The winners of the 2nd Edition of the MATERPLAT - Young Innovators in Materials Awards have been announced

The Awards, this year sponsored by KERABEN GRUPO, aim to recognise and encourage the training of new innovative professionals in the area of materials science and technology in Spain. The works submitted presented new developments in the field of advanced materials and nanomaterials, which had a clear industrial application.

After an evaluation in two phases, first by the leaders of the MATERPLAT innovation groups and then by a committee made up of Luis Guaita, Head of R&D at KERABEN GRUPO, Jesús Ricote (ICMM-CSIC), Miguel Ángel Rodiel (Coordinator of MATERPLAT) and José Sánchez (Chairman of MATERPLAT), the following winners were chosen:

1^st PRIZE, for €700 and a diploma: Álvaro Javier Seijas Da Silva for his work "Molecular Engineering of Hybrid Layered Double Hydroxides for Energy Applications", supervised by doctors Gonzalo Abellán Sáez and Jose Alberto Carrasco Andrés, and developed in the Master’s in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, at the University of Valencia.

During his still brief career, Álvaro has already received numerous scholarships and awards, such as the CiQUS SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS scholarship; the start-up research scholarship from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, developed at the Institute of Materials Science of the University of Valencia (ICMUV); the SANTANDER CRUE CEPYME scholarship, developed at Intenanomat S.L., a member of MATERPLAT; the INTERNSHIP CONTRACTS scholarship, developed at the María de Maeztu Institute of Excellence in Molecular Science at the University of Valencia (ICMol); and the University of Valencia Research Starter Scholarship, developed at the Institute of Molecular Science at the University of Valencia (ICMol).

Álvaro is currently beginning his doctoral thesis at ICMol.

2^nd PRIZE, for €300 and a diploma: Patricia Fernández López, for her work "Tribological coatings developed on Al-Si alloys by plasma electrolytic oxidation in different electrolytes", supervised by Javier Jesús González Martínez (UPV/EHU) and Sofia Afonso Alves (IK4-TEKNIKER), and developed at the TEKNIKER Technological Centre, within the framework of the Master's in Advanced Materials Engineering at the University of the Basque Country/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU).

Patricia has a degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master’s in Advanced Materials Engineering, both from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). In 2018 she joined IK4-TEKNIKER to do an internship and to develop her thesis in the Tribology unit. In 2019 she began working as a researcher, and in September she began her Doctoral Thesis on the same subject covered in her Master's thesis. Over the last year she has specialised on Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) technology, focusing her activities on the development, functionalisation and characterisation of new ceramic coatings for various applications.

The prize-giving ceremony will take place during the MATERPLAT 2019 General Meeting, organised in collaboration with Tecnalia, which will be held on 26 November at the Hotel Arima (San Sebastian), where the prize-winners will also present their Master's degree work to those attending the event. KERABEN GRUPO will also pay for the winners’ transport and accommodation expenses, as well as those of a supervisor for each of them, so they can attend the MATERPLAT General Meeting.

MATERPLAT would like to congratulate the winners and to thank all the people and bodies that have helped them, as well all the other candidates for their interest.