Institut Charles Sadron Membre
Amparo Ruiz Carretero
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- Equipe : SYCOMMOR
Main research topics
My research career has been inspired mainly by two fascinating scientific fields: supramolecular chemistry and organic electronics. The combination of both has given rise to supramolecular electronics, which bridges the gap between molecular and plastic electronics, through the formation of supramolecular semiconducting structures. In this sense, supramolecular chemistry provides the tools to achieve highly organized structures with superior properties than those of the monomers. The supramolecular structures arise through reversible bonds, such as hydrogen-bonding and or/ other noncovalent interactions, establishing supramolecular order at the required scale for the operation of organic electronic devices. Apart from attaining the required structures for electronic communication, the molecular design is equally important. Not only molecules with appropriate optoelectronic properties should be designed, but they should have the ability to self-assemble into challenging shapes and dimensions. More recently, our research efforts are focused on contributing with solutions to the threatening energy crisis. Particularly, we want to contribute by reducing some of the key problems found in organic photovoltaic devices. To do this, we have imported the Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) effect from the field of spintronics and we are introducing it into chiral supramolecular structures. In this case, supramolecular chemistry meets the power of chirality to provide directionality to charges and increase photovoltaic device efficiency.
I completed my thesis on the preparation of systems with multiple hydrogen bonds and self-assembly of pi-conjugated systems templated by DNA. Then, I continued my research at the interface of chemistry and physical-chemistry. During my postdoc in Northwestern University (Chicago, USA), I worked on the fabrication of organic solar cells using hydrogen-bonded semiconductors. These studies showed that it is possible to increase the efficiency of solar cells by 50% when hydrogen bonds are present in the molecular structure of the semiconductors. However, there is still no clear answer regarding the advantages of hydrogen bonds in organic photovoltaics. Since my recruitment at the CNRS in 2015 (although I officially started in 2016), I continued my research in the field of hydrogen-bonded semiconducting materials and I have started a systematic study to know the influence of multiple parameters in the formation of hydrogen-bonding and their impact in organic electronic devices. Thanks to the funding I obtained (see below), it was possible to put together a great group of young researchers, PhDs and postdocs, who are working very hard to demonstrate the powerful effect of supramolecular chemistry in the field of organic electronics. All our work is very important to pursue a long-term scientific goal: improving organic electronic devices from the supramolecular level and contribute with alternatives to the energy crisis.
For a full list of publications: https://scholar.google.fr/citations?user=5cNkTK8AAAAJ&hl-en
We are very lucky to collaborate with very inspirational researchers, not only from our institute, but also from France, Europe and the rest of the world (see below).
I am currently the head of the SYCOMMOR team (since October 2022) and I hope to continue keeping the cohesion of the group, the interactions among all the members, improving the education of young researchers and making our team very inclusive, where all of us have the best opportunities to pursue our research.
If you want to see our main research projects, the members of the small group of researchers working on these particular topics and where the former members are currently, please keep scrolling.
Education
2021 - Habilitation to direct resesarch (HDR): "Total landscape of hydrogen-bonding and supramolecular chirality in organic electronics". University of Strasbourg (France).
2005-2009 -- PhD: "Sustainable synthesis of triazine derivatives and analogues with applications in supramolecular chemistry". University of Castilla - La Mancha (Spain). Supervised by Prof. Ana M. Sanchez-Migallon and Prof. Antonio de la Hoz.
2000-2005 -- Chemistry degree. Graduated as valedictorian.
Research experience
09/2023-present -- Visiting researcher (Doctora Vinculada) Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM, CSIC)
2022-present -- Responsible of the SYCOMMOR (SYstemes COmplexes MOleculaires ta Macromoleculaires ORganises) team
2016 - present -- Chargee de Recherche Classe Normal, CNRS. Institute Charles Sadron, Strasbourg (France). Team SYCOMMOR (SYstemes COmplexes Moleculaires et Macromoleculaires ORganises)
2013-2015 -- Postdoctoral researcher. Institute of Science and Supramolecular Engineering (ISIS), Strasbourg (France). Prof. Luisa De Cola. Awarded with a Marie Curie IEF 2013.
