Jun. Prof. Nieves Lopez Salas

I have more than 10 years of experience in developing carbon-based materials with tailored compositions and pore structures for their use in different applications. I completed my Master's and Ph.D. in Electrochemistry, both of which were first-class with an honorary mention at the university level. Afterwards, I pursued postdoctoral research in the Department of Colloid Chemistry at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, where I led the group Old Chemistry for New Advanced Materials for over three years. During this time, I mentored a group of up to 11 people under the frame of an ERC Synergy Grant (MoMaStor).

Throughout my scientific career, I have gained valuable experience in the field of sustainable materials chemistry, focusing on preparing and optimizing greener synthetic routes toward advanced nanocarbons. I achieve this by using greener solvents or minimizing the number of chemicals involved in the synthetic process. Additionally, I have optimized these materials for sustainable applications such as greenhouse gas fixation, energy storage, conversion devices, and (electro)catalysis, among other relevant areas of research (J. Mater. Chem. A 2, 2014, 17387-17399; J. Mater. Chem. A 4, 2016, 1251-1263; JACS 141(4), 2019, 1766-1774; Adv. Mater. 31 (13), 2019, 1805719; Nano Energy 97, 2022, 107191).

My current research focuses on the preparation of highly nitrogen-doped carbonaceous materials and understanding their interaction with electrolytes, gas adsorbents, and the stabilization of metallic subnanometer catalytic sites (Carbon 172, 2021, 497-505; J. Mater. Chem. A, 10 (11), 2021, 6107-6114; Chem. Comm. 58, 2022, 4841 - 4844).