B-MRS Newsletter. Year 9, issue 7.

Featured paper

Researchers from IFSC-USP and UNIFESP are co-authors of this review article on Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films. In addition to addressing concepts and commenting on the promising applications of the films in molecular machines, organic electronics and tissue engineering, the authors report the history of these materials, including the contributions of two women: Agnes Pockels, an amateur and self-taught scientist whose discoveries were made in her kitchen sink, and Katherine Blodgett, who was the first woman to earn a doctorate in physics from the University of Cambridge and to be hired as a scientist at General Electric. Access the paper in Chemical Reviews: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00754.

A team from USP (IFSC and ICB-II) proposed a possible strategy for the treatment of Covid-19, based on the repositioning of a drug combined with the use of nanotechnology. The solution consists of encapsulating a drug, currently used to treat patients with multiple sclerosis, inside a polymeric nanocapsule capable of releasing the medication into cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. Tests with cells showed that the encapsulated drug has less toxicity than the free one and, at the same time, its antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 is almost 70 times higher than that of the drug without encapsulation. Access the article on ACS Applied Bio Materials:
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.2c00349.

Looking for natural materials that can provide low-cost two-dimensional insulating layers, a team from UFMG, UFOP, Mackenzie, LNLS and UNICAMP investigated the structure and properties of clinochlore – an abundant lamellar mineral. The authors demonstrated that the presence of impurities between the lamellae affects the optoelectronic properties of the material in both its macroscopic and two-dimensional versions. The article points out the potential application of this material in nanodevices production. Access the paper on Applied Surface Science:
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.2c00349.

Lives & Webinars

A live held for the Brazilian National Science and Researcher Day (on July 8th) brought together three researchers from the Southeast, North and Northeast regions of the country who showed the importance of research in sustainable development. The recording of the panel is available at the B-MRS YouTube.

Professor Hidembergue Ordozgoith from Frota (UFAM) showed how the development of new materials based on the sustainable use of Amazonian biodiversity can contribute to a new economic cycle in the North region, with an impact on segments such as food, agriculture and construction.

Professor Simoni Margareti Plentz Meneghetti (Ufal) presented through several examples the fundamental importance of catalysts to make industrial processes more sustainable, to take advantage of renewable raw materials such as biomass, to enable the use of clean and renewable energy and even to recycle various materials.

Researcher Cauê Ribeiro de Oliveira (EMBRAPA) has shown that developing fertilizers is, in fact, developing materials. In order to achieve the maximum possible efficiency and the necessary properties with the least negative environmental impact and reduced cost, it is necessary to modify the fertilizers with other materials and to use systems that allow them to be released gradually in a controlled manner.

XX B-MRS Meeting

• Early registration period is open until August 10th.

• Program: the program at a glance is available on the website.
• Student awards: Prizes will only be awarded to winners who are present at the ceremony on the last day of the event.
• Venue: the “venue” tab of the event’s website contains information about reservations at the Rafain hotel and other nearby hotels.
• Memorial Lecture: Prof. Roberto Mendonça Faria (IFSC-USP).
• Plenary Speakers: Christine Kranz (Ulm University), Daniel Mario Ugarte (UNICAMP), Gustavo Rivas (Univ. Córdoba), Natalie Stingelin (Georgia Tech Univ.), Sanjay Sampath (State Univ. of New York at Stony Brook), Pulickel Ajayan (Rice Univ.), Stuart Parkin (Univ Martin-Luther de Halle-Wittemberg).
• Support and sponsorship: 20 companies have already confirmed sponsorship and participation in the exhibition of this edition of the event, which also has 40 institutinal supporters among journals, companies and other organizations. Entities interested in participating in the expo or in other forms of dissemination and support can contact Alexandre Alves at comercial@sbpmat.org.br.

For more information and registration, visit the event website.

Reading tips

– Computational study shows superconducting behavior of two-dimensional material Mo2N at relatively high temperatures and ambient pressure (Nanoscale cover). Saiba mais.

– Study with the participation of researchers from USP and Inpe shows that it is possible to control phonons by means of a magnetic field (Physical Review Letters). Know more.

– Researchers manage to produce well-aligned boron nitride nanotube fibers, starting from the liquid crystal of this material. The advance opens up the possibility of applying these nanotubes, which are good electrical insulators (Nature Communications). Know more.

– Video by researchers from CeRTEV (DEMa – UFSCar) with theatrical representation of the phenomenon of glass transition wins the second place in the international competition Glorious Glass Demo for the dissemination of science and technology of glass, promoted by ACerS. Know more and see the video.

Opportunities

– CNPq call for cooperative projects Brazil – Argentina in Nanotechnology. Applications until August 22nd. Brasil Link. Argentina Link.

– Vacancy for researcher in the field of Organic Electronics and Bioelectronics at the University of Coimbra (Portugal). Applications until August 8th. Know more.

– Vacancy at LNLS – CNPEM for researcher of the Jatobá do Sirius beamline (X-ray diffraction – PDF). Know more.

– Vacancy at LNNano-CNPEM as a researcher in data science and nanostructure theory. Know more.

– Researcher vacancy at LNNano-CNPEM in LT-STM applied to materials for quantum technologies.Know more.

– Selection of post-doc and doctoral scholarships for FAPESP thematic project in the area of colloids at UNICAMP, UFABC, CNPEM and UFSCar. Applications until August 31st. Know more.

Events

– Course: Fundamentals of Transmission Electron Microscopy. IFGW-UNICAMP + online (to confirm). Second half of 2022. More information.

– IUMRS-ICAM2021 + IMRC2022. Online + Cancun (Mexico). August 14th to 19th, 2022. Website.

– Machine Learning School for Materials @Ilum. Hybrid event. September 5th to 7th, 2022. Website.

– XVIII International Small Angle Scattering Conference. Online + Campinas, SP (Brazil). 11 to 16 September 2022. Website.

– 18th International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering (PSE 2022). Trade Fair Erfurt (Germany). September 12 to 15, 2022. Website.

– XX B-MRS Meeting. Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil). 25th to 29th of September 2022. Website.

– 22nd International Magnetic Measurement Workshop (IMMW22). Online. September 26 to 30, 2022. Website.

– 7th Meeting on Self Assembly Structures in Solution and at Interfaces (AUTOORG 2022). Bento Gonçalves (RS). November 2nd to 4th, 2022. Website.

– V Workshop de Química Inorgânica. Manaus (AM) + online. November 9th to 11th, 2022. Website.

– 11th International Conference of the African Materials Research Society (AMRS2022 ). Dakar (Senegal). December 12 to 15, 2022. Website.

– 41st International Conference on Vacuum Ultraviolet and X-ray Physics (VUVX 2023). Campinas (SP). 3rd to 7th of July 2023. Website.

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