2026
XXIV Meeting on Surfaces and Nanostructured Materials - Nano 2026
March 02-04
During the XXIV Meeting on Surfaces and Nanostructured Materials, held at UNSAM, members of our laboratory participated by presenting posters and sharing results from various research projects.
📌 Researchers, fellows, and students from our group presented their work in poster format and shared advances from different research lines developed within the laboratory. Beyond disseminating our research, these meetings provide valuable opportunities to exchange experiences, generate new ideas, and continue building collaborative networks with colleagues from different institutions.
📃 "Macroscopic Thermal Conductivity of Nanostructured Systems in Metal–Dielectric Configurations", by Luis Antonio Rodriguez, María Luz Martínez Ricci, Guillermo Ortiz, and Luis Mochán Backal. This work received the Best Poster Award in its area 🥇 (Link).
📃 "Design of Resonant Hybrid Architectures for Highly Sensitive Optical Sensors", by Camila Borrazás, Leandro Missoni, Josefina Morrone, María Luz Martínez Ricci, and María Cecilia Fuertes.
📃 "Upconversion Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and 3D Luminescence Mapping", by Valentina López Zanier and Tomás Mautino.
📃 "Development of an Experimental Setup for the Determination of Adsorption Isotherms from Reflectance Measurements", by Dalila Ortigosa and Matías Toro.
🎙️ Sara Aldabe Bilmes participated in a roundtable discussion dedicated to nanotechnology education, sharing her experience and perspective on the challenges and opportunities involved in training future generations.
The meeting provided an excellent environment for scientific exchange, fostering discussion and collaboration within the nanoscience and nanotechnology community.
New Physics Lab project (B.Sc. in Physics)
March 2026
We are pleased to announce the start of a new Laboratory 6 project (B.Sc. in Physics) involving members of the LSMF!
The project, entitled "Development of an Experimental Setup for the Determination of Adsorption Isotherms from Reflectance Measurements", will be carried out by students Dalila Ortigosa and Matías Toro. It will be supervised by Dr. María Cecilia Fuertes (member of the Qnano group) and Dr. Leandro Missoni, with the collaboration of Dr. María Luz Martínez Ricci (LSMF), and will take place at the Constituyentes Atomic Center of the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA).
Summary: The determination of adsorption isotherms is essential for the characterization of porous materials. This project aims to develop a system for measuring adsorption isotherms in mesoporous thin films using a fiber-optic spectrophotometer. The thin films will be synthesized by the sol-gel method, and their reflectance spectra will be measured using the optimized setup. The adsorption isotherms will then be obtained through mathematical analysis of the acquired optical data.
New article:
"Nanoscale temperature determination of individual gold nano-heaters in colloids
by confocal dynamic light scattering"
March 2026
After more than two years of intensive and collaborative work, we are pleased to share a new article published in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. This work was carried out in collaboration with Aude Barbara and Xavier Cattoën (Néel-UGA, Grenoble, France) and included a research stay by María Luz Martínez Ricci as a visiting professor at the Institut Néel (France).
In this study, we present the development of an innovative confocal dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique that enables temperature measurements around individual nanoparticles in solution. By analyzing Brownian motion, we were able to determine temperature increases in metallic nanoparticles as small as ~20 nm, achieving excellent agreement with Hot Brownian Motion theory without the need for adjustable parameters.
Furthermore, we extended the method to core–shell nanostructures (Au@SiO₂), where we observed for the first time the transition between different Hot Brownian Motion regimes, revealing the key role of the relative density of the particle and the surrounding solvent.
This methodology opens new possibilities for studying photothermal processes at the nanoscale, with potential impact in:
• Catalysis
• Responsive nanomaterials
• Controlled drug delivery
Mention of LSMF Researchers in the Royal Society of Chemistry
Women Researchers Collection
March 8th, 2026
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Andrea and Sara, members of LSMF, were included in the RSC special issue highlighting contributions in materials science led by women researchers.
The paper “Au@mSiO2 nanocomposites with large pores for protein transport” was included in this special collection and is available free of charge on the Royal Society of Chemistry website until April 8.
These collections recognize some of the most outstanding works published in 2025 by women scientists from around the world and highlight the impact of their research across the different journals of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
This year there was enormous interest in participating in this initiative, and we are pleased that these issues celebrate the work of extraordinary women across the broad field of materials science.
Silver Medal at the ISGS PhD Thesis Award 2024 goes to Andrea Montero Oleas
January 26th, 2026
We congratulate Andrea Montero Oleas, who earned her PhD at the LSMF in 2024, under joint supervision by Dr. Sara Aldabe (UBA) and Dr. Xavier Cattoën (UGA), on receiving the Silver Medal at the ISGS PhD Thesis Award 2024, a prestigious distinction granted by the International Sol-Gel Society (ISGS) to doctoral theses with outstanding contributions to sol–gel chemistry and related fields.
Her doctoral work focused on the synthesis of gold-core nanoparticles coated with mesoporous silica for protein loading and light-triggered controlled release. The solid body of work developed by Andrea represents an innovative advance with significant potential applications in biotechnology and biomaterials. This research was recognized for its scientific impact and for opening new strategies in the field of materials science.
Congratulations, Andrea, on this well-deserved recognition! 👏
