASHING project and is focused on the modelling and simulation of the crashworthiness of and aircraft front fuselage using numerical composite material models developed in the initial project. The cabin model will be simulated in different

Juan José Vilatela joins the Editorial Board of Scientific Reports

Dr. Juan José Vilatela, Senior Researcher at IMDEA Materials, joins the Editorial Board of Scientific Reports. Scientific Reports is an online, open access journal from the publishers of Nature. It publishes scientifically valid primary research from all areas of the natural and clinical sciences.

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

SORCERER project starts

Clean Sky Joint Undertaking 2 This project will develop revolutionary lightweight electrical energy storing composite materials for future electric and hybridelectric aircraft. Building on previous research in novel lightweight supercapacitor composites, structural battery and structural energy

ACERCOM project starts

Source(s): IMDEA Materials, Arcelor Mittal Within the framework of the coordinated project ACERCOM, coordinated by Arcelor Mittal, IMDEA Materials Institute will mainly carry out the modeling, fabrication and characterization of fiber metal laminates for application in marine wind energy. See the

Symposium on New steels for applications under extreme conditions

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A A. García-Junceda, M.J. Santofimia. Symposium on New steels for applications under extreme conditions. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A 47, 5271–5271, 2016. DOI: 10.1007/s11661-016-3766-2

Dr. Eduardo Troche

Proyect Manager. PhD: University of Vigo, Spain. Contact: eduardo.troche@imdea.org

CRIRCEM project

CRIRCEM proposes the design and processing by powder metallurgical routes of new materials for cutting tools with total substitution of the traditional cobalt binder by other more economic and less toxic. See the whole description of the CRIRCEM project

Design allowables for Ni-based superalloys

As part of the European project MICROMECH, carried out in collaboration with Industria de Turbopropulsores (ITP), the following results have been obtained Development of a new methodology for experimental characterization at the micro scale. This methodology is based on micropillar compression as

New incorporation – Dr. Diego Garijo

Position: Research Associate PhD.: Aerospace Engineering. Technical University of Madrid,  Research: Blade Impact/Small Fragment Impact/Ice

Rocío Muñoz receives 2014 Zwick Science Award

Rocío Muñoz, alumni of IMDEA Materials Institute, has received the 3rd prize in the 2014 Zwick Science Award for her paper entitled “Analysis of crystallographic slip and grain boundary sliding in a Ti–45Al–2Nb–2Mn (at%)–0.8 vol%TiB2 alloy by high

Linear density, crimp and tensile tester for single fibres available

A linear density, crimp and tensile tester for single fibres is now available at IMDEA Materials Institute. This system (FAVIMAT+, Textechno) can be used to characterize mechanical properties of single fibres. It can measure the mechanical resistance, lineal density and crimp. In addition, it is

Ferro-GENESYS project starts

Whithin the framework of the coordinated project Ferro-GENESYS, IMDEA Materials Institute will model irradiation damage and nanoscale mechanical charaterisation in ODS FeCrAl and FeAl(Cr/Zr) heat resistant alloys. Ferro-GENESYS prokect is led by Dr. Ignacio martín-Bragado, head of the

New incorporation – Dr. Yun Liu

Position: Visiting Scientist PhD: Sichuan University, China Research: Bio-based Fire Retardant Materials Contact: yun.liu@imdea.org

IMDEA Materials starts NEW EPOXY project

NEW EPOXY project will develop novel Graphene Oxide/Layered Double Hydroxide (GO/LDH) hybrids as multifunctional reactive fire retardants for epoxy resins. NEW EPOXY is a Marie Curie Action (International Incoming Fellowship, IIF) funded by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union. See NEW

New incorporation – Alfonso Monreal

Position: Research Assistant Research: Production and properties of thermoset nanocomposites Contact: alfonso.monreal(AT)imdea.org

Hexagonal Lithium under ambient conditions

The Metal Physics group, led by Dr. Teresa Pérez-Prado, has succeeded in stabilizing a Li phase with a hexagonal closed packed (hcp) structure at room temperature and 1 atm by the application of pressure to Mg-Li alloys. At atmospheric pressure, pure Li and Li-Mg alloys undergo a bcc to hcp

Patent awarded to the IMDEA Materials Institute

The granted patent, with publication number ES2342962, protects an invention which consists in a new process for the controlled fabrication of the stable beta phase under ambient conditions in the pure metals of group IV of the periodic table (Titanium, Zirconium, Hafnium). The process, which takes

Inauguration of the provisional site of IMDEA – Materials

IMDEA - Materials is beginning its activities following the successful meetings of the Scientific Committee and of the Board of Trustees. The inauguration of the provisional site of IMDEA-materials, which will be held on October 30th. Dr. Gary Savage, director of operations of Honda Formula 1

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

When will it break?

In recent years, large spills from oil pipelines and tankers, leaks from nuclear reactors and the constant need for lighter, stronger, and safer materials in the transportation industry illustrate how breaks or cracks (fracture) can have detrimental effects in terms of health and safety, the

Annual report 2015

Report on IMDEA Materials Institute's activities throughout year 2015 is available for download. Download IMDEA Materials Institute annual report 2015

Congress AMPT2015

Organized by IMDEA Materials Institute and the Carlos III University of Madrid, was held in Leganés, on the campus of the University, between 14 and 18 December, the Congress in Advanced Materials and Processing Technologies AMPT2015. The congress was attended by 450 people from over 50 countries

NEOADFOAM project starts

Whithin the framework of the coordinated project NEOADFOAM, IMDEA Materials Institute will mainly select fire retardant additives capable of improving at the same time the thermal insulation, mechanical and fire resistance properties of expanded polystyrene and rigid polyurethane foams. See

Online RTM project

Online RTM is a research collaboration between IMDEA Materials and AIRBUS Operations aiming at analyzing sensor information during Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) injection to assess the quality of composite parts. The incorporation of this new technology in the manufacturing process will lead to

Research Initiation fellowships (2nd call)

IMDEA Materials Institute launches the second call for the recruitment of final year and master students who wish to carry out a three month research internship (between June to September 2015) in an international and multidisciplinary environment under the supervision of a senior scientist. These

New incorporation – Dr. Sandip Haldar

Position: Research Associate PhD.: University of Maryland, USA Research: Experimental characterization and numerical modelling of composites Contact: sandip.haldar(AT)imdea.org

R&D contract between IMDEA Materials and Hexcel

IMDEA Materials Institute has just begun a research project financed by Hexcel. Hexcel is one of the main manufacturers of advanced composite materials for aerospace, defense, wind and industrial sectors. AROOA project will be developed in collaboration with Hexcel R&T centre in the United

New incorporation – Sergio de Juan

Position: Research Assistant MSc: Technical University of Madrid, Spain Research: High performance nanocomposites Contact: sergio.dejuan(AT)imdea.org

Scientific Imaging Contest 2013

The awards giving event of the 3rd IMDEA Materials Scientific Imaging Contest was held last Friday 14th of March. Competition was divided in three categories (materials characterization, materials simulation and open subject) and more than 100 photos were received. Winners of the 3rd edition were

Contract awarded with Abengoa Research

IMDEA Materials Institute has been awarded a R&D contract with Abengoa Reseach to develop a simulation platform to perform virtual design, virtual processing and virtual testing of engineering materials to reduce the time necessary to develop and introduce new materials into the market. See VMD

IMDEA Materials participates in ITER project

ITER (acronym of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering project, which is currently building the world's largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor at the Cadarache facility in the south of France. The ITER project

Highest grade for Nathamar Dudamell´s PhD thesis

Nathamar Dudamell defended her PhD thesis, entitled “High strain rate behavior of Magnesium alloys” on December 17th at the Chemistry School of the Complutense University. The work was awarded the highest grade and the “European doctor” label. Dr. Dudamell´s research

