Researchers from the GMT group took part in the MZT conference held this year in Pamplona. Ainara Saralegi, Arantxa Eceiza, Ander Larruscain, Jabier Mendizabal and Maialen Guerra participated in the MZT conference. Their contributions addressed recyclable thermosetting polyurethanes for adhesive applications, electrospun and functionalised polyurethane nanofibres, tannins extracted from local pine bark, alginate obtained from seaweed collected on the Basque coast, and photoactive g-C₃N₄/PEDOT:PSS thin films.

Over recent weeks, researchers from the Materials + Technologies Group (GMT) at the EHU have participated in several national and international conferences.

At Coatings Science International (CoSI), Ainara Saralegi presented a study on acrylated lignin nanoparticles as bio-based reactive diluents in UV-curable waterborne polyurethane-acrylate coatings.

At the CNMAT 2026 conference, Josefina Mariné presented a paper on NIPU-assisted electrospinning for the development of reactive nanofibre membranes using click chemistry.

Finally, at ECCM22, Arantxa Eceiza presented a study on recyclable and reprocessable NIPTU composites reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

These activities contribute to disseminating GMT’s research results and strengthening collaboration with the national and international scientific community.

Two researchers from the Materials + Technologies Research Group (GMT) defended their doctoral theses in July 2026.

On 10 July 2026, Ana Cristina Restrepo Montoya defended her doctoral thesis entitled “Dynamic Diels–Alder chemistry in biobased polyurethane networks: from renewable feedstocks to reprocessable thermosets”, supervised by Dr Ainara Saralegi Otamendi and Dr Arantxa Eceiza Mendiguren.

The research focuses on the development of renewable polyurethane networks based on dynamic Diels–Alder chemistry. This strategy enables the preparation of thermally reprocessable thermosetting materials, contributing to the development of more sustainable polymeric materials.

On 13 July 2026, Ane Rivas Zúñiga defended her doctoral thesis entitled “Mechano-enzymatic production of nano/microcellulose and its application in neat and model drug-loaded spun fibers”, supervised by Dr Borja Fernández d’Arlas Bidegain and Dr Arantxa Eceiza Mendiguren.

The thesis investigates the production of nano- and microcellulose through mechano-enzymatic processes and its subsequent application in spun fibres, both as neat systems and as fibres incorporating model drugs.

The GMT Research Group warmly congratulates Ana Cristina and Ane on their achievements and on the successful completion of their doctoral studies. We wish them every success in their future scientific and professional careers.

The 12th edition of the International Conference ‘Green Chemistry and Nanotechnologies in Polymeric Materials’ (GCNPM 2026) has come to an end. It has been an honour to spend these past few days with all the participants, thank you very much to everyone!

It has been a pleasure for the GMT research group to provide a forum bringing together researchers ranging from early-career scientists to those with more experience to discuss the latest developments in the field of green chemistry and polymer science.

We are pleased to announce that the `Materials + Technologies´ Group (GMT) at EHU will host GCNPM 2026 – Green Chemistry and Nanotechnologies in Polymeric Materials in Donostia–San Sebastian from 15 to 17 June 2026.

Key information

• Conference dates: 15–17 June 2026.
• Abstract submission: Decembre 1, 2025-March 15, 2026.
• Registration: open on April 1.
• Venue: School of Engineering of Gipuzkoa - EHU, Donostia–San Sebastián.
• Topics: green chemistry, polymeric materials, nanomaterials, sustainable processing, and applications.

More information: CONFERENCE WEB

The researcher from our group, Ander Larruscain Garate, participated in the Composites 2026 International Conference, held in Lisbon from 8 to 12 April. During the conference, he presented the work entitled “PBAT composites reinforced with Latxa sheep wool and tannins for sustainable fishing and agricultural applications” as an oral presentation.

Predoctoral researcher Maialen Guerra took part in the PhD Day conference, held on April 23-24 at the Faculty of Chemistry in Donostia/San Sebastián. She presented a poster entitled “The Influence of Composition and Coupling Approaches on g‑C3N4/PEDOT:PSS Hybrid Thin Films”.

The Materials + Technologies (GMT) research group has developed a more sustainable material for denim abrasion and is analysing its potential for use in other types of substrates. It has been found that the sand obtained by crushing mussel shells has better abrasive properties than other materials used by the textile industry. In addition, it is also more circular, as waste is converted into raw material.

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We are proud that Cristina Peña has been recognized with the award granted by the Department of Sustainability, which highlights the leadership of women who promote the circular economy, academic innovation, and social action to build a fairer and more sustainable future within the academic and university context. This recognition reinforces the importance of connecting knowledge generation, technology transfer, and commitment to society.

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The researchers from our group, María Gabriela Rodríguez and María del Mar Cammarata, took part in the MADPOL 2025 – Madrid Symposium on Polymers, held in Alcalá de Henares from November 12th to 14th. They presented the works ‘Influence of a Reactive Diluent on the Properties of UV-Curable Waterborne Polyurethane Acrylate Coatings’ and ‘Synthesis of High-Molecular-Weight Non-Isocyanate Polyurethanes Enabling Electrospinning’, as a poster and an oral presentation, respectively.

‘today's waste will be the new materials of the future’, ‘linear systems will be circularised’, ‘we will recycle with added value’, ‘we will promote reuse’, ‘we will raise awareness in society’ and ‘we will be more sustainable’

For all this to happen, it is necessary to generate a public network of available waste and developed solutions. This is what Naturklima, the climate change foundation of Gipuzkoa promoted by the Department of Sustainability of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, has done.

The library of materials, Materiategi LabNK, was inaugurated on 29 May. It is located in the Naturklima building and is a pioneering infrastructure at regional and national level.   It has samples of materials representative of the circular economy, produced in Gipuzkoa by companies, research centres and other entities. Among its objectives is the cataloguing of materials representative of the circular economy made in Gipuzkoa and the Basque Country and the promotion of new challenges in the circular economy.

In addition, remote access to Materiategi LabNK is enabled. The website contains a digital file for each of the materials stored in the library.

From GMT we have participated and continue to collaborate with Naturklima to provide solutions for polymeric waste such as polyamide fishing nets, waste collected from the sea of high density polyethylene, waste from the processing of recycled polyolefin beams, in collaboration with Jolas; polyurethane ear tags and wool from latxa sheep. Some of the proposals we have presented : filaments, both polyamide and HDPE for the textile industry, as well as polyurethane+latxa sheep wool composite filament for 3D printing; polyurethane membranes with TiO2 nanoparticles; thermosetting polyurethane based on renewable polyols, developed in collaboration with Tecnalia.

Researchers from the GMT group took part in the MZT conference held this year in Pamplona. Ainara Saralegi, Arantxa Eceiza, Ander Larruscain, Jabier Mendizabal and Maialen Guerra participated in the MZT conference. Their contributions addressed recyclable thermosetting polyurethanes for adhesive applications, electrospun and functionalised polyurethane nanofibres, tannins extracted from local pine bark, alginate obtained from seaweed collected on the Basque coast, and photoactive g-C₃N₄/PEDOT:PSS thin films.

We are proud to share that our GMT group leader, Prof. A. Eceiza, has been recognized among the top 500 female researchers in the CSIC ranking. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!

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