At HEMPOL group, new materials are designed and developed for use in fields as diverse as energy, construction and the environment. This is achieved through strict control of components and interfaces, which includes the surface modification of micro and nanoparticles, mainly hydroxylated, such as silica, silicates and cellulose. The aim is also to ensure that the procedures used are simple, sustainable and easily scalable to industrial level. For more than a decade, work has been carried out in two fields of application:
Superhydrophobic surfaces and coatings and sliding surfaces with infiltrated lubricants (SLIPS) based on polymers and hybrids and polymer-based composite materials. These materials currently find numerous applications such as anti-corrosion, anti-fouling, self-cleaning, super-slip coatings, etc.
Solid polymeric electrolytes with thermoplastic or thermoreversible character for secondary batteries. These materials behave microscopically as liquids, showing high conductivities, but macroscopically they maintain a solid or quasi-solid character, even at temperatures above 60ºC. Work is being done on electrolytes for Li, Al, Zn or Na batteries, using abundant and accessible raw materials.
Main publications
Electrolytes for Zn Batteries: Deep Eutectic Solvents in Polymer Gels, Victor Gregorio, Piotr Jankowski, Nuria Garcia, Juan Maria Garcia Lastra, Pilar Tiemblo, Jin Hyun Chang; ChemSusChem Volume 16, Issue 1222 June 2023 Article number e202300256; DOI https://www.doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202300256;
Highly Stable Hierarchically Structured All-Polymeric Lubricant-Infused Films Prevent Thrombosis and Repel Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens, Afonso, Elisabet; Bayat, Fereshteh; Ladouceur, Liane; Khan, Shadman; Martínez-Gómez, Aránzazu; Weitz, Jeffrey; Hosseinidoust, Zeinab; Tiemblo, Pilar; García García, Nuria; Didar, Tohid F. ACS Applied Materials and InterfacesVolume 14, Issue 48, Pages 53535 - 535457 December 2022, DOI https://www.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c17309
Industrially viable method for producing all-polymer hydrophobic surfaces apt for slippery liquid-infused substrates, Elisabet Afonso, Aránzazu Martínez-Gómez, Pilar Tiemblo, Nuria García, Applied Surface ScienceVolume 5351 January 2021 Article number 147728 https://www.doi.org/DOI 10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.147728
Tough polymer gel electrolytes for aluminum secondary batteries based on urea: AlCl3, prepared by a new solvent-free and scalable procedure, Miguel, Álvaro; García García, Nuria; Gregorio, Víctor; López-Cudero, Ana; Tiemblo, Pilar; DOI https://www.doi.org/10.3390/POLYM12061336, Polymers Volume 12, Issue 61 June 2020 Article number 1336
Use of p-toluenesulfonic acid for the controlled grafting of alkoxysilanes onto silanol containing surfaces: Preparation of tunable hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and super-hydrophobic silica, Nuria García, Esperanza Benito, Julio Guzmán, Pilar Tiemblo, Journal of the American Chemical SocietyVolume 129, Issue 16, Pages 5052 – 506025, 2007 DOI https://www.doi.org/10.1021/ja067987a
Main projects
- “Sustainable and Safe anode-free Na battery”. Consorcio Era.Net 1/09/2022-21/08/2025. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Rol: Desarrollo del electrolito sólido y Coordinador.
- “Antiadherencia como Herramienta en el Ecodiseño de Superficies Poliméricas” PID2019-109401GB-I00, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. 01/06/2020-31/05/2023.
- “A Marketable Polymer based Al-S battery AMAPOLA. Consorcio, Proyecto EU H2020 FET-PROACTIVE 01/10/2020-30/09/2022. Desarrollo del electrolito sólido y Coordinador.
- “Sulfur-Aluminium Battery with Advanced Polymeric Gel Electrolytes”. Consorcio Proyecto EU H2020 FETOPEN 01/11/2017-31/10/2020. Desarrollo del electrolito sólido y Coordinador.
- “Superficies Antiadherentes en Aplicaciones que Requieren Contacto
Prolongado con Fluidos”. MINECO 2016. 30/12/2016-29/12/2019