AVILA LOPEZ, MANUEL ALEJANDRO

Dr. Manuel Alejandro Ávila López is a member of the National Investigation System (SNI candidate). Additionally, he is an active member of the SMM (Mexican Materials Society) and the SPM (Mexican Polymers Society). He received his B.Sc. (2015) and his M.Sc. (2018) from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL). He obtained his Ph.D. on April 30, 2021, from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León. He currently has 16 publications, cited 247 times.

Furthermore, he has 3 papers under review. His background includes developing scalable, low-cost photocatalyst materials, films, and coatings for conductive electrodes, solar cells, and CO2 photocatalytic reduction in liquid phase under visible light, as well as developing CO2 capture materials based on simple oxides. During his Ph.D., he stayed in the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh U.K. Campus (July 1- November 1, 2019), evaluating semiconductor material coatings for CO₂ photocatalytic reduction in the gas phase to produce hydrocarbons and H₂.

Throughout his Ph.D., he collaborated with other group members, trained new students, developed user manuals, and calibrated and maintained laboratory equipment (i.e., Gas chromatography TCD/FID-Mass, Liquid chromatography UV, FTIR, UV-vis spectrophotometer, etc.). He has experience in material synthesis and characterization techniques (i.e., X-ray diffraction, scanning microscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, etc.). Dr. Ávila worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados S.C. (CIMAV) – Monterrey branch, within the Advanced Functional Materials & Nanotechnology Group and the Nano & Micro Additive Manufacturing of Polymers and Composite Materials Laboratory (3D LAB) (July 1, 2021 - October 1, 2024). His research focused on developing scalable, low-cost 3D-printed photocatalytic materials using direct ink writing and stereolithography. His work aimed to develop advanced materials for water and air purification applications through photocatalysis, as well as adsorption-based advanced oxidation processes for emerging pollutants (EPs), hydrogen production, and CO₂ photoreduction for solar fuel generation. He implemented quantification methods for EPs, such as agrochemicals, dyes, pharmaceuticals, and microplastics, using HPLC with UV detection. In collaboration with the Water Center for Latin America and the Caribbean at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Dr. Ávila quantified agrochemicals, including glyphosate, using HPLC with fluorescence detection. Additionally, he was involved in academic and administrative tasks, including project design, proposal development, and management.

He has also led and contributed to various projects involving 3D-printed materials for air purification, photoelectrochemical CO₂ reduction, advanced materials for CO₂ capture, ceramic biomaterials, nanocellulose gels, and heavy-metal adsorption at the company AMA (Advanced Materials Applications). Since January 2025, he has also worked as a specialist in Energy in Buildings, focusing on projects such as 2D inkjet printing of perovskite materials for the development of semi-transparent solar cells and 3D printing of conductive materials for green hydrogen generation from seawater. Since August 2023, he has served as a Lecturer and Professor in Sustainable Technologies and Civil Engineering at the School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey, teaching subjects including Heat Transfer, ASPEN Plus, SolidWorks Flow Simulation, and Mass and Energy Balances.