Dra. Sara Beldarrain
Sara Beldarrain earned her B.Sc. in Chemistry in July 2019 and her M.Sc. in Chemistry and Polymers in October 2020 from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). In 2025, she completed her International PhD in Applied Chemistry and Polymeric Materials at UPV/EHU. Her doctoral project was part of the Industrial Liaison Program (ILP) on Polymerization in Dispersed Media. During her PhD, she undertook an international research stay at AkzoNobel in the Netherlands.
Before starting her PhD, Sara Beldarrain worked on controlled radical polymerization and studied the effect of costabilizers on miniemulsion stability for her Bachelor's project. Her Master's project, conducted at POLYMAT and the Materials Physics Centre (CFM), focused on the synthesis of superplasticizers via free-radical solution polymerization, investigating how their microstructure and composition influence cement hydration.
During her PhD, entitled Functionalized Latexes as Dispersants and Spacers for Inorganic Particles in Waterborne Coating Formulations, she aimed to optimize the use of TiO₂ in waterborne paint formulations by enhancing its dispersion and spacing. This was achieved through the use of functional polymer particles, composite polymer particles, and poly(carboxylate ether) comb-like copolymers. Additionally, she conducted research on radiative cooling paints.
Currently, Sara Beldarrain is working as a postdoctoral researcher on projects focused on the development of advanced coatings for various applications, such as biodegradable and anticorrosive coatings.
Publicaciones
Polymer particles as dispersants for inorganic pigments in waterborne paint formulations
S. Beldarrain, V. Vreeken, J.R. Leiza and E. Gonzalez
Waterborne Biodegradable Polyesters Based on Thiol–Ene Chemistry for Paper Coating Applications
M. Naderi, S. Beldarrain, M. Paulis and J.R. Leiza
Sustainable Hybrid Latexes Derived from Starch Bioparticles and Biobased Monomers
S. Cabrera, A. Barquero, L. Ronco, S. Beldarrain, L. Gugliotta, R. Minari and J.R. Leiza
Model-Guided and Scalable Approach to Synthesize Snowman Polymer Particles
S. Beldarrain, S. Hamzehlou, J.R. Leiza and E. González
Poly(carboxylated ether)s as Cement Additives: The Effect of the Addition Method on Hydration Kinetics
S. Beldarrain, G. Goracci, J. S. Dolado, A. Barquero and J.R. Leiza
Rationalizing the Effect of the MAA/PEGMA Ratio of Comb-Shape Copolymers Synthetized by Aqueous Free-Radical Copolymerization in the Hydration Kinetics of Ordinary Portland Cements
S. Beldarrain, A. Barquero, G. Goracci, J. Dolado and J.R. Leiza


