About Us
At the Ibáñez Group, we believe that mastering materials starts with mastering their building blocks. To unlock new levels of performance in functional materials, we focus on one of the biggest challenges in materials science: controlling defects across multiple length scales. Our solution? Nanoparticle-based precursors. These tiny particles are more than just starting points, they’re carefully designed systems whose cores, surfaces, and arrangements dictate how they transform into macroscopic solids. By tuning these features, we aim to create materials with targeted properties from the bottom up.
Our team develops new synthetic routes for complex nanocrystals, investigates how surface species, native or introduced, affect the final material, and explores how nanoparticle organization impacts transformation pathways. Every step is a chance to steer structure and function.
We’re especially excited about using this approach to craft next-generation thermoelectric materials, those that can turn waste heat into usable energy. That’s why we established the Werner Siemens Thermoelectric Laboratory, where high-throughput techniques help us fast-track discovery and innovation.
Chem. Mater 2022, 34, 19, 8471- 8489
Werner Siemens Thermoelectric Laboratory
The Werner Siemens Thermoelectric Laboratory is dedicated to developing high-performance thermoelectric materials that can efficiently convert heat into electricity and vice versa. Our mission is to design next-generation thermoelectric materials that are not only efficient, but also affordable, scalable, and environmentally friendly.
Traditional thermoelectrics are held back by high costs, toxicity, or limited performance. We’re breaking those barriers through cutting-edge, solution-based methods using nanoparticles. But we don’t stop there, our discovery process is guided by high-throughput experimentation, machine learning, and atomistic simulations. This unique blend of chemistry, computation, and automation lets us explore vast, high-dimensional material spaces that would be impossible to navigate with trial-and-error. The result? Faster breakthroughs, smarter design, and materials that open doors for technologies like IoT devices, wireless sensors, and waste heat recovery systems.
Nanoparticle synthesis
ACS Nano, 2013, 7, 2573-2586; Chem. Mater. 2012, 24, 562-570; Crystal Growth & Design 2012, 12, 1085-1090; Chem. Mater., 2012, 24, 4615–4622
Nanocrystal surface chemistry
Chem. Rev. Soc. , 2017, 46, 3510-3528; Chem. Mater. 2017, 29, 7093–7097; J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2015, 137, 4046-4049
Nanocrystals assembly and consolidation
Chem. Rev. Soc. , 2017, 46, 3510-3528; Nat. Commun., 2016, 7, 10766
Transport properties of nanocrystal-based solids
Chem. Mater. 2017, 29, 7093–7097
Bottom-up processed thermoelectric materials
Chem. Rev. Soc. , 2017, 46, 3510-3528