Xtreme materials lab

Our laboratory focuses on the design, manufacturing and crystallography of materials for applications in extreme environments. Our focus is broad, and encompasses the study of ceramics (carbides, borides and oxides) and metals. Currently, we have projects on the design of radiation detectors, materials for ultra-high temperature applications, luminescent ceramics, and biomaterials (particularly hydroxyapatite), among others.

PUBLICATION UPDATES

May 28, 2026

Congratulations to Alan for the publication of his first paper as a doctoral student: "Crystallography and defect structure of alkaline-earth hexaborides-CaB₆, SrB₆, and BaB₆─doped with lithium" (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6c00188) in Inorganic Chemistry. In this study, we explored the effects of lithium doping on the structure of three alkaline-earth hexaborides. Lithium incorporation was characterized using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and X-ray diffraction analyses, demonstrating a systematic expansion of the cubic lattice with increasing lithium concentration. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that lithium doping induces distinct surface pitting and localized lattice distortions. Solid-state ⁷Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provided deeper insight into the lithium coordination environments. Our analyses establish a foundational understanding of alkali metal doping behavior in boron-rich ceramics and highlight the structural role of lithium as a dopant in hexaboride systems, supporting future investigations into how lithium incorporation may influence electronic properties.

February 21, 2026

Congratulations to Arturo for the publication of his first paper as a doctoral student: "Charge compensation, structural response, and dopant distribution in Eu³⁺-doped hydroxyapatite: A density functional theory study" (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssc.2026.125894) in the Journal of Solid State Chemistry. This study aims to deepen the understanding of the structure and energetics of europium-doped HAp through ab initio simulations at low dopant concentrations. Using density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation, we conducted calculations on 352-atom supercells of both undoped and europium-doped HAp. We explored the behavior of trivalent europium (Eu³⁺) and its effect on the HAp crystal lattice, focusing on Eu/[Eu + Ca] atomic ratios up to 0.05.

February 1, 2026

Congratulations to our lab's outstanding post-doctoral researcher, Dr. Fabián Martínez, for the recent publication of his study "Osteogenic potential and hemocompatibility of rare-earth doped hydroxyapatite in murine pre-osteoblast cells" (https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.5c01417) in ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering. In this study, we describe the osteogenic potential and hemocompatibility of rare-earth-doped hydroxyapatite in a murine preosteoblastic (MC3T3-E1) cell line, aiming to assess the osteoblast differentiation effect of ytterbium-, terbium-, cerium-, and europium-doped hydroxyapatite through alkaline phosphatase activity and the expression levels of osteogenic marker genes, including Runx2, ALP, OPN, and BMP2. These findings demonstrate the potential of Eu- and Yb-doped hydroxyapatites as bioactive materials for bone regeneration.