Silvia Román graduated in Physics in 2005 and got her PhD in Materials Physics in 2010 from the University of Valladolid. Since then her research has been focused on polymeric materials, ranging from flame retardant polymers to new composites based on biopolymers, always attending both to the composition-structure-properties relationships and to the impact that all these materials have on the environment.
Materials scientists are quite used to looking at nature to find inspiration for new designs and functionalities. The living world is full of complex and sophisticated materials (from bones and seashells to cartilage and skin) that provide the most varied and extraordinary properties and functions. We have paid attention to this strategy of ‘architecturing materials’ […]
Even if we firmly go down the path of the low-carbon economy, the energy transition to renewables is only just beginning. We live now in a world that is still very much fossil fuel-based and the landscape of a fully renewable-powered future has not yet been shaped (and we might have to wait a few […]
Introducing a gaseous phase into a solid matrix is one of the most common strategies to reduce weight and increase thermal insulation in a wide range of materials, from ceramics to metals and polymers. How to produce these two-phase materials is mostly determined by the nature of the solid matrix and has led to the […]
Plants and animals are provided with startling self-healing and defence mechanisms. Think of how trees achieve wound closure after losing a limb through callus formation, or the ability of the chameleon to adapt the colour of the skin according to its surroundings through reversible muscle control. These are very well-known examples where living nature teaches […]
Metallic glasses are a unique class of materials whose properties combine some of the irreconcilable properties of both metals and polymers. They consist of a combination of metals which, in the solid state, present an amorphous atomic structure, in contrast to common metal alloys, which present a highly ordered microscopic pattern. This lack of crystalline […]
After years of watching manufacturing plants relocating offshore, hundreds of thousands of jobs gone and deindustrialization creeping up, policy makers and investors from high-income countries are finally willing to bring the manufacturing sector back. But they won’t get this done just competing globally for mass, low-cost production; those days are long gone. On the contrary […]
Reducing weight in all kinds of vehicles is currently one of the hot topics for Materials Science and Product Design. This goal is directly related to one of the grand challenges that society is facing, that is, mitigate greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by reducing fuel consumption. Lighter vehicles consume less fossil fuels, which is definitely […]
Origami, the ancient art of creating intricate sculptures from a flat sheet of paper, is no longer just a Japanese curiosity, but a cutting-edge manufacturing technique. Just through bending and folding a given material, we can obtain complex 3D structures with applications in electronics, bioengineering or architecture, just to name a few that are currently […]
All we know about fire under Earth´s gravity must be questioned in microgravity. In fact, most of the well-known characteristics of fire behavior are driven by the effects of gravity. That´s why the science of combustion in low-gravity environments is an important field of knowledge for NASA studies when evaluating spacecraft safety. And, contrary to […]
It seems that we are definitely heading towards the bio-based society, a new way of interacting with the environment where fossil fuels won’t be needed anymore and “ more natural ” processes for producing energy, food and materials will prevail. Remarkably, this bio-turn often involves highly advanced biotechnology and strict competitive targets, both facts that […]