Projects financed by Regional Funds

Polymeric and hybrid nanocomposite thin films for photonic and photovoltaic applications (NANOPHOTON)

juntafi_19Financial source:
Junta de Andalucía
Code: P09-TEP-5283 (Proyecto de Excelencia)

Research head:
Angel Barranco Quero

Period:
3-02-2010 / 2-02-2013

Research group:
Ana Borrás, Fabián Frutos, Lola González-García, Said Hamad, S. Lago, Alberto Palmero, Carmen Ruiz-Herrero, Juan R. Sánchez-Valencia, Johan Toudert

The Nanophoton project aims the development of a novel family of materials, struc-tures and device prototypes for application in solar energy, environmental sensing and space communication technology. The starting point of the project is the research in the photonic properties of hybrid nanometric films. These functional thin films will be processed and inte-grated in optical structures. The project encompasses fundamental molecular simulation studies, the development of novel nanometric functional structures, the study of suitable processing/integration procedures and the validation of prototype devices. These devices will be of three kinds: photonic gas sensors, detectors insensitive to the angle of detection for diffuse optical communications and photovoltaic cells. An interesting characteristic of the Nanophoton technology will be its fully compatibility with the current optoelectronic and microelectronic industrial manufacturing processes.

Development of bones regeneration membranes modified at nanometric scale (OSTEOMEM)

juntafi_19Financial source:
Junta de Andalucía
Code: P09-CTS-5189 (Proyecto de Excelencia)

Research head:
Agustín R. González-Elipe

Period:
3-02-2010 / 2-02-2013

Research group:
José Cotrino Bautista, Rafael Alvarez Molina, Carmen López Santos, Jorge Gil Rostra, Antonia Terriza Fernández

OSTEOMEM aims at developing disposable and biodegradable membranes for bone regeneration to be use in chirurgic oral and maxillofacial implants for the treatment of defects. During the healing of the bone defects, membranes must simultaneously preserve the formation of soft tissues and promote the filling of the hole by the new bone, so that, after the reabsorption of the membrane, the structure of tissues would be similar to that prior to the chirurgical intervention. To achieve that, the membranes should degrade within the body in a period of four-six months, thus avoiding the need of a second intervention required to remove non-biodegradable membranes. It is expected that the membranes developed in the project are comparable to that of animal membranes and avoid the problems associated with the use of these latter.

Nitrogen Plasmas for the superficial functionalization of materials

juntafi_19Financial source:
Junta de Andalucía
Code: P07-FQM-03298 (Proyecto de Excelencia)

Research head:
José Cotrino Bautista

Period:
1-02-2008 / 31-01-2011

Research group:
Agustín R. González-Elipe, Francisco Yubero Valencia

The project PlasNitro discusses the characterization of nitrogen plasmas in various technological related applications with techniques of deposition and functionalization of materials, reforming and processes of sterilization. Different procedures to measure properties of plasmas will go down to point, plasma that can be used in doping, deposition, functionalization and modification of materials and that contain nitrogen. In all cases by using techniques of diagnosis based in the detection of nitrogen species. Nitrogen is a usual component nowadays, only or in mixtures with other gases, in a lot of processes used in technology of plasma. Its experimental characterization and/or the modeling will allow getting fundamental properties from plasma (electron density, electron temperature, temperature of the gas, reactive species, etc.) and knowing the contribution to the homogenous (in phase plasma) and heterogeneous (in the surface-material interaction) reactions of the appropriate components of nitrogen. Numerical codes to get out the electron energy distribution function in plasma will become elaborate in the project. To this end the evaluation of the vibrational distribution of nitrogen will be necessary previously. This step implies taking into account multiple vibrational-vibrational processes, vibrational-translactional and vibrational-rotational processes. In the project we will be able to obtain models of fluid of the nitrogen plasma with the contributions of the most important species of the plasma. The theoretical calculations will be complemented with experimental measurements using electrostatic Langmuir’s probe, this will allow measuring the electron energy distribution function, as well as density and temperature of the electrons. The partial nitrogen pressure in each application and the plasma’s neutral components will be controlled by means of an analysis of residual gases. The kinetic modeling of the nitrogen plasma will enable the interpretation of measurements in the plasma out of the thermodynamic equilibrium and by using the Monte Carlo technique of simulation that enable the control of deposition/modification and the nano/microstructure of the materials. We will have, in this way, techniques that they will enable to control themselves and improving the procedures of work and the properties desired in the materials.