Maria Irene Barba Nieto
Goldhaber Fellow, Catalysis: Reactivity and Structure Group, Chemistry Division
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Chemistry Division
Bldg. 555
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
Maria Irene Barba Nieto is a Research Associate in the Department of Chemistry. She possesses a extensive experience in catalyst synthesis and chemical modifications. Her expertise extends to diverse fields such as photoreformation, green hydrogen production, CO2 hydrogenation, photocatalysis, thermophotocatalysis, thermocatalysis and electrocatalysis. She is an expert in the use of analytical instruments such as mass spectrometry and gas chromatography. In addition, she has a solid knowledge of various ex-situ and in-situ characterization techniques, including TEM, SEM, XRD, XPS, UV-Vis, DRIFTs, PL, EPR, Raman, and synchrotron techniques.
Research | Education | Appointments | Publications | Awards | Certifications
Research Activities
Catalysis: Reactivity and Structure Group
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Advanced Chemistry, 2022
Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry (CSIC), Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Spain.
Master's Degree in Chemical Science and Technology. Specialization in Nanoscience and Nanomaterials, 2017
Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Spain.
Degree in Chemistry, 2016
Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Spain.
Professional Appointments
Goldhaber Fellow, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL),
Chemistry Division, Sept. 2023 - Present
Research Associate, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL),
Chemistry Division, Jan. 2023 - Sept. 2023
Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry (CSIC),
Oct. 2022 - Nov. 2022
Graduate Researcher, Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry (CSIC),
July 2018 - Oct. 2022
Selected Publications
- Gómez-Cerezo MN, Barba-Nieto I, Fernández-García M, Kubacka A (2022) Efficiency of thermo–photocatalytic production of hydrogen from biomolecules: a multifaceted perspective. Energy Advances 1:657–670. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2ya00190j
- Barba-Nieto I, Colón G, Fernández-García M, Kubacka A (2022) Shepherding reaction intermediates to optimize H2 yield using composite-doped TiO2-based photocatalysts. Chemical Engineering Journal 442:136333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.136333
- Barba-Nieto I, Colón G, Kubacka A, Fernández-García M (2022) H2 Photoproduction Efficiency: Implications of the Reaction Mechanism as a Function of the Methanol/Water Mixture. Catalysts 12:402. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12040402
- Kubacka A, Barba-Nieto I, Caudillo-Flores U, Fernández-García M (2021) Interpreting quantum efficiency for energy and environmental applications of photo-catalytic materials. Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering 33:100712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2021.100712
- Caudillo-Flores U, Barba-Nieto I, Gómez-Cerezo MN, et al (2021) Pt/B-g-C3N4 catalysts for hydrogen photo-production: Activity interpretation through a spectroscopic and intrinsic kinetic analysis. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 9:106073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2021.106073
- Caudillo-Flores U, Barba-Nieto I, Muñoz-Batista MJ, et al (2021) Thermo-photo production of hydrogen using ternary Pt-CeO2-TiO2 catalysts: A spectroscopic and mechanistic study. Chemical Engineering Journal 425:130641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021.130641
- Barba-Nieto I, Gómez-Cerezo N, Kubacka A, Fernández-García M (2021) Oxide-based composites: applications in thermo-photocatalysis. Catalysis Science & Technology 11:6904–6930. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1cy01067k
- Kubacka A, Caudillo-Flores U, Barba-Nieto I, Fernández-García M (2021) Towards full-spectrum photocatalysis: Successful approaches and materials. Applied Catalysis A: General 610:117966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2020.117966
- Barba-Nieto I, Caudillo-Flores U, Gómez-Cerezo MN, et al (2020) Boosting Pt/TiO2 hydrogen photoproduction through Zr doping of the anatase structure: A spectroscopic and mechanistic study. Chemical Engineering Journal 398:125665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.125665
- Barba-Nieto I, Christoforidis KC, Fernández-García M, Kubacka A (2020) Promoting H2 photoproduction of TiO2-based materials by surface decoration with Pt nanoparticles and SnS2 nanoplatelets. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 277:119246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2020.119246
- Barba-Nieto I, Caudillo-Flores U, Fernández-García M, Kubacka A (2020) Sunlight-Operated TiO2-Based Photocatalysts. Molecules 25:4008. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25174008
- Kubacka A, Caudillo-Flores U, Barba-Nieto I, et al (2020) Microemulsion: A versatile synthesis tool for photocatalysis. Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science 49:42–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cocis.2020.04.009
- Caudillo-Flores U, Barba-Nieto I, Gómez-Cerezo MN, et al (2019) Toward the Green Production of H2: Binary Pt–Ru Promoted Nb-TiO2 Based Photocatalysts. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 7:15671–15683. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b03796
- Caudillo-Flores U, Barba-Nieto I, Muñoz-Batista MJ, et al (2019) Characterization of Photo-catalysts: From Traditional to Advanced Approaches. Topics in Current Chemistry 377:. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41061-019-0248-1
- Fernández-Peña L, Guzmán E, Fernández-Pérez C, et al (2022) Study of the Dilution-Induced Deposition of Concentrated Mixtures of Polyelectrolytes and Surfactants. Polymers 14:1335. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14071335
Awards & Recognition
Extraordinary Ph.D. Award from the Complutense University of Madrid,
2023
Ph.D thesis with Cum Laude mention,
2022
Honorary Collaborator of the Complutense University of Madrid,
2019
Honorary Collaborator of the Complutense University of Madrid,
2018
Predoctoral Scholarship (FPI) from the Spanish Ministry of Education,
2018
II Award at II Polymers a World to discover contest from Plastic Europe,
2017
Certifications
Accreditation from the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA), Spain
2023
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Chemistry Division
Bldg. 555
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
