Nanodevice Engineering
for a Better Chemical Gas Sensing Technology

Project Principal

Dr. Juan Daniel Prades García (Barcelona, 1982) is Degree in Physics (2005) and Degree in Electronic Engineering (2009), Master in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (2007), and Doctor in Nanoscience (2nd February 2009) by the University of Barcelona. His Ph.D Thesis, entitled “Modelling of the Chemical and Light Interactions in Individual Metal Oxide Nanowires for Sensing Applications” and carried out under the supervision of Dr. Albert Cirera, was qualified cum laude and was awarded with the Honors Doctorate by the Univesity of Barcelona.

His Ph.D research, developed from 2005 to 2009, was funded by 2 competitive grants obtained in regional and national public calls (Beca de Formació de Personal Investigador, and Beca de Formación de Profesorado Universitario).

In February 2009, he started his postdoctoral activity in the Catalonia Ins titute for Energy Research (IREC), where he was hired as a postdoctoral researcher for 6.5 months. This contract finished when he won his current position as a Lecturer Professor at the Department of Electronics of the University of Barcelona in public open competition. This position implies research as well as lecturing duties in Degree, Master and Doctorate programs. He has independently supervised 10 Degree and Master Theses, as well as 4 Doctorate Thesis (Dr. Carlos López Gandara, Dr. Nuria Garcia Castello, Dr. Martin Hoffmann, Dr. Sergio Illera). Currently, he personally supervises the work of 2 more Ph.D students. Along his career he has participated in 3 European Projects (NANOS4 MMP4-CT-2003-001528, S3 NMP-2009-1.2-3 247768, EuNetAir COST Action TD1105) and in more than 15 National Projects.

Since 2007, he has published 65 articles in international, peer-reviewed, journals.These works signify activities initiated independently by the PI with different national and international groups, as demonstrated by the great diversity of co-authors. Overall, his published work has received more than 1300 citations and his h-factor is currently 22 (source ISI WoK, excluding self-citations). Additionally, he has co-authored 8 book chapters and more than 180 contributions to conferences, with 18 invited talks in peer-reviewed international conferences.

In parallel, he has also carried out technology transfer activities with the industry, participating in 12 R&D contracts. He holds the co-authorship of 3 Spanish Patents, transferred and extended to several European countries and 1 German Patent. He has also funded a spin-off company, Electronic Nanosystems (2008), awarded with the prestigious Solvay Prize 2008. Recently, his valorisation and technology transfer activities have been recognized with the VALORTEC 2011 Prize of the Regional Government of Catalonia.

These activities have obtained the maximum qualifications in internal and National evaluations. Finally, it is worth mentioning that he serves as frequent reviewer for well-reputed scientific journals such as Applied Physics Letters, Journal of the American Chemical Society, ACS Nano, Nanotechnology, Journal of Physical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Journal of Applied Physics, Sensors and Actuators B, among others.

Concerning his research in an international context, he has independently developed new and stable collaborations with groups in:

Germany:

University of Cologne, Depart. of Inorg. Chem., Prof. Sanjay Mathur
EADS Innovation (Munich), Dr. Gerhard Müller
Tech. Univ. Braunschweig, Inst. for Semicond. Tech., Prof. Andreas Waag

Austria:

Tech. Univ. of Vienna, Inst. of Materials Chemistry, Dr. Sven Barth

Italy:

University of Turin, Depart. of Chemistry, Prof. Roberto Orlando
Nat. Research Council (CNRS), Inst. for Microelectronics & Microsystems (Lecce), Dr. Mauro Epifani

USA:

Univ. Southern California, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, Prof. Jia Grace Lu
Univ. of California, Irvine, Prof. Reg Penner

In order to boost these collaborations, he has expended more than 10 months abroad in the following research stays during his postdoctoral period:

Institution: Group of Prof. Dr. S. Mathur, Depart. of Inorganic Chem., University of Cologne

City: Cologne Country: Germany Years: 2010-2011 Duration: 9 months

Topic: Fabrication and test of gas sensors featuring low-power consumption. Post-doctoral fellowship to stay abroad from DAAD (German Government)

Institution: EADS Innovation Works, Dr. G. Müller

City: Munich Country: Germany

Year: 2011 Duration: 1.5 months

Topic: Development of surface ionization sensors in the framework of the EU S3 Project. Post-doctoral fellowship funded by 7th EU Framework Program.

Additionally, he has realized many short-time stays in other research centers in Germany, France, Russia, Italy, as a result of his participation in European Projects.

As a member of the Department of Electronics, he is ascribed to the Group of Micro-Nanotechnologies and Nanoscopies for Electron and Optoelectronic Devices (MIND), in which he leads the research in design, modelling and characterization of nanodevices for sensing applications. The research of his current work-group, formed by 2 postdoctoral young researchers and 2 Ph.D students, is funded by personal national fellowships and by the projects enlisted below.

His research interests are centred in the development of novel device concepts with better and new performances by means of integrating nanomaterials in conventional microelectronic systems. During his career, he has personally worked in synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials, hybrid integration and measurement in nanodevices, design of application-specific electronic instrumentation and multiscale modelling (carried out in the facilities of the National Network of Supercomputing, since 2009). His multidisplinary education have allowed him to address scientific and technological issues that go from fundamental research to engineering in Physics, Chemistry, Electronics and Nanotechnology. In this sense, the PI’s publications record demonstrates his ability to independently produce new, leading-edge, ideas in these fields.

From the point of view of management, he has been Principal Investigator in 5 R&D Contracts with the industry, devoted to materials deposition and characterization, device test and application-specific electronic design, and in 2 National Projects funded in competitive calls:

Acronym: XaNaGAuto.

Funding Agency: Catalan ACC1Ó – FEDER Funds

Project ID: VALTEC09-2-0053 Budget: 100.000€ Start: 2010 Finish: 2011

Topic: Development of gas monitoring networks of low-power self-heated nanowire sensors.

Acronym: Kit-Alzheimer

Funding Agency: Spanish Ministry of Science Project ID: IPT-2011-1055-900000 Budget: 108.062,50 Start: 2011 Finish: 2014

Topic: Development of an electronic interface for a new early diagnoses kit for Alzheimer disease.

He is also Manager of the Committee for Training Schools of the EuNetAir COST Action TD1105.