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The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)-Barcelona Tech has officially opened the Center for Research in NanoEngineering (CRnE), a new facility for research, development and innovation in the fields of micro- and nanoengineering, nanotechnology, and nanoscience. The center is located in a newly constructed building (at Carrer Pascual i Vila 15 in Barcelona, behind the School of Industrial Engineering of Barcelona) and comprises an area of approximately 700 m2, 500 m2 of which is occupied by sophisticated scientific equipment. Five research groups—focusing on nanoparticles, nanochemistry, nanomechanics, biomaterial nanotechnology, and organic solar cells—work directly at the new center.

Twenty UPC-Barcelona Tech research groups are associated with the CRnE, which is directed by researcher Ramon Alcubilla. These groups comprise 75 researchers in physics, chemistry, electronics, and materials. Some of the main lines of research pursued at the CRnE, which aspires to become a leading center for research and innovation in this area, focus on high-performance coatings, biodegradable materials for nanomedicine applications, environmentally friendly catalytic converters for more efficient, greener engines, and nanoparticles for use in new building materials and energy applications.

The CRnE is a multidisciplinary project involving a number of UPC-Barcelona Tech research groups. One aim is to attract outstanding, motivated young researchers and offer them an ideal setting in which to carry out cutting-edge research in the fields the center specializes in. The center is part of the UPC Park (the UPC-Barcelona Tech’s research and innovation park), which offers services aimed at exploiting research results and facilitating technology transfer. The construction of the facility was funded with grants provided for the creation and upgrading of infrastructure in technology parks.

The new center is located in the Barcelona Knowledge Campus (BKC), which was recently recognized as a “Campus of International Excellence”. In fact, it is the first UPC research facility opened since the Spanish Ministry of Education granted the BKC this special status, which entitles the UPC-Barcelona Tech and UB to receive public funding for the project for the 2009-2012 period. The BKC, one of the most active and powerful knowledge hubs in southern Europe, occupies 227 hectares and includes 16 schools, 90 departments, and 15 libraries.

In the CRnE’s nanoparticle laboratory, a team headed by Jordi Llorca studies nanometric ceramic particles for use in environmentally friendly catalytic converters, with the aim of eliminating polluting gases. The team also designs photocatalysts for exploiting solar energy and studies metallic nanoparticles for purifying hydrogen in microreactors and fuel cells, an important advance for the manufacturing of mobile phones and consumer electronic devices.

In the nanochemistry laboratory, one of the lines of research pursued by the synthetic polymer group led by Jordi Puiggalí focuses on new biodegradable polymers for use in surgical sutures, systems for growing cells, and devices that release drugs in a controlled way without triggering an immune response in patients.

In the same laboratory, researchers are designing a conductive nanowire covered with a protein layer for electronics applications in the field of nanobiology. The project is being carried out by a research team led by Carlos Alemán that studies corrosion protection, bioengineering of new electroactive polymer materials, and related applications. The same group is also developing new conductive polymers for application in nanosystems that can store an electrical charge, nanosensors to selectively detect medical drugs and narcotics, and nanosensors that can recognize DNA fragments.

A group working on mechanics and nanoengineering of materials for use in engineering, headed by Ignasi Casanova, is investigating how to incorporate carbon nanotubes in concrete. Carbon nanotubes exhibit extraordinary strength and can be used to monitor problems related to the maintenance of concrete structures. In this line of research, investigators have also developed active nanoparticles that are applied in self-cleaning façades and other eco-materials used in construction.

In the organic solar cell laboratory, researchers are working to design a new generation of solar photovoltaic cells using plastic materials. They are also developing a new type of LED (light-emitting diode), which has a large area and emits white light, to replace LEDs currently in use, such as those found in new urban traffic lights. The novel aspect of the cells and the LEDs is that they are made using new organic semiconductor materials. Research in this area is being conducted by the micro- and nanotechnology group directed by Ramon Alcubilla and Joaquim Puigdollers.

In the nanomechanics laboratory, the focus is on developing new nanostructured materials that offer improved performance, reliability and strength for structural, energy, biomedical, and microelectronic applications. This line of research is led by the Center for Structural Integrity and Reliability of Materials, headed by researchers Emilio Jiménez, Luis Llanes, and Marc Anglada.

The activity of the nanotechnology of materials laboratory is oriented towards designing biomaterials for repairing and regenerating living tissues and organs. In this field, the biomaterials, biomechanics, and tissue engineering group, coordinated by Daniel Rodríguez Rius and Maria Pau Ginebra, is developing materials based on calcium phosphate cements and composite materials that mimic natural bone; metallic biomaterials to improve the response of bone tissue to dental implants and prostheses; and peptides, protein, and synthetic polymer coatings to speed up bone regeneration at implant and prosthesis sites.

The CRnE facility is equipped with high-tech scientific instruments for characterizing and producing materials and devices at the micro- and nanoscale. These include electron, ion, atomic force, and interferometric microscopes, x-ray diffraction and spectroscopy systems, and laboratories for sample preparation.

Nanoengineering is the study of materials and systems at the nanoscale (atomic and molecular scale), and nanotechnology is the field of applied science concerned with controlling and manipulating materials at the atomic and molecular level. A nanometer (nm) is a unit of length equal to one billionth of a meter; the comparative size of a nanometer to a meter is the same as that of a marble to the size of the earth. A comma spans about half a million nanometers.

The goal of nanoengineering and nanotechnology—shared by the CRnE—is to manipulate properties at the atomic level in order to create materials that behave the way scientists want them to, and to make products for specific purposes. According to researchers, advances in nanotechnology will lead to a significant improvement in our quality of life in the medium term.

Medicine, pharmacy, and biology are the fields where these sciences have generated the highest expectations. Other fields of application include chemistry, textiles, aeronautics, energy, electronics, and food products. The CRnE of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya is working in all these fields. In terms of medical diagnosis, for instance, nanomedicine will make it possible to detect pathologies such as cancer and neurological disease (Parkinson's and Alzheimer's) at the earliest stage, which will result in better treatment.

In the field of electronics, nanotechnology paves the way for a broad spectrum of applications in energy, lighting, and display devices. In this area, the CRnE is working on thin film transistors made of polymers. One application is in screens, where plastic could eventually replace the silicon used in televisions.

In the textiles area, researchers are developing antibacterial fabrics, elite sportswear, and materials and fabrics that are resistant to heat, stains, water, and oil.

Nanotechnology is already present in many industrial and consumer products on the market, from electronic devices, computers, cars, and appliances, to cosmetics, clothing, sports equipment, medicinal products, food packaging, and children's toys. But the most revolutionary applications are yet to arrive.

The building that houses the CRnE was designed by architects Joan Ravetllat and Carme Ribas. The project was featured in an exhibition on contemporary Catalan architecture that ran from October to January at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, located at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris.