Nanostructured Functional Materials

Group Leader: Daniel Ruiz-Molina

Main Research Lines

Nanoscale functional polymers for brain diseases & regenerative medicine

- Healthy aging
- Inflammatory and infectious diseases
- Regenerative medicine
Chromogenic & emissive nanomaterials for energy efficient devices

- Smart Windows
- Devices and security

Our objective at the Nanostructured Functional Materials research group (NANOSFUN - nanosfun.com) is to develop new strategies to obtain molecular (bio)nanostructures, with adapted properties and smart responses to external stimuli, which can be incorporated into solid matrices, surfaces or as stable colloidal suspensions, while retaining their initial features and performance. For this, a wide range of molecular and biological building blocks are employed, using Nature as a strong source of inspiration. We work with the idea that ultimate control on every length scale and material interfaces is required to reach the intrinsic limits and functions of these (supra)molecular materials, and with the aim of finding applications for them oriented at improving our everyday life.

Group Leader

Daniel Ruiz-Molina

CSIC Tenured Scientist
dani.ruiz@icn2.cat

Daniel Ruiz-Molina got his PhD in Chemistry with a thesis on polyradical dendrimers at the Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) under Prof. Jaume Veciana’s tutorship. Then he obtained a postdoctoral position at the University of California San Diego (USA), where he spent three years working on single-molecule magnets and molecular switches.

Since 2001 he has held a permanent position as a Spanish National Research Council researcher, most recently at the ICN2, where he is the leader of the Nanostructured Functional Materials Group. His main research areas include the fabrication of hybrid colloids and surfaces, biomimetic functional nanostructures, and micro- or nanoparticles for smart applications and encapsulation and delivery systems.