2010-2012 -- Postdoctoral researcher. Northwestern University (Chicago, USA). Prof. Samule I. Stupp. Funded by "Junta de Comunidades de Castilla - La Mancha" (Spain)
2009-2010 -- Postdoctoral researcher. Technical University of Eindhoven (The Netherlands). Prof. E. W. Meijer and Prof. A. P. H. J. Schenning.
2008 -- Visiting scholar. Technical University of Eindhoven (The Netherlands). Prof. E. W. Meijer and Prof. A. P. H. J. Schenning.
2007 -- Visiting scholar. Technical University of Eindhoven (The Netherlands). Prof. E. W. Meijer and Prof. A. P. H. J. Schenning.
2005 -- Internship at Castilla - La Mancha University (Spain)
Supervision
Postdocs (5)
Dr. Chenchen Wang (China) (2024-present) -- Postdoc Make Our Planet Great Again (collaboration with Prof. G. Cuniberti, Technical University Dresden, Germany)
Dr. Ana Maria Garcia (Spain) (2020-2021, USIAS) -- Currently Maria Zambrano fellow at the University of Castilla - La Mancha (Spain)
Dr. Joshua Humphreys (UK) (2021-2022, ANR JC) -- Currently lecturer at Imperial College (UK)
Dr. Kyeong-Im Hong (South Korea) (2022-present, USIAS) -- Currently postdoc joining me at ICMM, CSIC
Dr. Christian Carmona Vargas (Colombia) (2022-present, ANR JC) -- Currently postdoc at University of Rouen
PhD students (4)
Dr. Swann Militzer (France) (2016-2019, IRTG) co-supervised with Philippe Mesini -- Currently, student of patent law
Dr. Nelson Ricardo Avila-Rovelo (Honduras) (2018-2021, LabEx Emerging Investigator) -- Currently postdoc at ICPEES (Strasbourg)
Gabriel Martinez Alvarez (Colombia) (2020-2023, Complex Systems Chemistry Graduate School fellowship) -- Currently postdoc at BASF (Strabourg)
Imrane Id-Boubrik (France) (2021-2024, ANR JC)
Master sduents (10)
From left to right: Dr. Ana M. Garcia, Gabriel Martinez, Dr. Nelson Ricardo Avila-Rovelo, Dr. Amparo Ruiz-Carretero, Dr. Swann Militzer, Dr. Joshua Humphreys
Awards and Fellowships
2023 -- CNRS Bronze Medal: https://www.cnrs.fr/fr/personne/amparo-ruiz-carretero
2020 -- University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Science (USIAS) fellow. Together with Prof. Shu Seki (Kyoto University)
2020 -- 7th Young European Scientist (YES) Workshop. European Polymer Federation
2016-2020 -- Scientific Excellence Prime CNRS
2013-2015 -- Marie Curie IEF postdoctoral fellowship
2010-2012 -- Postdoctoral fellowship (Spanish government)
2005-2009 -- Predoctoral national fellowship. Ministry of Science and Education (Spain)
2005 -- Promotion Valedictorian
Major collaborations
Prof. Shu Seki -- Electronic screening with electrodeless techniques. CISS effect studies, Kyoto University (Japan)
Prof. Hai Wang -- TeraHertz spectroscopy on supramolecular polymers and halogenated semiconductors. MaxPlanck Institute for Polymer Research (Mainz, Germany)
Prof. Rocio Ponce -- Organic field effect transistors fabricated with supramolecular polymers. University of Malaga (Spain)
Dr. Nicolas Blanchard and Dr. Vincent Bizet -- Fluorination of hydrogen-bonded supramolecular polymers. Laboratoire d'Innovation Moleculaire et Applications (LIMA), University of Strasbourg (France)
Prof. Subrata Majudmer -- Spin filtering measurements with chiral magnetic (cm) Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). National Institute of Technology (Patna, India)
Dr. Philippe Mesini -- FTIR self-assembly measurements. Institute Charles Sadron (Strasbourg, France)
Dr. Martin Brinkmann -- Electron diffraction and orientation techniques for supramolecular polymers. Institute Charles Sadron (Strasbourg, France)
Prof. Thomas Heiser -- Organic electronic device fabrication. ICube (Strasbourg, France)
Invited talks
2024 -- Seminar of the Chemistry Department of the Imperial College (London, UK)
2023 -- XXXIX Reunión Bienal de Química. Frontiers on Supramolecular Chemistry and Materials Symposium https://bienal2023.com/index.php/es/ Zaragoza (España)
2023 -- Plenary speaker SCF Congress http://scf2023.fr/home/ Nantes (France)
