The Matter at High Pressure (MALTA) initiative has born to address frontier questions related to high pressure research and technology.

The MALTA project gathers more than seventy scientists of twelve research groups dedicated to the study of diverse high pressure phenomena under a variety of different perspectives. It is the synergy from the cooperation among the participant groups that provides a real added-value to this ambitious project and confers worth to this initiative.

The following table resumes the main competencies/tasks to be developed by of each group.

UJI-Computational and Theoretical Chemistry: Molecular modelling of reactive systems in high pressure conditions. First-principle calculations of the electronic structure of crystalline solids.

UCM-High Pressure Group: Phase transformations and chemical reactivity of molecular systems under high pressure. Thermodynamic models. Development of high pressure anvil cells. Synthesis at high pressure / high temperature conditions in large volume presses. X-Ray diffraction

UAB-Food Science Technology Plant: Microbiological studies in extreme conditions. Study of mechanisms of baroprotection and bacterial metabolism. Implementation of diagnosis devices in high pressure industrial equipments

ULL-High Pressure Laser Spectroscopy: Laser spectroscopy experiments (emission and excitation of optically active ions) for phase transition characterization. Development of new optically active materials as pressure and temperature sensors

UPV-High Pressure Group: Experiment of Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy under pressure. Design of a diamond anvil cell for Raman spectroscopy in the UV range.

ULL-Electronic Structure and Computational Physics: Ab-initio methods study of electronic, structural and dynamic properties. Modelling and simulation by means of molecular dynamics. Quantum-mechanical studies of materials under extreme temperature and pressure conditions

CAB-Planetary Geology: Experiments of high pressure stability of minerals in the conditions of the interior of planetary objects. Characterization of the physical-chemical properties of planetary endogen materials and implications on geological activity

UOVI-Quantum Chemistry Group: Quantum-mechanical simulations of pressure induced physico-chemical phenomena in crystalline solids. Development of computational techniques for microscopic interpretation of the behaviour of solids under pressure

UCAN-High Pressure Spectroscopy: Implementation and development of time-resolved emission and excitation spectroscopy under high pressure. Optical absorption techniques (UV-VIS-IR) and Raman spectroscopy under pressure. New luminescence processes induced by pressure

IF-Thermophysical Properties Determination: Study of the thermo-physical properties of water and aqueous solutions by means of volumetric and ultrasonic techniques up to 350 MPa as a function of temperature

UV-High Pressure Group: Absorption spectroscopy under pressure IR/VIS/UV. X-ray absorption and diffraction. Ultrasound and electrical transport experiments in large volume pressure cells. DAC design for magneto-optical experiments. Design of a DAC laser heating system.