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Prof. Alicia Castro

CSIC Professor

acastro@icmm.csic.es

• Current research projects: MAT2017-88788-R (Spanish National Research Agency)
• Scientific production: Resultado de imagen de research id
 

 

Ph.D. in Solid State Chemistry, at the Complutense University, Madrid 1984. Research staff member at the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC), Tenured Scientist, 1991-2003; Senior Researcher, 2003-2009, Research Professor, 2009-.

Five PhD thesis advised (three from the Autónoma University of Madrid (Spain); one from the Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse (France); and one from the Complutense University, Madrid (Spain) and ten MSc Thesis advised (three from the Complutense University, Madrid (Spain); two from Poitiers University (France); four from the Autónoma University of Madrid (Spain); and one fron the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid (Spain)).

She has published more than 150 articles and letters in journals included in the SCI journals and more than 170 presentations in conferences and meetings, among them several invited talks and numerous oral presentations.

Projects

Principal Investigator of 9 national projects (1 CSIC, 3 CAM and 5 MICINN) and 9 international (2 IBM (California-USA), 5 CNRS-CSIC (France), 1 CNCPRST-CSIC (Morocco) and 1 Cost Action). Participant in other 8 national projects (7 MEC and 1 Domingo-Martínez Foundation) and 7 international (3 EU and 4 Spain-France).

Principal Investigator of the following projects:

  • “Processing and characterization of the properties of new, submicro- and nanostructured, ferro-piezoelectric and ionic conductor ceramic materials, synthesized by non-conventional routes”, MICINN ((MAT2007-61884), 2007-2010.
  • “Synthesis, processing and properties of submicro- and nanostructured electroceramic materials, obtained by non-conventional methods”, CSIC (PIE 200460E615), 2009-2010.

Expertise

Broad interest and experience in Solid State Chemistry and Materials Science, particularly the relation between synthesis, processing, structure and electrical properties of new materials. Carried out a wide variety of experiments on piezoelectric oxides, mainly Bi-layered and three-dimensional perovskite materials, and ionic conductors, such as fluorite and perovskite based oxides.

  • She demonstrated for the first time, that the Bi3+ ion in the Bi layer of BLPs (Aurivillius-type structures) can be replaced by other p-cations, with different size and/or charge, but possessing a stereochemically active lone pair of electrons ns2. The ferro-piezoelectric behaviour of the new materials can be modified according to the composition.
  • She applied the mechanochemical activation and mechanosynthesis methods to stabilize high-dense and nanostructured phases and to improve the electric and magnetic responses of several three-dimensional and layered perovskite materials.
  • She has demonstrated that the combination of mechanosynthesis and Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) permits the preparation of functional-nanostructured ceramics.