Towards the new liquid metal processing technologies

Two research groups of IMDEA Materials Institute, Metal Physics and Nanomechanics led by Dr. Teresa Pérez-Prado and Dr. Jon Molina respectively, participate in the ambitious large EU funded EXOMET Project, coordinated by the European Space Agency. This four years project aims at developing new

In-situ deformation of magnesium alloys

This device alloys to analyze in real time the deformation, recrystallization and fracture mechanisms operative in these materials in different conditions of temperature and strain rate. Thus, it allows to obtain very valuable information regarding the kinetics of all these mechanisms, a difficult

Computational modeling of Magnesium alloys

By comparison with other metals such as Aluminum or Steel, Magnesium alloys present the remarkable advantage of having a very high specific strength. They are thus becoming increasingly relevant to industries within the automotive or aerospace sectors, as the incorporation of these alloys in

FUTURALVE project

FUTURALVE is a national R&D collaborative program carried out by a consortium of companies and led by ITP. The goal of the project is to create new materials and advanced fabrication technologies for the new generation of high speed turbines. Check FUTURALVE project description Check related

Ana María Fernández awarded best PhD Thesis by the UPM

The PhD Thesis entitled "Continuum models of the mechanical behavior of rolled and die-cast magnesium alloys", carried out by Dr. Ana María Fernández at IMDEA Materials Institute under the supervision of Drs. Maria Teresa Pérez-Prado and Antoine Jérusalem, has

Gel permeation chromatographer available

A Gel Permeation Chromatographer (GPC) is now available at IMDEA Materials Institute. The system (Waters) consists of a Waters 2414 refractive index detector, a Waters 2489 UV/Visible detector, a Waters 1500 column heater, and a series of Waters polystyrene GPC columns. It is used to determine

New incorporation – Gustavo Esteban

Predoctoral Researcher Degree in Materials Engineering Polytechnic University of Madrid Research: Up scale simulation of plasticity in metals

2015 APMI fellow award for Prof. José Manuel Torralba

AMPI International (non-profit professional society which promotes the advancement of powder metallurgy (PM) and particulate materials as a science) recognizes the work of Prof. José Manuel Torralba (Deputy Director of IMDEA Materials). The 2015 AMPI fellow award recipients will receive

Two new China Scholarship Council fellows

Two Ph.D students (Qian Liu and Chuanyun Wang) joined IMDEA Materials Institute along September 2014. Their research projects, CUCCOMP and SreenDM respectively, are funded by the China Scholarship Council.

Open position – Researcher

IMDEA Materials institute has an opening for a Researcher (tenure-track position) in the area of X-ray characterization of materials. More details and application process

New incorporation – Dr. Carmine Coluccini

Position: Research Associate PhD: Università di Bologna, Italy Research: Organic synthesis and multifunctional polymers Contact: carmine.coluccini(AT)imdea.org

New incorporation – Dr. Manuela Cano

Position: Research Associate PhD: University of Zaragoza, Spain Research: Nano-architectures and materials design Contact: manuela.cano(AT)imdea.org

New incorporation – Dr. Belén Alemán

Position: Research Associate PhD: Complutense University of Madrid, Spain Research: Synthesis of advanced materials based on carbon nanotube fibres Contact: belen.aleman(AT)imdea.org

Nanostructured Al alloys with improved properties

Dr. Ilchat Sabirov will carry out a research project in collaboration with Ufa State Aviation Technical University (Ufa, Russia) on Nanostructured Al alloys with improved properties. See NANOAL project description

Inauguration of IMDEA Materials Insitute building

Link to the complete new in Media  Speech of the IMDEA Materials Institute Director (54.8 KB) Enlaces a otros medios: Consejería de Educación, Juventud y Deporte elEconomista.es madridiario.es

New generation of NiAl-based eutectic composites

Dr. Srdjan Milenkovic, head researcher of the Solidification Processing & Engineering group of IMDEA Materials Institute, has been awarded with the prestigious Marie Curie Action (CIG) to carry out a four year research project on design and processing of NiAl-based in situ composites. See

