Short Bio:
José Bonilla-Cruz is a Senior Researcher at the Center for Research in Advanced Materials (CIMAV), Monterrey, Mexico, where he has served as a Titular Researcher Level C since 2018. He is a materials and polymer scientist with more than 25 years of research experience spanning polymer science, functional nanomaterials, surface chemistry, polymer nanocomposites, and additive manufacturing. His research integrates molecular-level materials design with processing and technological development, with particular emphasis on functionalized graphene and graphene oxide, advanced polymer coatings, energy-storage materials, photocatalytic architectures, and 3D-printed polymers, ceramics, and nanocomposites.
His scientific work focuses on understanding and controlling structure–property relationships in advanced polymeric and hybrid materials. His research interests include the functionalization and controlled dispersion of graphene, graphene oxide, and nanoparticles in polymer matrices; polymer synthesis and grafting; photocurable polymer networks; additive manufacturing by stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP), and direct ink writing (DIW); and the development of functional three-dimensional architectures for environmental remediation, energy, sensing, corrosion protection, and mechanical reinforcement. His approach combines materials chemistry, formulation, rheology, processing, digital manufacturing, and application-oriented materials engineering.
Dr. Bonilla-Cruz leads the Nano & Micro Additive Manufacturing of Polymers and Composite Materials Laboratory (3DLab) at CIMAV–Monterrey, a research platform dedicated to developing advanced materials, printable formulations, and additive manufacturing processes. Under his scientific leadership, the laboratory has built capabilities that connect formulation and rheological behavior to printability, structural design, functional performance, and technology development. His research has contributed to fabricating photocatalytic scaffolds, porous materials, functional coatings, conductive inks, hydrogels, elastomers, ceramic architectures, and multifunctional nanocomposites.
His recent research has expanded toward functional graphene production, aqueous conductive inks, polymer nanocomposites, DLP-printed elastomers and hydrogels, porous PEEK, and 3D-printed ceramic materials for environmental remediation. His work on graphene-based materials includes surface functionalization, water-processable graphene, corrosion protection, energy-storage applications, and functional nanocomposites. His additive manufacturing research has examined the fundamental relationships among formulation, rheology, printing parameters, microstructure, and final performance.
Dr. Bonilla-Cruz has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in international journals, including ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, ACS Applied Nano Materials, ACS Applied Polymer Materials, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Materials Science and Engineering B, RSC Advances, and MRS Communications. His work has also resulted in significant intellectual property, with six granted patents and one additional patent application covering technologies involving functional graphene, controlled polymer grafting, advanced coatings, and 3D-printable polymeric and ceramic materials. His current technology-development activities include a 2026 MADTEC–SECIHTI project with a budget of MXN $4 million, aimed at advancing application-oriented materials and additive manufacturing technologies.
Beyond research, he has supervised 20 undergraduate, 14 master's, 8 doctoral, and 5 postdoctoral researchers. He has led more than 20 research projects and participated in more than 10 additional innovation, basic science, and R&D projects. His scientific service includes leadership roles within the Mexican Polymer Society, membership on the Pacific Polymer Federation Council, organizing international polymer-science meetings, and editorial work for MRS Communications. He is currently a National Researcher Level II within Mexico's National System of Researchers and has served as a reviewer for more than 100 JCR-indexed scientific manuscripts.
Overall, his research represents an integrated trajectory from polymer and nanomaterial chemistry to advanced manufacturing, functional architectures, and technology maturation, with the goal of translating fundamental materials science into high-performance materials and practical technological solutions.
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