Since 2016, first as Ramon y Cajal Fellow and now as a Researcher, I established a research group at IMDEA Nanociencia called Switchable NanoMaterials (SNM). In these 7 years, I obtained own funding sources and engaged on the training of scientists. At present, the team is composed by: 1 master student (Ms. Patricia Jimenez), 2 Ph.D students (Ms. Ana Martinez and Mr. Jorge Sangrador) and 5 postdocs (Dr. Estefanía Fernández, Dr. Esther Resines, Dr. Sara Gullace, Dr. Raquel Utrera and Dr. Rubén Turo). I published 95 articles in high-quality international journals of high impact factor, i.e. JACS, ACIE, Nat Comm, Adv. Mat., Adv. Science, Chem. Soc. Rev., Coor. Chem. Rev., Chem. Sci, receiving more than 3600 citations and with an h-index of 35 (more than 87% of the publications are in Q1). He attended more than 50 international congresses (30 oral communications). Besides, he participated in a total of 24 projects (2 International, 5 European, 11 national and 4 regional projects).

Our research line is centred on the frontier areas of Coordination Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry and Material Science on the development of new metal-based coordination complexes at the macro- and nanoscopic scale for their technological application in the fields of magnetism, energy storage, catalysis, memory and sensing devices.

Estefanía Fernández Bartolomé studied her bachelor degree in Chemistry at Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain). Afterwards, she obtained her Master’s in Chemical Science and Technology from the same University (2015). She performed her Master’s thesis in the field of coordination chemistry in the Reyes Jimenez Aparicio´s research group. In 2020, she obtained her PhD at the SNM group, in novel switchable materials for applications as selective sensors. Her work involves the design, synthesis and characterization of different metal-based coordination and carbon-based organic dynamic compounds capable to introduce gasses and small volatile molecules providing physico-chemical response that can be used for molecules storage and sensors applications. Currently, she is working as a Postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Nazario Martín and Dr. Jose Sánchez Costa.

Esther finished her degree in Chemistry at Complutense University of Madrid in 2016. She obtained her Master’s degree in Chemical Science and Technology from the same university in 2017. In 2022, she obtained her PhD in the synthesis and characterization of SCO complexes with Fe(II) as metal and organic ligands based on triazoles. These complexes can be switched between two different electronic states by applying external perturbations, are promising materials thanks to their potential application in various fields, such as magnetism, electrical transport and sensing devices. Currently she is working as a Postdoctoral researcher.

Jorge Sangrador finished his Chemistry degree in 2020 and obtained his master in Applied Chemistry in 2021, both from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. He made his final grade and master projects in the synthesis of Lanthanide MOFs in the application of selective sensors under the supervision of the Dr. Sánchez Costa. Currently he is making his PhD in the synthesis and characterization of novel inorganic polymers for application as selective gas sensors.

Ana Martínez obtained her degree in Chemistry (2018) and her Master’s degree in  Applied Chemistry (2019) from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. In addition, with this Master’s degree, she especialized in molecular and materials chemistry, obtaining the extraordinary prize for the best academic record.  While she was studying her grade, she joined the group SEPCO in the organic chemistry CSIC where she worked in organic-inorganic hybrids with aplication in catalysis. She did her end-of-degree and her end-of-master’s degree projects in synthesis of organometallic compounds with potential antitumor activity with the group of Prof. Isabel Cuadrado, gaining experience in the field of complexes synthesis and usual characterization techniques.

Raquel completed her studies in Chemistry at the University of Granada (2014). She obtained her Master 2 “LUMOMAT (light, molecules and materials)” at the University of Angers (France). Later on, she received her PhD (2020) from the University of Nantes (France). During this period she worked with luminescent multifunctional copper iodide clusters, doing the synthesis of hybrid materials, characterization and computational calculations. After that, she worked in Rennes at the Institute of Chemical Sciences in a postdoc position in computational chemistry where she used DFT for the understanding of luminescent copper compounds with TADF and magnetic properties. Currently, she is working as a Postdoctoral researcher in the developing of new perovskites.

Rubén Turo completed the degree (2017) and master in Chemistry (2018) both at the University of Valencia (UV). He then worked on his PhD thesis (defended in 2023) under the supervision of Dr. Carlos Bartual Murgui and Prof. Dr. José Antonio Real Cabezos, on the research unit of Switchable Molecular Materials at the Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol-UV) where he specialized in the synthesis and characterization of funtional materials containing the Spin Crossover property. He is currently working as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Dr. José Sánchez Costa’s Switchable Nanomaterials group, working in the development of coordination compounds for thermal control.

Sara Gullace completed the bachelor (2015) and master (2017) degree in Chemistry at the University of Messina (Italy). During her PhD, she worked at the Istituto per i Processi Chimico-Fisici (CNR-IPCF) in Messina and, after spending 11 months as visiting student at the University of Strasbourg, she obtained the PhD in Chemistry with the mention of Doctor Europeaus from the University of Messina (2020). From 2020 to 2023 she worked in the Nanochemistry Lab of prof. Paolo Samorì at the Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS) in Strasbourg (France) with a MSCA fellowship in the framework of the ULTIMATE project. Her research interests span from sensors to energy conversion and storage using nanomaterials such as metal nanoparticles, transition metal dichalcogenides and covalent organic frameworks. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Switchable Nanomaterials group of prof. José Sánchez Costa at IMDEA Nanociencia (Madrid, Spain), working on the development of sensors based on spin crossover compounds.