Simulation of composites performance for windmill applications

The collaboration between Gamesa and IMDEA Materials Institute within the framework of the AZIMUT project (CENIT programme) has already started. The objective of this collaboration is the development of advanced simulation tools to predict the mechanical behavior of composite materials for wind

Seeing is believing: X-Ray computed tomography

Polymer matrix composites are currently used in many structural applications that require a significant reduction in weight for energy and/or environmental reasons. However, despite all existing information and actual knowledge about these materials, their complex mechanical behaviour (highly

NANOFIRE project

NANOFIRE project deals with the development of new generation nanomaterials via host-guest interaction as multifunctional fire retardants to polymers.  The aim is to not only improve the flame retardancy and mechanical properties of conventional polymers, also impart the function to the

Miguel Angel Valdés

Research Assistant: High-strength steels. Contact: miguelangel.valdes@imdea.org

OptiQPAP project starts, coordinated by IMDEA Materials

OptiQPAP is an European project funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel. The OptiQPAP project focuses on the intelligent microstructural design in the high strength Q&P steels for simultaneous improvement of various performance and mechanical properties, which are required for their

New incorporation – Dr. Sarra Haouala

Position: Postdoctoral Researcher Phd:  Engineering  Sciences Polytechnic school of Louvain, Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Belgium Research "Virtual Design, Virtual Processing and Virtual Testing of Metallic Materials"

New incorporation – Cecila Andradas

Predoctoral Researcher Degree in Chemistry Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain Research: "In silico synthesis of new materials"

VIRTEST project

VIRTEST is an industrial contract with Fokker Aerostructures to develop a novel multiscale simulation strategy to predict the mechanical behaviour of aeronautical composite laminates structures under static and low-velocity impact loads. VIRTEST will lead to a significant reduction in the number of

New incorporation – Dr. David Portillo

Position:Visiting Research Associate PhD.: Polytechnic University of Madrid Research: Computational solid mechanics Contact: david.portillo(AT)imdea.org

New incorporation – Chuanyun Wang

Position: Research Assistant MSc.: Northwestern Polytechnical University, China Research: High throughput diffusion and phase transformation

IMDEA researchers participate in COST action FLARETEX

The High Performance Nanocomposites group lead by Dr. De-Yi Wang participates in COST action MP1105: Sustainable flame retardancy for textiles and related materials based on nanoparticles substituting conventional chemicals (FLARETEX). Dr. De-Yi Wang was appointed as the National Representative from

New incorporation – Marta Cartón

Position: Research Asistant Research: Development and optimization of Co-base superalloys for high temperature applications Contact: marta.carton(AT)imdea.org

New generation of eco-benign fire retardants

Dr. De-Yi Wang, head of the High Performance Nanocomposites group of IMDEA Materials Institute, has been awarded a prestigious Marie Curie Action: "Career Integration Grant" (CIG) to carry out a four-year research project on design and processing of eco-benign multifunctional fire

Multifunctional Fibre Nanocomposites

The Multifunctional Nanocomposites group of IMDEA Materials Institute, led by Dr. Juan José Vilatela, has been awarded a prestigious Marie Curie Action Grant (CIG) to carry out a four-year research project on design and processing of Multifunctional Carbon Nanotube Fibre Nanocomposites. See MUFIN

Optimization of high-performance polymeric fibres

Poly p-(phenylene benzobisoxazole) or PBO fibres are highly anisotropic polymeric fibres used in high-performance structural applications owing to their outstanding properties, such as high strength and stiffness as well as low density. The anisotropic fibre structure, which is responsible for the

Morphing materials for aeronautic applications

IMDEA Materials collaborates with AERNNOVA in the development of novel morphing materials for aeronautic applications. Link to Project: Morphing materials for aeronautic applications

Dr. De-Yi Wang elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry

Dr. De-Yi Wang has been recently elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). Founded in 1841, RSC is the largest organization in Europe for chemical scientists and advancing the chemical sciences. RSC partners with industry and academia, advises governments on policy, and promotes the

Near Beta Ti project starts

Near Beta Ti project is firstly aimed at processing the selected near beta Ti alloy by high pressure torsion, characterizing the grain size and phase distribution of the resulting microstructures and measuring their mechanical behaviour. In addition, the development of phase transformations in near

MicroTest project

MicroTest is an industrial contract with the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) to study the mechanical properties and the fracture behavior in correlation with the microstructure using real parts and specimens produced in industrial conditions. See MicroTest project description.

