Atmospheric Chemistry, Air Quality and Photochemistry.

The FOTOAIR research group began to come together at the beginning of the 1990s, and is currently a pioneering group in our country in the assembly and use of experimental techniques of fast gas-phase kinetics applied to the study of problems of interest in atmospheric chemistry. The group has extensive experience in the field of atmospheric photochemistry, especially in the experimental determination of rate constants of chemical processes of atmospheric interest through the use of pulsed laser photolysis techniques, as well as in the study of reaction mechanisms and the quantification of reaction products using atmospheric simulation chambers (or smog chambers). He also has experience in the use of different spectroscopic techniques for the measurement of pollutants and the evaluation of air quality at different locations in the region.

In 2010, a new research line was created in the FOTOAIR group. It is dedicated to the gas-phase kinetic study of reactions of great interest in astrophysics, in particular in the interstellar medium (T = 10-100 K). For this purpose, a pulsed CRESU (Cinétique de Réaction en Ecoulement Supersonique Uniforme) system was built, initially to meet the objectives of the national CONSOLIDER-INGENIO2009 (ASTROMOL) project, and subsequently to meet the objectives of the Synergy ERC NANOCOSMOS project. Only a few research groups worldwide are dedicated to the study of kinetics at ultra-low temperatures, due to the complexity of the experimental systems required. This new line of research therefore has a major impact on the astrophysical community.

Recently, with the creation of the Faculty of Pharmacy and the recruitment of two professors who are part of the group, new lines of research have been developed to apply the experience in the field of photochemistry to problems of biological and pharmacological interest.

The research group has been continuously funded since its formation by different national, international and regional programmes. Mainly by the National Biodiversity and Global Change Programme, within the key actions of the National Sub-programme for Atmosphere, Climate and Climate Change. It has also been financed by two European projects (ref. ENV4-CT97-0410 and EVK2-CT-1999-00033) of the IV and V European Union Framework Programmes (Periods: 1998-1999 and 2000-2003, respectively), corresponding to “Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development”, in the key action 2: “Global Change, Climate and Biodiversity”. The research has also been funded by the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha from the beginning within the framework and key actions considered in the PRINCET, in its Environmental Programme (Key Action: Climate Change and Air Pollution). In addition, it is worth highlighting its participation in a CONSOLIDER project in the field of Astrophysics and in a European project SINERGY GRANT. This is the first project of this type led by a Spanish researcher within the 7th Framework Programme and the first in which the University of Castilla-La Mancha participates.

Group members

Group leaders

José Albaladejo Pérez

University Professor. Department of Physical Chemistry. Faculty of Chemical Sciences and Technologies of Ciudad Real. Spain.

E-mail: jose.albaladejo@uclm.es

ORCID: 0000-0001-8776-6807

Researcher ID: N-3557-2014

BSc in Chemistry from the University of Murcia (1984). He carried out his PhD at the same university (1987) in the field of Electrochemistry, developing new instrumental kinetic techniques. In 1989, he joined the Faculty of Chemical Sciences of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) as a temporary Lecturer and since 2003 he is Full Professor of Physical Chemistry at that center. He has been director of the Department of Physical Chemistry during the period 1998-2017. In 1992, he completed a one-year post-doctoral stay in the group of Dr David Husain at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), initiating the use of flash and laser photolysis techniques in the field of gas phase chemical kinetics. Since his arrival at UCLM, he participated in the creation of the experimental research group in Chemistry and Atmospheric Pollution, led by Professor Ernesto Martínez. Currently, together with Professor Elena Jiménez, he leads the consolidated research group of the UCLM called Atmospheric Chemistry, Air Quality and Photochemistry (FOTOAIR), which has contributed to the development of novel and complex experimental kinetic techniques in Spain. The research lines developed by the group have focused on the fields of atmospheric chemistry, astrochemistry, photophysics of biological systems and fluorescent photosensors. The research carried out has been funded by different European, national and regional projects, the results of which have been reflected in different doctoral theses, as well as, in presentations at numerous international conferences and in the publication of more than a hundred articles in prestigious international journals.

Elena Jiménez Martínez

Full professor in Chemistry. Department of Physical Chemistry Faculty of Chemical Sciences and Technologies of Ciudad Real (Spain).

