Our group was founded in 1993. In its early years, the group was called Microwaves and Sustainable Organic Chemistry, focusing its research on the application of enabling and environmentally friendly techniques in Organic Synthesis, becoming a national and international reference in this field.
Our contributions have been reflected in:
(i) Publication of more than 140 papers in international journals dealing with the application of microwave irradiation in organic synthesis, most of them in Q1.
(ii) Edition of various book chapters (Targets in Heterocyclic Systems, Microwaves in Organic Synthesis, Advances in Organic Chemistry – Online. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry. Alternative Energy Sources for Green Chemistry)
(iii) Publication of several reviews on the field.
It should be remarked that the review Thermal and non-thermal microwave effects(Chem. Soc. Rev.) with more than 2469 citations to date, being the second most cited review in MAOS, and we published recently a review on Understanding MAOS through Computational Chemistry (Chem. Soc. Rev.)
(iv) Editor of the third edition of the book Microwaves in Organic Synthesis (Wiley, published in 2012).
We have given many Invited Lectures in meetings in Microwave Chemistry, Heterocyclic Chemistry, Green Chemistry and Materials Chemistry and NMR spectroscopy based on radiofrequency microcoils.
We have participated in International Scientific Committees in Congresses related to our research, for example: 2nd Internacional Conference on Microwave Chemistry (Praga, 1998), 5th Green Chemistry Conference (Barcelona, 2003), 8th International Electronic Conference on Synthetic Organic Chemistry (2004), 10th International Conference on Microwave and High Frequency Heating (Modena, Italia, 2005) and in the Iberoamerican NMR and GERMN NMR meetings in several years.
Since 2000, we have expanded our research to other environmentally friendly methodologies, such as flow chemistry. In this area, we maintained a fruitful collaboration with the company Janssen, S.A. for the introduction of this methodology in the research in the Pharmaceutical Industry. We have published some book chapters and several papers, two of them published in Angew. Chem. on the use of photochemistry and flow chemistry. We edited a book on Flow Chemistry in Drug Discovery published by Springer.
More recently, leveraging our expertise in the field of sustainability, our research has focused on the design and development of crystals with optical waveguide properties, a field in which we have published more than 20 articles, as well as materials for photonic or electronics devices such as Organic Field-Effect Transistors (OFETs) or lasers, and materials with responsiveness to external stimuli. We have also developed a microfluidic methodology to control the dimensions of the formed crystals or hydrogels that exhibit optical waveguide properties. In the field of microfluidics, we have developed an NMR methodology that employs microcoils integrated into microreactors to enhance NMR detection limits to unprecedented levels through the combination with hyperpolarization techniques (photo-CIDNP). In parallel, we are also working on the design and implementation of different microcoil geometries for specific applications. In parallel, another active research line in the group focuses on the self-assembly of short peptides to create supramolecular hydrogels and functional materials. These systems are designed for applications in stimuli-responsive materials and supramolecular catalysis, with a particular emphasis on developing dynamic assemblies whose structure and properties can be modulated by chemical reactions or light.
Several of our researchers have been recognized through competitive programs and awards at national and international levels.
-Ramón y Cajal Program: Two of our researchers have been awarded “Ramón y Cajal” contracts, recognizing their scientific excellence and potential for independent research.
-Marie Curie Fellowships: One researcher has been selected twice for a Marie Curie Fellowship, reflecting her strong international research trajectory.
-L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women in Science” Award: One researcher received the L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women in Science” award in 2010 for her outstanding contributions to science.
-Premio Joven Investigadora “Ibn Wafid de Toledo”: Awarded in 2009 by the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha to one of our researchers for her scientific achievements.
-Young Researcher Awards (RSEQ-STCLM / STCL-RSEQ): Two researchers received “Young Researcher” prizes from the Castilla-La Mancha Territorial Section of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (RSEQ-STCLM), recognizing their contributions to chemical research.
-Juan de la Cierva program: one of our researchers have been awarded a “Juan de la Cierva” contract, recognizing his scientific excellence.
- Recognition by the Social Council of the UCLM for university excellence in research.
- VII Award for “Scientific Career in Chemistry” granted by the Castilla-La Mancha regional branch of the Royal Spanish Society of Chemistry.
- Award “Violeta Woman” by the Council of Argamasilla de Calatrava.