- FTIR Jasco 4700 with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory Tecknokroma
- UV-VIS Spectrophotometer Shimadzu UV-1900
- NanoBrook 90Plus Zeta equipped with an AQ-1321 cell
- DSA25S Krüss equipped with Advance software
- Universal Mechanical Properties Machine EZ-TEST LX (Shimadzu)
- SunLite Solar Simulator model 11002, class AAB, Abet Technologies, equipped with Xenon light
The Polymer and Advanced Materials Characterization Laboratory is part of the Innovation in Materials and Molecular Engineering Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies (IMEM-BRT) group.
This laboratory focuses on the development, analysis, and characterization of polymeric materials and hybrid materials, which are combinations of polymeric materials with other types of materials, such as ceramics, metals, and natural compounds. Some of the most relevant fields of work include the design of conductive plastic materials, hydrogels, biosustainable and biodegradable polymers (thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers, and composites).
These activities have biomedical applications (sensors, drug delivery systems, or platforms for tissue engineering) and technological applications (solid and semi-solid electrolytes for fuel cells, batteries, organic capacitors/supercapacitors, polymer membranes, and the use of bioceramic compounds as catalysts, such as hydroxyapatite, among others). Therefore, in the characterization laboratories, different types of analyses can be performed for a complete identification of the chemical structures and key properties of these materials.
Additionally, the group has extensive experience and strong technological transfer with companies (more than 10 patents, some of which are licensed), which attests to its expertise in the field of polymers and advanced materials.
The laboratory has access to the infrastructure of the Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering (BRCMSE), a María de Maeztu Center of Excellence at UPC.