E-mail: Elena.Jimenez@uclm.es

ORCID: 0000-0002-6302-0346

Researchgate: ww.researchgate.net/profile/Elena-Jimenez-3/5

Born in Valencia, she graduated (1994) and obtained her PhD (2001) in Chemistry at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM). Since then, she has been linked to the UCLM in different teaching positions until obtaining the position of University Professor (2019). Since 2009, she has been the deputy head of the Department of Physical Chemistry at the UCLM. Her teaching activity has focused on core, compulsory and optional subjects of 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycle of several curricula. He has also participated in international schools such as Astrochemistry’s Cool. An International School of Astrochemistry (2014). Currently, he teaches in the degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and in the Master’s Degree in Chemistry Research at the Faculty of Chemical Sciences and Technologies of Ciudad Real.

During her postdoctoral stay (2001-2002) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Boulder (Colorado, USA), she worked with Prof. A. R. Ravishankara, a reference in Chemistry of the Atmosphere, where she was hired as a Research Associate by the University of Colorado-CIRES. There, she was hired as a Research Associate at the University of Colorado-CIRES, where she created a research line dedicated to the study, using laser techniques, of the reactivity of the main atmospheric oxidant. After almost 20 years, this line of research is still very active and fruitful, with several doctoral theses having been defended and numerous articles published. In 2010, he established a second line of research dedicated to the study of reactive processes of interest in the Chemistry of the Interstellar Medium, which, despite its youth, is already a reference at national and international level. Since 1997, she has participated continuously in projects with internal, regional, national and international funding, being involved in several European projects. Currently, at UCLM, she is leading the European Synergy Grant project NANOCOSMOS and the regional project CINEMOL. In addition, at national and international level, she has evaluated research projects, teaching posts and doctoral theses.

Permanent teaching and research staff

Bernabé Ballesteros Ruiz

Lecturer in Chemistry Department of Physical Chemistry Faculty of Chemical Science and Technology, Ciudad Real (Spain).

E-mail: bernabe.ballesteros@uclm.es

ORCID: 0000-0003-4853-9956

Researchgate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Bernabe-Ballesteros

PhD and Degree in Chemical Sciences from the UCLM, and Technical Engineer in Computer Systems from the UNED. Professor at the UCLM since 1993.

He has taught in the different degrees of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Food Technology in the Faculty of Science and Chemical Technologies of the UCLM, and in the Master’s Degree in Research in Chemistry.

His research activity began with spectroscopic studies using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) of van der Waals complexes at very low temperatures in a supersonic molecular jet. Then he started working in the field of Atmospheric Chemistry studying the kinetics of the reactions of different radicals (OH, Cl) with volatile organic compounds present in the troposphere. He is currently immersed in the study of the kinetics of different radicals (OH, CN) with organic compounds present in the interstellar medium at very low temperatures (of the order of 10 K) in a CRESU.

Andrés Garzón Ruiz

Lecturer in Chemistry. Department of Physical Chemistry. Faculty of Pharmacy of Albacete (Spain).

E-mail: Andres.Garzon@uclm.es

ORCID: 0000-0002-0077-4562

Scopus Author ID: 36143808600

Andrés Garzón Ruiz, Degree in Chemistry from the University of Jaén and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM). Lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the UCLM since July 2010. He has taught in various fields of Physical Chemistry, especially in the branches of Thermodynamics and Chemical Kinetics applied to Pharmacy.

His current lines of research are focused on the development of fluorescent biosensors for biological systems for FLIM microscopy and the study of drug-protein interactions using various fluorescence spectroscopy tools. He is also involved in theoretical-experimental work aimed at unravelling the photophysical deactivation mechanisms of various fluorophores.

Iván Bravo Pérez

Lecturer in Chemistry. Department of Physical Chemistry. Faculty of Pharmacy of Albacete (Spain).

E-mail: ivan.bravo@uclm.es

ORCID: 0000-0003-1589-5399

Researchgate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Ivan-Bravo-3

Scholar Google: https://scholar.google.es/citations

Degree and PhD in CC. D. in Chemistry from the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM). Since 2011 he is a lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the UCLM teaching Chemistry-Physics applied to the Pharmaceutical field in areas such as Transport and Surface Phenomena, Chemical Kinetics or Photophysics applied to Biological systems.

He is currently developing research lines in the Faculty of Pharmacy focused on the design of new fluorescent biosensors for FLIM microscopy; applied nanotechnology for the development, distribution and monitoring of drugs; and design of new fluorescent materials for biomedical and therapeutic applications.

Cristina Martin Alvarez

Interim Associate Professor. Department of Physical Chemistry. Faculty of Pharmacy, Albacete (Spain).

