El jueves 11 de julio de 2024 a las 13h en el Salón de Actos del ITQ (UPV-CSIC) se realizará el ITQ Severo Ochoa Lecture «Strategies and opportunities in single molecule fluorescence and super resolution imaging».

El encargado de realizar la ponencia es Gonzalo Cosa, Professor, Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal (Canada). 

 

Abstract 

Our research program centers on designing photo-responsive molecules and imaging methodologies to uncover structural and dynamic information. The knowledge gained through our work has impacted the fields of chemical biology, biomaterials and biomedical/health sectors. In this presentation, I would like to discuss our efforts in areas of single molecule fluorescence microscopy. From optimizing fluorophore photostability¹ to controlling fluorophore  photoswitching through photochemical strategies.² The focus will  be on the photochemistry and photophysics of cyanine dyes, and the applications described will centre on the fabrication, imaging and characterization (structure and dynamics) of DNA nanomaterials³ as a case study, including the opportunity to develop an automated assembly of  supramolecular structures.

1.a) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139 , 13227; b) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140 , 11006

a) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 12681. b) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 36, 19571

3.a) Nature Chem., 7, 2015, 295-300. b) Nature Commun, in press; c) ACS Nano, 12, 2018, 12836-12846; d)Adv. Mater. Submitted

 

Biography

Gonzalo Cosa received his Licentiate in Chemistry from Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto, Argentina, in 1996. He went on to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Ottawa in Physical Organic and Photochemistry with Tito Scaiano. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas at Austin developing single molecule spectroscopy methods under the supervision of Paul Barbara. In 2005, he joined the Department of Chemistry at McGill University as Assistant Professor, being promoted in 2016 to Professor. Since 2024 Gonzalo serves as Chair of the Department of Chemistry. He  is also an associate editor of Photochemistry & Photobiology and a member of the Editorial board of ChemPhotoChem. In 2024 he was named the Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Fluorescence Imaging and Biophotonics. His work has also been recognized by the Bernard Belleau Award in Medicinal Chemistry (2022) and the Keith Laidler Award in Physical Chemistry (2015), both from the Canadian Society of Chemistry. In addition, he is the recipient of the 2020 Chris S. Foote Named Lecture (UCLA, Chemistry), the 2012 American Society for Photobiology Young Investigator Award, the 2009 European Society for Photobiology Young Investigator Award, and the 2009 Inter-American Photochemical Society Young Investigator Award, among others.

El viernes 5 de julio de 2024 a las 12h en el Salón de Actos del ITQ (UPV-CSIC) se realizará el ITQ Severo Ochoa Lecture «Ion Transport in Oxide Electrolytes for Energy Conversion».

El encargo de realizar la ponencia es Manfred Martin, Professor of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Physical Chemistry.  Adjunct Professor, Seoul National University, Department of Materrials Science and Engineering.

 

Abstract:

Ion transport in oxides plays a significant role in energy and environmental applications. Important examples are oxygen ion and proton conducting oxides for electrolytes in electrolyzers and fuel cells.

I will present our theoretical approaches to understand these ionic transport processes in detail. We use density-functional theory (DFT) to calculate on a microscopic level defect interaction energies and migration energies of the defects that enable ionic motion. By means of Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations we then predict macroscopic ion mobilities and ion conductivities on an ab initio level, i.e. without any adjustable parameters. As first example we will discuss rare-earth doped ceria. We show that all interactions between defects contribute to the so-called conductivity maximum of the ionic conductivity [1]. The second example concerns BaZrO₃-based oxides which are proto-type proton conductors. We show that the proton mobility is determined by nanoscale percolation of dopant ions which enables high proton mobility [2]. Finally, the understanding and comparison of the microscopic jump processes of oxygen vacancies and of protons in acceptor-doped BaZrO₃ are used to propose a simple descriptor for the influence of a dopant on the ionic conductivities, of oxygen ions and of protons as well. This new descriptor allows an easy screening of various dopants.

 

[1] J. Koettgen, S. Grieshammer, P. Hein, B. Grope, M. Nakayama, M. Martin,

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 20, 14291 (2018).

[2] F.M. Draber, C. Ader, J.P. Arnold, S. Eisele, S. Grieshammer, S. Yamaguchi, M. Martin, Nature Mater. 19, 338 (2020).

[3] F.M. Draber, J.R. Denninger, P.C. Müller, I.K. Sommerfeld, M. Martin,

Adv. Energy Sustainability Res. (2022) 2200007.

Oscar Cabezuelo Gandía defenderá su tesis doctoral «Diseño y Síntesis de Nuevos Fotocatalizadores para el Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales» el día 12 de julio de 2024 a las 12h p.m. en el Salón de actos del edificio 8E (tercera planta, cubo rojo) CPI – Universitat Politècnica de València.

Más información:

Directores: María Luisa Marín García; Francisco Bosca Mayans
Doctoral programme: PhD in Sustainable Chemistry
Research team: Catálisis Heterogénea y combustibles limpios a partir de fuentes alternativas al petróleo

El 4 de julio a las 11.30h a.m. en el Salón de Actos del ITQ (UPV-CSIC), María Elena Martínez Monje defenderá su tesis: Catalytic co-valorization of C1 and N1 compounds towards nitrile chemicals.

Más información:
Director: Gonzalo Prieto
Tutor: María José Climent Olmedo
Doctoral programme: PhD in Sustainable Chemistry
Research team: Catálisis Heterogénea y combustibles limpios a partir de fuentes alternativas al petróleo

El jueves 20 de junio a las 10:00h a.m. se llevará a cabo el ITQ Severo Ochoa Lecture «Understanding Memristors through Current-Voltage  Characterization» en el Salón de Actos del ITQ (UPV-CSIC).

La ponencia la imparte Dr. Agustín Bou. Leibniz-Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW Dresden)

 

Abstract:
Memristors have garnered significant attention from the scientific community due to their potential to revolutionize computing paradigms. These devices possess the unique ability to alter their conductive state based on the history of voltage stimuli they receive. In this presentation, I will introduce the fundamental characteristics of memristors and explore the various types available. Subsequently, I will discuss critical parameters that influence the ability of memristors to change states and retain memory. We will learn how to identify these parameters in current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and differentiate between types of memristors.

The focus will then shift to the characterization of memristors using various I-V techniques, such as I-V sweeps, voltage pulses (both single and trains), and impedance spectroscopy. We will specifically examine the characterization of halide perovskite memristors and multipore nanofluidic memristors. I will briefly explain the insights we can derive from these techniques, how to correlate them, and how to extract parameters crucial for applying memristors in neuromorphic systems, such as the relaxation time.

 

Currículum:

Agustín Bou graduated in Physics from the University of Valencia in 2016. He then joined Prof. Juan Bisquert’s team at Universitat Jaume I, where he earned a Master’s degree in Applied Physics in 2017 and received an FPI scholarship to pursue his PhD. His thesis research focused on the modeling and characterization of perovskite solar cells using small perturbation techniques. During his PhD, he visited University of Granada, where he modeled the heterojunctions of perovskite solar cells, and Swansea University, where he investigated perovskite devices using light-modulated techniques (IMPS and IMVS). Later in his PhD, he concentrated his research on perovskite memristors, where he applied his expertise in impedance spectroscopy gained when studying solar cells. He obtained his PhD in 2023 after publishing 12 articles. He continued his research for an additional 6 months in Prof. Bisquert’s group, investigating memristors made of halide perovskites and nanopores. Currently, he is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW Dresden) as part of Prof. Yana Vaynzof’s group, where he continues his research in perovskite memristors.