Guanajuato, Gto., December 27, 2017.- Since 2014, the University of Guanajuato (UG) has a unit of specialized research, that allows the development of high scientific impact projects, provide service to the industrial sector and form human resources: The National Laboratory of Characterization of Physical-Chemical Properties and Molecular Structure (LACAPFEM).

This laboratory constitutes a joint effort between UG, the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes (UAA) and the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT); and emerged with the purpose to address the specific needs of the region, both in the academy and the companies of diverse sectors: mining, automotive, textile, and food, among others.

LACAPFEM has six spaces: The Scanning Electronic Microscopy Laboratory, the Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy, the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, the High-Performance Computing, the Raman Spectroscopy, and the Atomic Force Microscopy (located at UAA). Altogether, allows to determine the physical-chemical properties and the molecular structure of the materials, which has contributed to position UG as a referent in research.

The responsible for the Scanning Electronic Microscopy Laboratory (LMEB), Dr. Ricardo Navarro Mendoza, Professor of the Department of Chemistry at UG, mentioned that having these spaces "gives us a high capacity to address diverse problems, since they complement each other to address the projects made in the institutional level", but also of other universities, research centers and industries.

He explained that the equipment the LMEB has, allows the analysis of samples to know the morphology of different materials in a microscopic level and even in a nanometric level. A nanometer is a one thousand millionth part of a meter, so it has the capacity to know the texture, form, specific geometry, topography, and other characteristics of the materials.

"The information we can obtain from this kind of instruments is very useful for a large quantity of projects", since most of the scientific research require one of the techniques that are developed in the National Laboratory," mentioned Dr. Navarro.

An additional advantage is, having these tools "at home", the research projects can move faster and the costs for the researchers of the University of Guanajuato diminish greatly. The laboratories, such as the LMEB are available for UG's Community with a minimum recovering fee.

About the origin of LACAPFEM, Dr. Ricardo Navarro pointed that it emerged because of a summon from CONACyT, and it was possible thanks to Federal funding and from the University of Guanajuato. In UG, one of the promoters and project leader, was Dr. Mario Ávila Rodríguez, who has been on top of these initiatives, backed by the researchers in charge of the laboratories.

For more information about the National Laboratory, you can visit the website www.laboratorionacional.mx or send an email to (This email is protected against spambots. You need Javascript to see it) Esta dirección de correo electrónico está protegida contra spambots. Usted necesita tener Javascript activado para poder verla.. For Electronic Microscopy Services write to (This email is protected against spambots. You need Javascript to see it) Esta dirección de correo electrónico está protegida contra spambots. Usted necesita tener Javascript activado para poder verla.