The ICMM host a researcher from Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal) for a stay under the i-COOP international cooperation programme

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The Madrid Institute of Materials Science (ICMM), affiliated with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), welcomed Ibrahima Gning, a pre-doctoral researcher from Senegal's Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar, for a two-month visit. This was part of i-COOP, a CSIC cooperation programme that seeks to train talent from countries receiving development aid.

He has been working on the project called 'Exploring Nature-Derived Polymers for Electronics and Energy Applications', which focuses on developing sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. Its objective is "to explore and characterise various natural biopolymers obtained responsibly from agricultural and forest vegetation, as well as to study their potential in different fields, such as electronics and energy storage," explained Berta Gómez-Lor, principal investigator. This is Gómez-Lor's third call, in which our researcher Eva Maya also participates.

Specifically, Gning participated in a work package aimed at the application of natural polymers in the manufacture of supercapacitor devices. This work package is led by the group at his home university, which has solid experience in the synthesis of composite materials using biomass-derived carbon materials for manufacturing.

For this project, she notes, "we have formed a consortium of four partners from different research institutions in three countries, each with complementary expertise in nanomaterials." These are the ICMM in Spain, Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in Turkey, and two universities in Senegal, Gaston Berger University (GBU) and Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Saint Louis and Dakar, respectively. We also have the support and collaboration of the University of Manchester (UoM). The different groups work together, combining their complementary expertise.

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The ICOOP programme was launched in 2011 to promote the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and contribute to the strengthening of scientific, technical and training capacities in countries receiving Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Gning's stay started on 15th October and will finish on 15th December. Before his stay at the ICMM, this researcher worked on the development of biomass-derived carbon compounds with vanadium oxide for applications in supercapacitors, as well as on the characterisation of electrode materials.

This young Senegalese researcher came to the ICMM to share his experience "in green synthesis" and "collaborating on joint projects"; in a personal approach, he enjoys playing sports and going on cultural visits.