Best doctoral theses from the Carlos III University of Madrid

The PhD Thesis entitled "High Temperature Mechanical Behavior of Al/SiC Nanoscale Multilayers" and “In-situ analysis of the high temperature deformation and fracture mechanisms of a ɣ-TiAl alloy", carried out by Drs. Saeid Lotfian and Rocío Muñoz at IMDEA

Dr. Ilchat Sabirov awarded at NanoSPD6 conference

Dr. Ilchat Sabirov, head of the Physical Simulation group at IMDEA Materials Institute, has received the Young Researcher Award for outstanding contribution to nano-severe plastic deformation research at the NanoSPD6 conference held past June 30 – July 4 2014 in Metz (France). 

Dr. Yuwen Cui elected as ASM committee member

During the past TMS2014 annual meeting and exhibition (San Diego, USA, 16-20/02/2014), Dr. Yuwen Cui was appointed as committee member of the ASM Alloy Phase Diagram (APD) for the next three years. ASM International is a materials science and engineering society where materials users,

3D microscopic analysis of plasticity in Mg alloys

Due to the global tendency to reduce the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, Magnesium alloys, as very light material, are being very attractive for the transportation industry. Researches of IMDEA Materials Institute in collaboration with prestigious European research centers, have proposed a

Success in the final FP7 calls

IMDEA Materials Institute is achieving great success in the last calls of the 7th Framework Programme. To date, our researchers have secured 6 R&D projects belonging to different lines of this programme: MICROMECH project (Clean Sky I JTI (Joint Technology Initiative)) MODENA, ICMEG and

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (Q800, TA Instruments)

Instrument used to determine the elastic-viscous behavior of materials, mainly polymers. The machine works in the temperature range of -150 – 600 °C, frequency range of 0.01 – 200 Hz and the maximum force is 18 N. More info ….(+)

Yunfu Ou

Predoctoral Researcher: Multi-functional Graphene Thermoplastic Composite Materials. Contact: yunfu.ou@imdea.org

DYNACOMP project starts

DYNACOM is an European Industrial Doctorate (EID) programme focused on the design of the next generation of structural composite materials for high strain rate applications. Two of the major milestones of this EID are: (1) to offer 2 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) a multidisciplinary and

STEM project starts

Dr. Juan José Vilatela, leader of the research program on "Nanomaterials for Multifunctional Applications" at IMDEA Materials, leads this prestigious ERC Starting Grant from the European Union. Dr. Vilatela and his research group will develop new multifunctional structural composite materials that

Success in call of the RFCS 2015

IMDEA Materials Institute will coordinate the European project OptiQPAP (Optimization of QP steels designed for industrial applications), funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RCFS, which is part of the Horizon 2020 framework programme). The Technological Centre CTM,

New incorporation – Dr. Laura Cabana

Position: Researcher Associate PhD: Universidad de Barcelona Research: "Hybrids based on carbon nanotube fibres" Contact: laura.cabana@imdea.org

X-ray diffractometer available

An X-ray diffractometer is now available at IMDEA Materials Institute. The system (Empyrean, PANalytical) allow for phase analysis, texture, and residual stress determination, as well as reflectometry. It is equipped with a state-of-the-art X-ray platform for the analysis of powders, thin films,

R&D collaboration agreement with STMicroelectronics and CEA

IMDEA Materials Institute, STMicroelectronics, one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) have recently signed a partnership agreement to perform a join research project in the field of microelectronics. This three

Micro-scale calorimeter available

A Micro-scale combustion calorimeter is now available at IMDEA Materials Institute. This system, maufactured by Fire Testing Technology performs rapid laboratory scale test of the flammability of materials on milligram quantities (in the order of mg) according to standard ASTM D7309-07. Check the

R&D contract between IMDEA Materials and Ferroatlantica S.L.