2023 -- Colloque National du GFP. Bordeaux (France)
2023 -- Oliver Kahn Discussions. Bordeaux (France)
2022 -- Wilhelm und Elise Heraeus-Stiftung CISS seminar. Bad-Honnef (Germany)
2022 -- Journees Andre Collet de la Chiralite. Biarritz (France)
2022 -- Journees de Chimie Supramoleculaire de la SCF. Lyon (France)
2022 -- 2nd International Conference on Noncovalent Interactions, ICNI. Strasbourg (France)
2022 -- Japan getaway program (JGP) -- 4 x 90 minute talks for the Chemical Engineering Department of Kyoto University
2021 -- CISS seminars of the Weizmann Institute, organized by Prof. Jonas Fransson (University of Uppsala): https://youtu.be/DTWg3RMcg2w
2021 -- International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (Pacifichem 2021). Hierarchical self-assembly and application of functional pi-systems symposium. Virtual (Covid)
2020 -- Spring ACS Meeting, Philadelphia (USA). Polymer Division. Structure to function in supramolecular polymers and materials symposium. Virtual (Covid)
2020 -- 7th Young European Scientists (YES) Workshop. France representative. Cancelled due to Covid.
2016 -- IRTG conference series. Freiburg (Germany)
2015 -- Seminar of the MATEOH-PV network (Strasbourg, France)
Incoming invited talks:
2024: Keynote speaker SupraParis https://supraparis2024.sciencesconf.org/resource/page/id/1
2025: Japan Getaway program 2025. Kyoto (Japan)
2025: Pacifichem. Hierarchical self-assembly and application of functional pi-systems symposium. (Honolulu, USA)
Other oral contributions: Finalist Falling Walls lab (2015), 21st International Symposium of Photophysics and Photochemistry of Coordination Compounds (Krakow, Poland, 2015), European Material Research Society (EMRS) Spring Meeting (2017), Science et Technologie des Systemes pi-Conjugues (SPIC, 2019), XXII Bienal de Quimica Organica (Tarragona, Spain, 2008), ElecMol 2014, ElecMol 2018, GRC Supamolecular Chemistry and Self-Assembly 2015 and 2019.
Funding (as PI)
2023 -- Make Our Planet Great Again
2022 -- IdEx Exploratoire. Chiral semiconductors as the new generation of organic electronic materials.
2021 -- Projet doctorale Region Grand Est (1/2 PhD, TOTALBOND)
2020 -- University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Science (USIAS). Guiding charge carriers through chiral assemblies
2020 -- Projet de l'Agence Nationale de Recherche Jeune Chercheuse (ANR JCJC). Total landscape of hydrogen-bonding in organic electronics (TOTALBOND)
2020 -- International Emerging Actions CNRS. Together with Prof. Shu Seki (Kyoto University). Screening the charge transport properties of supramolecular semiconducting polymers using electrodeless techniques based on microwave conductivity (SUPRAWAVE, 2020-2021)
2018 -- LabEx Complex Systems Chemistry Emerging Investigator. In situ control over morphology in organic photovoltaics
2016 -- IdEx Investissement and Primo Entrant. Advancing organic photovoltaics from the supramolecular level
2016 -- PEPS Cellule Energie CNRS. Towards the optimal morphology and orientation in organic solar cells using supramolecular strategies and alternative interfacial layers. Collaboration with Dr. Laure Biniek.
Institutional responsibilities
October 2022 - present -- SYCOMMOR team responsible
2017-present -- Elected member of the laboratory council (conseil de laboratoire), Institute Charles Sadron, Strasbourg (France)
2017-presnet -- Member of the communication commission, Institute Charles Sadron, Strasbourg (France)
2021 - present -- Member of the executive committee of the Cluster of Excellence (ITI) "Hierarchical and Functional Materials". University of Strasbourg and Haut Alsace (France)
2021 - present -- Member of the equality commission (EgalITI) of the Cluster of Excellence (ITI) "Hierarchical and Functional Materials". University of Strasbourg and Haut Alsace (France)
2019 - present -- Co-organizer of the IUPAC Global Women Breakfast of Institute Charles Sadron.
