- French academic Eric Le Fur is on a working stay in Chile with researchers from the center, as part of an international collaboration focused on the development of new materials, photodegradation and academic exchange.
The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, CEDENNA, is consolidating its scientific collaboration with the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes (ENSCR) through the stay in Chile of French professor Eric Le Fur, an academic at that institution. For two weeks, the researcher is working with the teams of Dr. Diego Venegas Yazigi and Dr. Marlen Gutiérrez Cutiño, CEDENNA researchers, on lines related to the development of new materials and their possible application in the photodegradation of compounds and biomass degradation catalysts. One of the focuses of this stay is related to the doctoral research of Nicolás Aspée, a student in the PhD in Engineering Science with a specialization in Materials Science, who is working on obtaining a catalyst that will later be evaluated in catalytic biomass degradation processes to obtain higher value-added molecules. “We are synthesizing compounds for future research on pollutant photodegradation and biomass degradation, a line of work we have been developing for several years. The idea is that the materials obtained can later be evaluated through tests we will carry out together with the CEDENNA team and also with researchers in France,” explained Professor Le Fur. The visit adds to the presence in Chile of two students from the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes, who are on a one-semester academic stay at CEDENNA’s Chemistry and Nanostructures Laboratory. The collaboration thus includes not only joint research, but also advanced training and academic exchange between both institutions.
Scientific capabilities for international collaboration
During his stay in the country, the French academic highlighted the growth of national scientific infrastructure and the capabilities available at CEDENNA for experimental research. “The facilities here are excellent. There is a lot of equipment that serves science and I have the impression that every time I come to Chile I find new equipment. That really strikes me, because it makes it possible to carry out high-level research,” he said. Regarding the progress of nanoscience and nanotechnology in Chile, Le Fur praised the development achieved by CEDENNA and the sustained work of its research teams. “At CEDENNA they are quite advanced in development and research in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The first times I came to Chile, the country was behind France in this area. However, I have seen a very significant effort to develop this science and today I believe we are at the same level in many respects,” he said.
New lines of work
In addition to the projects currently under way, the stay seeks to open new opportunities for cooperation between researchers from Chile and France, based on complementary capabilities in solid-state chemistry, molecular chemistry, magnetism and materials development. “We hope to expand this collaboration and invite other scientists to take part in new lines of research. My specialty is solid-state chemistry, while CEDENNA has strengths in areas such as molecular magnetism and molecular chemistry. I believe we can work together to continue strengthening scientific cooperation between France and Chile,” the academic concluded. The collaboration between CEDENNA and the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes is part of the center’s international work, aimed at generating joint research, strengthening advanced human capital training and opening new possibilities for scientific development in strategic areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