Silicio Ferrosolar S.L., part of Ferroatlantica S.L. group, has signed an R&D contract with IMDEA Materials Institute to optimize the production of solar-grade silicon via purification in high vacuum furnace. More details on SICASOL project

Visa difficulties when attracting talent

An article on the difficulties some of our foreign researchers face when coming to Spain has been published in “El Mundo”newspaper (nationwide publication).

IMDEA Materials starts MODENA project

MODENA is an European project funded by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union. MODENA aims at developing, demonstrating and assessing an easy-to-use multi-scale software-modeling framework application under an open-source licensing scheme that delivers models with feasible computational

New Airbus Operations contract awarded

IMDEA Materials Institute has been awarded a new R&D contract by Airbus Operations to design composite shields against high energy impact of an open-rotor blade on the new NSA (New Single Aisle) aircraft fuselage concept. See BLADE IMPACT project description

1st IMDEA Materials Institute Scientific Imaging Contest

The 1st IMDEA Materials Institute Scientific Imaging Contest took place on October 1st. Two ex-equo awards were granted to Irene De Diego, who presented a scanning electron micrograph of an advanced high strength steel, and to Hangbo Yue, who participated with an image of a natural flax fiber

Cover of the "Chem. Sus. Chem" Journal

  J. J. Vilatela, D. Eder. Nanocarbon Composites and Hybrids in Sustainability: A Review. ChemSusChem, 5, 456-478, 2012. DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201100536

Rudi Maça

Predoctoral Researcher: Electrochemical energy storage. Contact: rudi.maca@imdea.org

Dr. Vinodkumar Etacheri

Researcher: Electrochemistry. PhD: Dublin Institute of Technology. Contact: vinodkumar.etacheri@imdea.org

COMETAD project starts

Whithin the framework of the coordinated project COMETAD, a new numerical tool for fire retardants will be developed. IMDEA Materials Institute main contribution in the project will to validate the numerical tool by performing a set of tailored lab-scale fire tests. See COMETAD project description.

New incorporation – Dr. Maciej Haranczyk

Position:  Senior Reseacher PhD:  University of Gdansk, Poland Research:  Computational and Data-Driven Materials Discovery Address:  C/ Eric Kandel, 2. Getafe, Madrid

Collaboration agreement with NanJing Tech University

IMDEA Materials Institute and the School of Materials Science and Engineering of NanJing Tech University (China) signed a memorandum of understanding past 14/05/2015. Both organisations want to pursue and promote joint research and development activities of mutual interest in multiscale

Prof. José Manuel Torralba appointed new Editor of Powder Metallurgy

Prof. José Manuel Torralba, Deputy Director of IMDEA Materials Institute and head of the Solid State Processing group, has been elected member of the Editorial Board of Powder Metallurgy Journal, an international journal publishing peer-reviewed original research on the science and practice

IMDEA Materials starts XMART project

XMART is an industrial collaboration between Industria de Turbopropulsores S.A. and IMDEA Materials Institute aiming to study the effect of porosity and its distribution on MAR-M-247 tensile and fatigue test specimens. See XMART project description.

R&D contract between IMDEA Materials and B/E AEROSPACE Inc.

B/E AEROSPACE Inc., worldwide leading manufacturer of aircraft passenger cabin interior products, has signed a three-year long R&D contract with IMDEA Materials Institute to to develop innovative materials for aircraft interiors based on advanced polymers and macroscopic fibres. The aim is to

Dual column tabletop universal testing system available

A dual column tabletop testing system is now available at IMDEA Materials Institute. The system (INSTRON 5966, INSTRON) has 10 kN of capacity and 1756 mm of vertical test space. This equipment is a universal, static testing system that performs tensile and compression testing; and also