E-mail: cristina.malvarez@uclm.es

ORCID: 0000-0002-7588-8759

Scopus Author ID: 57212178634

Researchgate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Cristina-Martin-Alvarez

Google Scholar: www.scholar.google.com/citations

Cristina Martín, graduated in Chemistry at the Complutense University of Madrid (2009), did her PhD thesis at the University of Castilla la-Mancha in the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology PhD programme under the supervision of Prof. Douhal and Prof. Cohen (2014). Subsequently, through a postdoctoral stay she was part of Prof. Hofkens’ group at the University of KU Leuven (2015-2019). Since 2019 she is linked to the FOTOAIR group, initially through an assistant professor contract (Faculty of Pharmacy at the Albacete campus), and currently as an interim PhD contract professor.

During all this time, his line of research has focused on the study of photophysical and photochemical processes resolved in time (from the femtosecond to the second) and space (from ensemble averaging to individual molecules) with the aim of understanding and improving the functioning of new materials with applications in fields as diverse as optoelectronic devices, catalysts, optical sensors or drug transport and release processes.

In terms of teaching, since the beginning of her doctoral thesis, she has taught both practical and theoretical subjects in different degrees of the UCLM (Environmental Sciences, Biochemistry and Pharmacy). In addition, during her years as a postdoctoral student, she participated in the teaching of different subjects in the Masters in Bioscience Engineering as well as in the Masters in Biophysics, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, both belonging to the University of KU Leuven.

María Antiñolo Navas

Lecturer in Chemistry Department of Physical Chemistry Faculty of Chemical Science and Technology, Ciudad Real (Spain).

E-mail: Maria.Antinolo@uclm.es

ORCID: 0000-0001-6769-0470

ResearcherID: F-5506-2019

ResearchGate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Maria-Antinolo

She graduated in Chemistry (2007) in the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) and completed her PhD (2011) in the same university funded by a research fellowship of the Spanish government (FPU Fellowship). During her thesis, she studied the atmospheric reactivity of fluorinated alcohols and aldehydes to evaluate their use as possible substitutes of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). She did, then, a postdoctoral stay in University of Toronto (Canada) (2012-2014), by means of a postdoctoral fellowship provided by Fundación Ramón Areces. During this stay, she performed studies about the toxicity of different atmospheric particles through the formation of reactive oxygen species. Back to UCLM, she was awarded with a postdoctoral contract named “contrato de Acceso al Sistema Español de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación” funded by UCLM (2015-2020). During this period, she focused in the kinetic and product study of several gas-phase reactions. Moreover, she supervised some undergraduate dissertations of the Chemistry degree and some master’s Theses of the Master on Chemical Research of the Faculty of Chemical Science and Technology of UCLM. Currently, she is an assistant professor at the School of Industrial and Aerospace Engineering in Toledo, where she teaches Chemistry and Environmental Technology in the following degrees: Electric Engineering, Electronic and Automatic Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering. Her teaching activity is carried out simultaneously with her work in a research project funded by the regional government, REATOS, in which she is the principal investigator and in which she studies the reactivity of phthalates, both in the gas-phase and on surfaces, with different atmospheric oxidants.

Francisco Javier Poblete

Lecturer in Chemistry Department of Physical Chemistry Faculty of Chemical Science and Technology, Ciudad Real (Spain).

E-mail: FcoJavier.Poblete@uclm.es

ORCID: 0000-0002-2149-4826

ResearcherID:

ResearchGate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Francisco-Javier-Poblete

Degree and PhD in Chemical Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1984 and 1989 respectively. His doctoral thesis focused on the field of chemical kinetics of oxidation-reduction processes. Interim lecturer in the area of Physical Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemical Sciences of the University of Castilla-La Mancha from 1990 until he became a tenured lecturer at the same Faculty in 2001. He has participated in more than 24 research projects, has supervised eight doctoral theses, has 38 publications and two patents, one of them international.

The research lines developed have focused on the kinetic study of oxidations of organic products of interest, catalysed or not, both in homogeneous and heterogeneous media, in order to know in detail their reaction mechanisms and, in this way, to control them. Recently, his research has focused on the degradation of food additives, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, aerosols, etc. by the action of different oxidising agents. The oxidant currently used is peroxynitrite, as it is part of the nitrosative and oxidative stress processes in animals, forming part of numerous biological processes. In addition, this oxidant is involved in the oxidation processes of atmospheric volatile organic compounds in cloud microdroplets.