At the heart of the Parque Tecnológico Guatiguará is the Electrochemistry Laboratory of the Center for Scientific and Technological Research in Materials and Nanoscience (CMN), a space where the Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS) promotes high-impact research aimed at Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6, 7, and 13: clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, and climate action.
Under the direction of Professor Ángel Manuel Meléndez Reyes, from the School of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, the laboratory has established itself as a national benchmark in the generation of innovative knowledge in materials, especially in nanostructured metals and semiconductors. With an interdisciplinary and multicultural approach, it has trained undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, as well as national and international researchers. It currently hosts Cuban Pablo Enriques Díaz, who is pursuing his master’s degree in this space, and has hosted young talents and teachers from universities in Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico.
Clean water for communities
One of the main lines of research is aimed at decontaminating water affected by artisanal and small-scale mining, where problems with mercury, cyanide, and heavy metals persist. The removal of contaminants from the textile and agricultural industries is also being studied. To this end, the laboratory uses electrochemical and photoelectrocatalytic techniques that do not require the addition of external chemicals, but instead use electrons and sunlight energy as drivers of transformation.
Clean energy and climate action
As part of the energy transition, researchers are working on transforming carbon dioxide into clean fuels such as methanol and ethanol through processes that mimic natural photosynthesis. Similarly, they are developing methods to obtain green hydrogen from water, using nanostructured materials capable of enhancing the reaction efficiently at the nanometric scale.
Science with academic and social impact
The UIS Electrochemistry Laboratory stands out for its scientific results and its academic and social impact. It has organized important events such as the Second Colombian Congress on Electrochemistry, the Second Symposium on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and the Fifth Latin American Congress on Photocatalysis, Photoelectrochemistry, and Photobiology held in Mexico.
In addition, its spaces are permanently open to experimental teaching, scientific dissemination, and the social appropriation of knowledge. Student groups find here a lively setting to approach applied science. The laboratory even accompanied the sixth edition of the UIS INGENIUM challenge, strengthening creativity and innovation in the area of materials.
Recently, its research was featured in a scientific art exhibition with images obtained through electron microscopy, presented at the Central Library as part of the celebration of the 71st anniversary of the UIS Metallurgical Engineering program.
A commitment to sustainability
With a track record that combines innovation, interdisciplinarity, and social relevance, the UIS Electrochemistry Laboratory reaffirms the Industrial University of Santander’s institutional commitment to building a cleaner, more sustainable, and resilient future, in tune with the environmental challenges of the region and the world.