IMDEA Materials starts its first Clean Sky project

MICROMECH is an European project funded by the Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative (JTI-Clean Sky) within the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union. This ambitious two years research project aims at developing a material model to simulate the mechanical behaviour of polycrystalline

New incorporation – Dr. Hyung-Jun CHANG

Position: Research Associate Grenoble INP, France / Seoul National University, South Korea Research: Multiscale plasticity Contact: hyungjun.chang(AT)imdea.org

R&D contract between IMDEA Materials and TOLSA

TOLSA S.A. and IMDEA Materials Institute have recently signed a R&D contract to carry out a study on the performance of sepiolite based additives in fire retardant systems. This one year project is led by Dr. De-Yi Wang, head researcher of the High Performance Nanocomposites group.

International R&D contract with GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte Ltd

GLOBALFOUNDRIES is the world’s first full-service semiconductor foundry with a truly global footprint. Launched in March 2009, the company has quickly achieved scale as one of the largest foundries in the world, providing a unique combination of advanced technology and manufacturing to more

FASENOVA. – New metallic materials by compression and shear

The objective of this research project, funded by the EXPLORA program of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) is to evaluate the possibility of stabilising, under ambient conditions, high pressure metallic phases by the simultaneous application of compression and shear. The good

Designing advanced materials in a faster and more effective way

DIMMAT Project has published the new "Designing advanced materials in a faster and more effective way" (Diseñar materiales avanzados de manera más rápida y efectiva) in the industrial magazine "Metales y Metalurgia" This project is funded by the Comunity of

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

EQUINOX project starts

EQUINOX is an European project funded by the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Union. The main objective of EQUINOX is to develop a novel process that allows to substitute Cr/Ni based (stainless) steel parts used in high volume end consumer products such as in the lock industry,

Irene de Diego awarded best PhD Thesis by VDEh

Dr. Irene de Diego Calderon has received the Young Academics’ European Steel Award from the Association of German Steel Manufacturers (VDEh) for her PhD thesis “Mechanical properties of advanced high-strength steels produced via quenching and partitioning”, which has been

RAMAN micro-spectroscopy system available

A RAMAN micro-spectroscopy system is now available at IMDEA Materials Institute. This system (Renishaw PLC) obtains the vibrational spectra of the molecular bonds. It is fully equipped with a Leica DM2700 microscope with 5x, 20x, 50x, 100x objectives, a 532nm Nd:YAG laser (50 mW at 532 nm) and a

Arc melting and casting furnace available

An arc furnace is now available at IMDEA Materials Institute. This equipment (Arc 200, Arcast Inc.) allows melting, alloying, casting, rapid solidification and atomization of reactive and high melting point elements and alloys up to 3500°C using a clean ceramic free cold crucible process.

Facilities for high-energy milling available

Planetary mills are now available at IMDEA Materials Institute. The systems (PULVERISETTE 6 classic & 7 premium, FRITSCH) allows for grinding a wide variety of sample materials down to the nano range (rotational speeds up to 1000 rpm in model PULVERISETTE 7). Check the whole processing

New incorporation – Qian Liu

Position: Research Asistant (visiting) MSc.: University of Science and Technology Beijing, China Research: Metal matrix composites

New incorporation – Almudena Casado

Position: Research Assistant BEng: Carlos III University of Madrid, Spain Research: Solidification and casting Contact: almudena.casado(AT)imdea.org

New incorporation – Dr. Olben Falcó

Position: Research Associate PhD: University of Girona, Spain Research: Modelling of non-conventional composites Contact: olben.falco(AT)imdea.org

3D-Stacked Hybrid SRAM Cell To Be Built by European Scientists

IMDEA Materials Institute starts COMPOSE3 project, based on the use of new materials to replace today’s silicon, and on taking an innovative design approach where transistors are stacked vertically, known as 3D stacking. IMDEA Materials Institute will use Lattice Kinetic Monte Carlo to

1st workshop on graphene and 2D materials proved to be a great success

IMDEA Materials Institute hosted the 1st international workshop on graphene and 2D materials past Tuesday 16th of July. The event gathered together some of the most reputed researchers working in the field (see event programme), who presented the latest findings and advances to an audience of

