Hej! I’m Valentina, a PhD student in Materials Science at Linköping University, Sweden, where I am part of the Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (IFM)/NANO, funded by the Swedish Research Council. My research focuses on understanding the formation mechanisms of mesoporous silica materials for drug delivery applications. To untangle these processes, I employ synchrotron-based Small-angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) alongside other in situ techniques, such as Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). These tools allow me to study the intricate structural evolution and assembly mechanisms driving material formation.
Originally from Colombia, I discovered my passion for materials science and nanotechnology during my undergraduate studies in Chemistry at the Universidad Industrial de Santander. In 2019, I earned my Bachelor’s degree, where I conducted research on the optical properties of gold nanoparticles and their applications in medical diagnosis and therapy. My bachelor’s thesis centered on using gold nanoparticles as photothermal agents for treating cervical cancer. Throughout my thesis, I had the opportunity to learn from different international collaborators, including transmission electron microscopy and confocal microscopy from Dr Olga Araceli Patrón Soberano, photothermal therapy from Dr Vicente Rodríguez González, and cell culture studies from Prof. Stelia Carolina Méndez Sánchez.
In 2020, I moved to France to pursue a Master's degree in Nanochemistry at Université Grenoble Alpes. For my master’s thesis, I joined the Institut Néel–CNRS under the guidance of Dr Xavier Cattoën. My work focused on developing mesoporous silica nanoparticles as nanocarriers for antimicrobial peptides, addressing the urgent challenge of antibiotic resistance. I explored innovative synthetic approaches to create large-pore mesoporous silica particles with enhanced hydrolytic stability, optimizing their potential for delivering diverse biomolecules. This research also involved collaborating with Dr Aude Barbara, where I gained experience in light scattering techniques and correlation spectroscopies to study particle degradation under conditions mimicking biomedical environments relevant to drug delivery applications.
V. Guerrero-Florez, A. Barbara, S. Kodjikian, F. Oukacine, P. Trens and X. Cattoën, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 676, 1098-1108 (2024).
O. Eskilson, S. Ramanathan, A. D. Rietz, V. Guerrero-Florez, R. Selegard, K. Uvdal, E.M. Björk, and D. Aili, ACS Applied Nano Materials, 7.5, 6068-6078 (2024).
V. Guerrero-Florez, C. S. Mendez-Sanchez, O. A. Patrón-Soberano, V. Rodríguez-González, D. Blach, and F. Martínez O, Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 8.14, 2862-2875 (2020).
V. Guerrero-Florez, D. Blach, and F. Martínez O, ChemistrySelect, 4.47, 13983-13991 (2019).
10/11/24 – Invited conference Presentation!
Talk entitled "Mesoporous Materials via Self-Assembly for Targeted Drug Delivery" presented at the Annual Meeting of the Surface and Materials Chemistry Section of the Swedish Chemical Society.
21/06/24 – New publication available!
"Dynamic light scattering unveils stochastic degradation in large-pore mesoporous silica nanoparticles" available in Journal of Colloids and Interface Science.
21/06/24 – Synchrotron beamtime at ESRF - France!
Spending the brightest Midsummer weekend at ID02, conducting SAXS/USAXS during mesoporous silica formation and degradation.
23/04/24 – Conference oral presentation and Award!
Talk entitled "Protease-Activated Delivery of Antimicrobial Peptides from Mesoporous Silica" presented at the Annual Meeting of the Scandinavian Society for Biomaterials in Helsingør, Denmark, where I was awarded Best Oral Presentation.
10/04/24 – First beamtime granted at ESRF - France!
My first beamtime proposal at ESRF to couple SAXS and USAXS for studying mesoporous silica formation at the ID02 beamline has been granted.
03/04/24 – Neutron beamtime at ILL - France!
Two days of SANS and Reflectometry at D22 and FIGURO beamlines within HERCULES training.
20/03/24 – Synchrotron beamtime at ALBA - Spain!
One week of training and beamtime at ALBA as part of the HERCULES School.
10/03/24 – Ready to start HERCULES School 2024!
Launching into 4 weeks of Neutron and X-ray Synchrotron training at CNRS, ESRF, and ILL.
10/01/24 – Research stay in Japan!
Kicking off the year with a 2-month research stay at Nagoya University.
25/12/23 – Selected to participate in the HERCULES 2024 School!
I’m excited to join the European Synchrotron School, HERCULES, in Grenoble, France, next year. Over the course of five weeks, I'll participate in the soft-matter section.
10/11/23 – Visit to Aarhus University, Denmark!
Performing solid-state NMR on mesoporous silica.
15/09/23 – Synchrotron beamtime at MAX IV - Sweden!
Exploring mesoporous silica formation through SAXS—just another exciting day at the CoSAXS beamline.
01/05/23 – First beamtime granted at MAX IV - Sweden!
My first beamtime proposal approved: heading to MAX IV's CoSAXS Beamline this Fall!
01/04/23 – First beamtime at SPring-8 - Japan!
Exploring mesoporous silica formation with SAXS: My first beamtime at the Japanese Synchrotron.
19/12/22 – CeNano grant awarded!
We have received a collaboration grant from The Centre in Nanoscience and technology at LiTH, CeNano.
01/09/22 – Started my PhD journey in Sweden!
I'm joining Linköping University as a PhD student in Materials Science.
