Prof. Francisco José Baltá Calleja


Macromolecular Physics Department
Address: Serrano 119, 28006-Madrid, España
Tlfn: (34) 915619400 (ext. 961123)
(34) 917459507



Short C.V.

Born in 1936, educated in Spain where he received his B.Sc. degree in Physics at the University of Madrid in 1958. He then started his research work at the University of the Sorbonne in Paris on pioneering NMR studies of organic liquids relating to intermolecular effects. In 1959 he joined the H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory in Bristol, with a Ramsay Memorial Fellowship, to work on crystallization and morphology of synthetic polymers. In 1962 he received a Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Bristol. In 1963 he was appointed Adjoint Professor of Electricity and Magnetism at the University of Madrid. He spent many years as a research associate and visiting professor in various international institutions, including the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin; Camille Dreyfus Laboratory, Research Tringle Institute, North Carolina, USA; J.J. Thomson Physical Laboratory, University of Reading; Abt. Experimentelle Physik, University of Ulm; University of Hamburg, University of Leeds, University of Shizuoka, etc.

In 1970 he established the Macromolecular Physics Laboratory at the Spanish Research Council, a department, for basic polymer research, collaborating with University, industry and international research laboratories. Presently, he is Associate Professor of Physics at the Institute for Structure of Matter, CSIC, Madrid, and has been Director of this Institute (1986-2003) and founder and Director of the Centre of Physics (1996-2003), CSIC in Madrid. His research interests focus in inter-relating structure, processing and dynamic changes in polymers, by means of X-ray diffraction methods using synchrotron radiation, and properties (micro-mechanical, electrical, dielectric and magnetic properties) of new polymer materials, liquid crystalline systems, nanocomposites and nanolayered polymers .

He is author of about 400 papers and several books (“X-ray Scattering of Synthetic Polymers”, Elsevier, 1989; “Microhardness of Polymers”, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2000; “Block Copolymers”, Marcel Dekker, 2000; “Mechanical Properties of Polymers based on Nanostructure and Morphology”, Taylor and Francis, 2005; “Nano- and Micromechanics of Polymers: Structure modification and improvement of Properties” Carl Hanser Verlag, 2012; etc). Recognition of his activities has been numerous, among the most notable ones being his election in 1988 as Chairman of the Solid State Physics group of the Spanish Royal Society of Physics, his election in 1994 as Chairman of the Macromolecular Board of the European Physical Society and his election in 1999 as member of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Barcelona. He has also received the DuPont Research Award in 1994; the Humboldt Research Award (Germany) in 1995; The Society of Polymer Science, Japan, Award in 2005 and Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in 2005.

He is member of the Editorial Board of several international journals: J. Macromolecular Science-Physics, Acta Polymerica, Journal of Polymer Engineering, International Journal of Polymeric Materials, Journal of Applied Polymer Science, e-Polymers, etc. He is member, as well, of the American Physical Society, the European Physical Society, etc. He has been also consultant to DuPont de Nemours (Luxembourg) and Exxon Mobil (Texas) and member of the Photon Science Committee (PSC) at HASYLAB-DESY (Hamburg) and member of the Society for International Studies. He has been recently appointed honorary member of the Akademie Mitteldeutsche Kunststoffinnovationen (Merseburg).


Recent Publications

 “Micromechanical properties of poly(butylene terephthalate) nanocomposites with single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes”.
Composite Interfaces, 13(1), 33-45 (2006)
F. Ania, G. Broza, M.F. Mina, K. Schulte, Z. Roslaniec, F.J. Baltá Calleja.

A Microindentation study study of polyethylene composites produced by hot compaction
J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 100(2), 1659-1663 (2006)
Inés Puente, F.J. Baltá Calleja, P.J. Hine, I.M.Ward.

Novel aspects of microindentation hardness in very low crystallinity ethylene-1-octene copolymers: a model for deformation
Polymer, 47, 5602-5609 (2006)
A. Flores, V.B.F. Mathot, G.H. Michler, R. Adhikari, F.J. Baltá Calleja.

Layer structure formation in oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate) relating to micromechanical properties
Polymer, 48, 542-555 (2007)
T. Uchiyama, M. Suyama, M.M. Alam, T. Asano, S. Henning, A. Flores, F.J. Baltá Calleja, .F. Mina.

Nanostructure evolution during thermal treatment of Polyimide-fullerene composites as revealed by WAXS and SAXS
Composites Science & Technology, 67 (10), 2175-2182 (2007)
M.E. Cagiao, A.O. Pozdnyakov, M. Krumova, V.V. Kudryavtsev, F.J. Baltá Calleja.

Confinement induced vitrification in PET
Physical Review B75, 224201 (2007)
F.J. Baltá Calleja, G. Di Marco, A. Flores, M. Pieruccini.

Temperature-dependence of polymorphism in electrospun nanofibres of PA6 and PA6/clay nanocomposite
Polymer, 48(16), 4814-4823 (2007)
G.-M. Kim, G.H. Michler, F. Ania, F.J. Baltá Calleja.