Ultrasound non-destructive inspection system, C-Scan (TRITON 1500, Tecnitest)

to detect and evaluate defects by non-destructive ultrasounds technique. The system finds and determines the size and position of the typical defects in composite materials (voids, delaminations, cracks, etc). Evaluation of state of resin cure, the fiber volume fraction, the condition of the

Triple Roller Mill (Exakt 80 E, Exact Technologies)

Machine used to disperse fillers and additives in viscous matrix. The shearing forces to break agglomerate are generated by three hardcrome-plated rollers that rotate at different angular velocities and where gap (minimum 5 µm) and speed setting are controlled electronically. More info

Towards a new generation of materials

The atoms of metals are organized in ordered structures denominated crystal lattices. The geometry of the latter depends of the nature of the material as well as of temperature and pressure. At room temperature and atmospheric pressure, pure metals like gold, aluminium and copper have cubic

NABISCO project

NABISCO project, funded by the China Scholarship Council, deals with the development of strategies to integrate macroscopic fibres and films of CNTs into structural laminate composites. The aim is to improve the mechanical properties of traditional fibre-reinforced polymer composites, while

HYDTCOMP project

This project concerns the development of technologies for local hybridization in cases where it is necessary (e.g. hybridization during tow spreading). New techniques will be used as the tow spreading, hybrid unidirectional tapes or laminates combining layers of different thickness (thin and

TK-COBALT project

The objective of this investigation, with a focus on the Co-base high temperature alloys and funded by the China Scholarship Council, aims at developing a robust high throughput diffusion couple technique. The new technique will enable fast mapping of such information as phase

New incorporation -Jaime Castro

Predoctoral Researcher  Aeronautical Engineer Polytechnic University of Madrid Research "Vacuum assisted infiltration, microfluid flow, X-ray tomography, polymer-matrix composites"

Dr. De-Yi Wang selected as Associated Editor of RSC Advances

Dr. De-Yi Wang, head of the High Performance Polymer Nanocomposites group at IMDEA Materials Institute, has been selected as Associate Editor of "RSC Advances" since October 2015. RSC Advances is a high impact journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry. RSC Advances is an international,

New incorporation – Raquel García

Position: Project Manager Degree in Industrial Electronic Engineering, University of León, Spain MBA: International University of La Rioja, Spain

Spanish Technological Platform for advanced Materials and Nanomaterials

IMDEA Materials Institute has received a grant (PTR-2014-0406) for the Spanish Ministry of Competitiveness and Innovation (MINECO) to manage the Spanish Technological Platform for advanced Materials and Nanomaterials (MATERPLAT) in the period 2014-2015. More details and information about this

New incorporation – Evgeny Senokos

Position: Research Asistant MSc.: Lomonosov Moscow University, Russia Research: Nanostructured supercapacitors Contact: evgeny.senokos(AT)imdea.org

Success in National fellowships calls

IMDEA Materials Institute has achieved great success in the last calls of the National fellowships programmes. Two researchers will join the “Ramón y Cajal” programme (2013 call) and one will join the postdoctoral fellowship programme (2013 call).

New incorporation – Dr. Andrey Sarikov

Position: Research Associate PhD: V. Lashkarev Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Ukraine Research: Epitaxial growth of SiGe and III-V materials Contact: andrey.sarikov(AT)imdea.org

Dual beam (FIB/SEM) facilities available

IMDEA Materials Institute logo (size is 50 µm x 40 µm) fabricated using a FIB-FEGSEM dual beam microscope A FIB-FEGSEM Dual-beam microscope is now available at IMDEA Materials Institute. The system (Helios NanoLab 600i, FEI) is fully equipped with STEM

Research collaboration with Eurocopter España S.A.

The goal of this research collaboration is to identify and select new material concepts for possible use and incorporation into the future rear fuselages which operate at high temperature. See Pre-HITMAAS project description