2022 - present -- Member of the jury of international relations of the Faculty of Physics and Engineering.
2021 -- Coordinator of Institute Charles Sadron for the 60th anniversary of the campus of Cronenbourg
Reviewing activities
Reviewer for: Nature Nanotechnology, Dyes and Pigments, Langmuir, J. Mater. Chem., Chemical Science, Macromolecules, Frontiers in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, ACS Applied Polymer Materials (12 reviews per year approx.)
Reviewer of ANR projects (2022)
Reviewer for the Israel Science Foundation, ISF (Personal Research Grants)
Reviewer for the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia. Program PROMIS
Reviewer for EUTOPIA Science and Innovation Postdoctoral Program.
Other activities
Scientific board member of The European Young Chemists' Meeting 2021
11 times external member of PhD committees (France, Spain, India)
2023
Hong, K.-I.; Kumar, A.; Garcia, A.M.; Majumder, S.; Ruiz-Carretero, A. (2023), Electron spin polarization in supramolecular polymers with complex pathways,Journal Of Chemical Physics,159(11) : linkMartinez, G.; Avila-Rovelo, N.R.; Carmona-Vargas, C.C.; Id-boubrik, I.; Ruiz-Carretero, A. (2023), Alternative Functionalization of Hydrogen-Bonded Diketopyrrolopyrrole Derivatives,European Journal Of Organic Chemistry,26(33) : link
2022
Garcia, A.M.; Ruiz-Carretero, A. (2022), Chirality inversion in hydrogen-bonded rhodanine-oligothiophene derivatives by solvent and temperature,Chemical Communications,58(4) : 529-532 linkAvila-Rovelo, N.R.; Martinez, G.; Matsuda, W.; Sinn, S.; Leveque, P.; Schwaller, D.; Mesini, P.; Seki, S.; Ruiz-Carretero, A. (2022), Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Semiconductors with Long Charge Carrier Lifetimes,Journal Of Physical Chemistry C,126(26) : 10932-10939 link
2021
Garcia, A.M.; Martinez, G.; Ruiz-Carretero, A. (2021), The Importance of Spin State in Chiral Supramolecular Electronics,Frontiers in Chemistry,9() : 626 link2020
Ávila-Rovelo, N.R.; Ruiz-Carretero, A. (2020), Recent Progress in Hydrogen-Bonded [pi]-Conjugated Systems Displaying J-Type Aggregates,Organic Materials,02(01) : 047-063 linkMilitzer, S.; Nishimura, N.; Avila-Rovelo, N.R.; Matsuda, W.; Schwaller, D.; Mesini, P.J.; Seki, S.; Ruiz-Carretero, A. (2020), Impact of Chirality on Hydrogen-Bonded Supramolecular Assemblies and Photoconductivity of Diketopyrrolopyrrole Derivatives,Chemistry-A European Journal,26(44, Si) : 9998-10004 link
2019
Ruiz-Carretero, A.; Atoini, Y.; Han, T.; Operamolla, A.; Ippolito, S.; Valentini, C.; Carrara, S.; Sinn, S.; Prasetyanto, E.A.; Heiser, T.; Samori, P.; Farinola, G.; De Cola, L. (2019), Charge transport enhancement in supramolecular oligothiophene assemblies using Pt(ii) centers as a guide,Journal Of Materials Chemistry A,7(28) : 16777-16784 linkMula, S.; Han, T.; Heiser, T.; Leveque, P.; Leclerc, N.; Srivastava, A.P.; Ruiz-Carretero, A.; Ulrich, G. (2019), Hydrogen Bonding as a Supramolecular Tool for Robust OFET Devices,Chemistry-A European Journal,25(35) : 8304-8312 link
Ruiz-Carretero, A.; Rovelo, N.R.A.; Militzer, S.; Mesini, P.J. (2019), Hydrogen-bonded diketopyrrolopyrrole derivatives for energy-related applications,Journal Of Materials Chemistry A,7(41) : 23451-23475 link