ANGEL
MARTIN MARTINEZ

I completed my PhD at the University of Valladolid in 2006 under the supervision of Prof. M. J. Cocero, funded by a scholarship from the Spanish government. The topic of the dissertation was “Precipitation Processes with Supercritical Fluids: Mathematical Modeling and Experimental Validation.” After completing my PhD, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Group of Physical Chemistry and Molecular Thermodynamics at TU Delft (The Netherlands), carrying out an 11-month research stay under the supervision of Prof. Cor J. Peters. The main research topic during this period was the development of solid-state hydrogen storage materials based on clathrate hydrates, working on the development of a new thermodynamic model to complement the available experimental data. In 2009, I was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany, completing a 12-month research period at the Ruhr University Bochum under the supervision of Prof. Eckhard Weidner. During this period, I worked on the development of innovative processes for the formulation of natural and pharmaceutical substances through the drying of aqueous solutions with supercritical fluids. After my period in Germany, I applied to the Ramón y Cajal selection program of the Spanish Ministry of Science. Following the stabilization process after completion of this contract, I successfully passed successive competitive examinations until becoming Full Professor in 2021. During this stage, I continued focusing my research on the development and characterization of new materials and formulations, with three main application areas: hydrogen storage materials, materials for CO2 capture and conversion, and formulations of natural and pharmaceutical active compounds. In the first area, I developed new hydrogen storage materials based on aerogels as supports for nanoconfined hydrides as solid-state hydrogen storage materials, which are also susceptible to microwave heating for hydrogen release. This research led to the development of a commercialization plan that received several awards and recognitions: the regional VIVERO Award, and the international Model2Market and Yuzz awards. This line of research also received the 2024 Domingo Martínez Foundation Award in the field of materials. In the field of CO2 conversion, I developed a hydrothermal process for the conversion of CO2 into useful products such as formic acid, including the development of new catalytic materials and new reactors. Recent key milestones in the development of this project include the experimental demonstration of a simultaneous biomass liquefaction and CO2 conversion process under hydrothermal conditions, operating with real biomass samples, and the development of a continuous-flow tubular reactor, a unique facility for this technology. These achievements were recognized with the first prize of the Naturgy Foundation for research and technological innovation in the energy field (2023), and the Iberdrola Award for the best research project (2024). In the field of natural and pharmaceutical product formulations, I have worked on the development of alternative processes for the extraction of active compounds from natural matrices, such as supercritical fluid extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, and microwave-assisted extraction. I have also worked on the development of formulations to improve the stability and bioavailability of active substances such as quercetin, curcumin, and other antioxidants from plants such as açaí and hierba serpiente, using advanced formulation techniques based on supercritical fluids