Media mentions

Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) is set to disrupt manufacturing as we know it. It is an engineering solution that spans across simulation disciplines and goes one step further in helping to tackle the challenges OEMs face in producing the ‘perfect’ part, whether that be time, cost or availability of data. It blurs the boundaries between materials engineering, design and manufacturing processes, optimising components through the integration of manufacturing, materials and performance prediction. We are contributing with our expertise to improve the accuracy and scope of ICME in modelling metals’ microstructure – a largely unexplored area for commercial manufacturing until now – and have partnered wih e-Xstream to support the industry’s first microstructure modelling for metals. You can read more in this press release and in this article by 3Dprint.

The Clean Sky magazine highlights the research and technological advances made during the SORCERER project, in which the Multifunctional Nanocomposites Group of IMDEA Materials is participating. The goal of the project is developing revolutionary lightweight composite materials that can store and deliver electrical energy for future electric and hybrid electric aircraft. The project, which is funded in part by the EU’s prestigious Horizon 2020 programme, is undertaken by a consortium led by Imperial College London (ICL) and supported by Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg; the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm; and IMDEA Materials Institute in Madrid. The workload is divided into three interconnected streams. The magazine puts SORCERER as a very important step for European aviation towards making electric aviation a reality, alhough there is still a long way to go. Click here to access the full article.

Ignacio Aguado, Deputy presisent of the Madrid region, has shown his satisfaction about the results achieved by the 7 IMDEA Institutes since their creation about ten years ago. The Madrid regional government funds around 50% of the budget of all IMDEA Institutes.

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 increases the glass transition temperature of polystyrene, might be used to improve the thermal-oxidative stability and fire retardancy of polymers in general. This is important because accidentally-ignited foamed polystyrene materials have led to serious incidents in the past, including fires at Dusseldorf International Airport and in the Channel Tunnel. Read more in this article by Physics World.

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).

Our colleague Juan José Vilatela explains in this article for “El Mundo” journal his research on nanocarbon fibers, an option for creating a sustainable materials future.

The results of the REDISH project have been highlighted by the European Commission in the ‘Results in Brief’ section at the CORDIS website. The project consortium, composed by IMDEA Materials and FIDAMC, applied a coupled experimental-numerical development approach to a number of possible configurations and developed high-fidelity simulation tools for carrying out virtual testing on innovative shielding solutions for aircrafts with innovative engine designs. The goal was to reduce significantly the need for costly physical testing campaigns and to accelerate the shielding development process. The full article can be read in English and Spanish. Besides, the project was also selected by the OPTICS2, a Coordination and Support Action of the European Commission that works in close collaboration with ACARE on the topic of aviation safety and security, in order to evaluate the extent to which the European Research Community is contributing to the achievement of Flightpath 2050 safety and security goals. Towards the end of 2019, the OPTICS2 project will publish an assesment with some preliminary conclusions on the status of Aviation Safety and Security R&I.

Our colleague Andrea Fernández explains in this video her research in the sector of the recycling of composite materials, for which she has obtained the National Youth Award 2019 by the INJUVE of the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality

The Regional Minister of Education, Rafael van Grieken, visited our facilities past July 22. During his visit, he made balance of the current regional plan for research and innovation.

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,

This article in “El Mundo” journal (in Spanish only) explains how research on new materials keeps revolutionizing the world we live in.

This article in madridiario (in Spanish only) explains how we achieve economic sustainability while preserving academic quality

Andrea Fernández, research assistant in the Composite Materials group, has been awarded the Youth Prize 2019 for environment category by the Spanish Youth Institute (INJUVE). Andrea explains her research work in this article for “Diario 16” journal

Our colleague Cleis Santos explains in this interview for Mujeres a Seguir the water purification technology she is developing.

Our Scientific Director, Javier Llorca, expresses his views about the next industrial revolution in this article published by «El Pais» journal.

Javier Llorca, scientific director of the IMDEA Materials Institute and leader of the research group on “Advanced structural materials and nanomaterialss” of the Technical University of Madrid has been elected Fellow of the Materials Research Society. The category of Fellow is awarded to members of the association who have stood out for their contributions to the development of research in materials throughout their careers and who have received international recognition for this. Javier Llorca is the first Spanish researcher to obtain this international award. Click here to access the full text in Madri+d website (content only available in Spanish)

The work of our colleague Rubén Costa has been highlighted in this article in the newspaper El Confidencial in the section named “Hacia un futuro mejor” and sponsored by Banco Santander, that has the goal of disseminating the projects of people that transform society and thrust progress. Click here for the full text (content only available in Spanish).