Associate Professor
Thermal Energy Storage materials, Life Cycle, Corrosion, Plastics characterization.
Associate professor since 2019, I have been a member of DIOPMA Center since 2000. I work on materials for TES, conducting eco-audits and LCA, and research environmentally sustainable materials and processes.
My research career began in 2000 as a PhD student at the DIOPMA Center of the Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry at the University of Barcelona. Since then, I have participated in more than 70 research projects, both with public and private institutions.
In the research with private institutions, I have participated in projects of different topics, although I would like to highlight those carried out with the La Farga Lacambra Company, since in the framework of these projects I carried out my PhD thesis, which was defended in February 2008. The research developed has resulted on a novel production process as well as the development of new products.
Another project funded by a private company that I would like to highlight was the CENIT project led by Abengoa Solar. This project allowed me to start researching energy storage. My participation consisted on the search and selection of materials for storage and the container materials. In this field, during last years I have focused my research in Thermal Storage on both improving energy efficiency and sustainability in the framework of projects financed by the EU and Spanish Government, and more specifically in the determination of the corrosion rate of materials in contact with different mixtures of molten salts. This work has given rise to two final project of degree (the results are pending to be published) and a doctoral thesis is currently ongoing.
In 2013, I started a new research line related to marine pollution due to organic pollutants in the framework of the project “Biosensors for real time monitoring of biohazard and man-made chemical contaminants in the marine environment (Sea-on-a-Chip)”, 614168” which was included in the framework of the 7th Framework Program ENVIRONMENT. After that in 2016 I did a research stay at the Institute of Environmental Diagnostics and Water Studies (IDAEA) in the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) with Dr.M. Farré within the framework of the INTEGRA-COAST project funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness during 6 months. The research was focused on the study of micro and nanopolymers as environmental pollutants. Due to this collaboration, an article has been published in the journal Environmental Pollution and several final project degrees has been performed.
Since 2019, I participate in the Plastic0pyr project and of which I am the UB leader. The overall objective of the project is to reduce in a sustainable way the accumulation of plastics in mountain ecosystems and their subsequent transport to the sea. My main contribution is related to the characterization of plastic waste as well as the realization of the LCA of the most common plastics in mountain activities in order to find more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives.
Part of the research carried out in projects with companies and administrations, has been published in international journals and has been presented as oral communication or poster in national and international congresses.
Since 2006, I have combined research tasks with teaching activities at the University of Barcelona in the degrees of Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering and Materials Engineering as well in the Applied Materials Chemistry Master.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1407-6327
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mònica-martínez-lópez-088a6b11/
Mail: monicamartinez@ub.edu
Phone Number: (+34) 934 02 13 16