Welcome to my personal website.
Thank you for your interest in my research.
I encourage you to visit my research profile if you are interested in biomimetics, smart materials and soft/small-scale robotics.
I hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading!
Apf
Upcoming events
Recent news
European Materials Research Society - Spring 2019
27-31 May - Nice (France)
9th TA Rheology User Meeting
10-11 October - Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen
Multifunctional and Biodegradable Self-Propelled Protein Motors
23/07/2019 - Max Planck Press
A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart developed new self-propelled motors from biologically derived materials. Due to the nanostructure of the protein materials and the physical and chemical properties of the fuel, their protein-based motors have a higher performance output, efficiency, and mobility lifetime than previously reported Marangoni motors.
A Pena-Francesch, et al. "Multifunctional and biodegradable self-propelled protein motors"
Nature Communications 10, 3188 (2019)
Multifunctional and Biodegradable Self-Propelled Protein Motors
18/07/2019 - Nature Research Bioengineering Community
From cephalopods to self-propelled microrobots
A Pena-Francesch, et al. "Multifunctional and biodegradable self-propelled protein motors"
Nature Communications 10, 3188 (2019)
Interview in Hunan Satellite TV
03/04/2019 - Hunan TV, China
Interview on bioplastics and new materials for sustainability
https://www.mgtv.com/b/327909/5412492.html
Smart material made from squid teeth a potential plastic alternative
03/03/2019 - BBC Science Focus
Nylon and polyester could one day be a thing of the past, reducing microplastic pollution in the oceans and paving the way for self-repairing safety clothing or garments with built-in, flexible screens.
Could squid protein be an eco-friendly answer to our plastic problem?
21/02/2019 - CNN
Researchers say proteins found in squid can be used to make alternatives to plastic.
A Pena-Francesch, MC Demirel. "Squid-Inspired Tandem Repeat Proteins: Functional Fibers and Films"
Frontiers in Chemistry - Polymer Chemistry 7, 69 (2019) (invited review)
Thermal switch discovered in engineered squid-based biomaterials
13/08/2018 - EurekAlert!, Phys.org, Nanowerk News, ScienceDaily, PSU News
Tuning materials for optimal optical and electrical properties is becoming commonplace. Now, researchers and manufacturers may be able to tune materials for thermal conductivity by using a squid-inspired protein made of multiple DNA repeats.
J Tomko*, A Pena-Francesch*, et al., "Tunable thermal transport and reversible thermal conductivity switching in topologically networked bio-inspired material" (*equal contribution)
Nature nanotechnology, 1 (2018)