Recrystallization studies in isotropic cold crystallized PET: influence of heating rate
Polymer, 49, 965-973 (2008)
A. Flores, M. Pieruccini, U. Nöchel, N. Stribeck, F.J. Baltá Calleja.

Processing and mechanical performance of SBS block copolymer/layered silicate nanocomposites
Composite Interfaces, 15, (5), 453–463 (2008)
R. Adhikari, C. Damm, G.H. Michler, H. Münstedt, F.J. Baltá-Calleja

Ultra-small-angle X-ray Scattering Study of PET/PC Nanolayers relating to AFM results
Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 209, 1367-1373 (2008)
Fernando Ania, Inés Puente Orench, Francisco J. Baltá Calleja, Devang Khariwala, Anne Hiltner, Eric Baer and Stephan V. Roth.

The role of the amorphous phase in the recrystallization process of cold crystallized PET
European Physical Journal E., 27, 365-373 (2008)
M. Pieruccini, A. Flores, U. Nöchel, G. Di Marco, N. Stribeck, F.J. Baltá Calleja.

From the glassy state to ordered polymer structures: A microhardness study
Polymer, 50, 729-746 (2009)
A. Flores, F. Ania, F.J. Baltá Calleja.

SAXS Study on the Crystallization of PET under Physical Confinement in PET/PC Multilayered Films
Polymer, 50, 2680-2687 (2009)
Puente Orench, N. Stribeck, F. Ania, E. Baer, A. Hiltner, F.J. Baltá Calleja.

Microindentation Hardness of Nanostructured Thermoplastic Materials
 Macromolecular Symposia, 290 166-174 (2010)
R. Adhikari, S.K. Khatri, S. Adhikari, G.H. Michler, F.J. Baltá Calleja

Micromechanical behavior of biodegradable polyesters relating to nanostructure
J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 117, 2591-2596 (2010)
M. E. Cagiao, P. Buzin, H. R. Kricheldorf, S. S. Funari, F. J. Baltá Calleja

SAXS study of reversibly crosslinked isotactic polypropylene/clay Nanocomposites
J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 117, 3262-3270 (2010)
S. Bouhelal, M.E. Cagiao, D. Benachour, B. Djellouli, L. Rong, B.S. Hsiao, F. J. Baltá-Calleja

Study of the multilayered nanostructure and thermal stability of PMMA/PS amorphous films
Polymer, 51, 1805-1811 (2010)
F. Ania, F.J. Baltá Calleja, S. Henning, D. Khariwala, A. Hiltner, E. Baer

Finite size effects in multilayered polymer systems: development of PET lamellae under physical confinement
Polymer, 51 (20), 45 30 – 4539 (2010)
A. Flores, C. Arribas, F. Fauth D. Khariwala, A. Hiltner, E. Baer, F.J. Baltá Calleja, F. Ania

Recrystallization processes in cold-crystallized poly(ethylene terephthalate): Interplay between structure evolution and conformational relaxation”.
Polymer, 52, 3155-3162 (2011)
A.Flores, F.J.Baltá-Calleja, G.Di Marco. S.Sturniolo, M.Pieruccini

Nanostructure and crystallization phenomena in multilayered films of alternating iPP and PA6 semicrystalline polymers
European Polymer Journal, 48 (1), 86-96 (2012)
F. Ania, F.J. Baltá-Calleja, A. Flores, G.H. Michler, S. Scholtyssek, D. Khariwala, A. Hiltner, E. Baer, L. Rong, B.S. Hsiao

X-ray diffraction study of iPP/clay and iPP/TiO2 composites relating to micromechanical properties
J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 124, 3147–3153 (2012)
M.E. Cagiao, F. J. Baltá-Calleja, F. Spieckermann, S. Scholtyssek, M. F. Mina, M. A. H. Bhuiyan

Study of rheological and mechanical properties of ternary blends of iPP/LDPE/EPDM
J. Polym. Eng., 32, 143-151 (2012)
S. Bouhelal, M. E. Cagiao, M.L. Di Lorenzo, F. Zouai, S. Khellaf, H. Tabet, D. Benachour, F. J. Baltá Calleja

Confined crystallization of nanolayered poly(ethylene terephthalate) using X-ray diffraction methods
Polymer 53, 3986-3993 (2012)
A. Flores, F. Ania, C. Arribas, A. Ochoa, F.J. Baltá Calleja, E. Baer

Dependence of conformational relaxation on nanoconfinement in semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate)
Mechanics of Materials, 67, 119-125 (2013)
M. Pieruccini, A. Flores, F.J. Baltá-Calleja

Polymers in Health Care Applications
Bulletin of the Kigetsu-Shoin Foundation 30, 19-22 (2013)
F. J. Baltá Calleja

Study of Nanoclay Blends on Poly (Ethylene Terephtalate)/Poly (Ethylene Naphthalene 2,6-Dicarboxylate) prepared by Reactive Extrusion
J. Polym. Eng., 34, 431-479 (2014)
F. Zouai, S. Bouhelal, M.E. Cagiao, F.Z. Benabid, D. Benachout, F J. Baltá Calleja


Hobbies