B-MRS Early Career Woman Scientist Prize

(It recognizes the best work presented within the oral sessions of the B-MRS Meeting symposia by a woman with a PhD degree at the beginning of her scientific career. Sponsored by the journal Electronic Materials (MDPI))

Winner: Ingrid David Barcelos.

Honorable mentions: Janaína Artem Ataide and Ingrid Rodríguez Gutierrez.

 

Bernhard Gross Student Awards

(Established by B-MRS in honor of Bernhard Gross, a pioneer of Brazilian materials research. It distinguishes the best oral and poster contributions presented by students in each symposium) 

Symposium AC01 – Poster – Crivian Pelisser. Understanding the interactions is ZIF-8 with Solvents: Implications for stability.

Symposium AC01 – Oral – Guilherme Boenny Strapasson. Shedding light on oxygen vacancy-induced phase transformations of Ti-FeOx Using total X-ray scattering.

Symposium AC03 – Poster – Maria Gabriella Detone Guaita. Influence of co-solvent and methylammonium chloride additive on low-dimensional perovskites for solar cells.

Symposium AC03 – Oral – Francisco Mateus Cirilo da Silva. X-ray Dose Effects and Strategies to Mitigate Beam Damage in Metal Halide Perovskites under High Brilliance X-ray Photon Sources.

Symposium AC04 – Poster – Henrique Ferreira dos Santos. Materials Informatics for ultra-wide bandgap design: A study of 1D perovskites of the Jakobssonite family.

Symposium AC04 – Oral – Caroline Binde Stoco. Genetic Algorithm integrated with Machine Learning for high toughness High-Entropy Alloy design.

Symposium AC06 – Poster – Heloisa Helena Pereira Silva. Growth of thin film of CuZr metallic glass by sputtering.

Symposium AC06 – Oral – Alisson Ceccatto dos Santos. Engineering two-dimensional nanoporous networks selected by metal and nonmetal adatom coordination.

Symposium AC07 – Poster – Aline Borges de Andrade. Effect of metallic oxide nanoparticles on corrosion in 1020 steel.

Symposium AC07 – Oral – Astrid Yáñez-Hernández. Tailoring Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon-based Coatings Deposited by PECVD for Improving Adhesion on PDMS for Medical Applications.

Symposium BS01 – Poster – João Paulo dos Santos Prado. A new biomaterial developed from a marine compound for use in bone tissue engineering.

Symposium BS01 – Oral – Laura Ordonho Libero. Cytotoxicity and modulation of cell death in fibroblasts caused by Ag2WO4 dose and morphology-dependent.

Symposium BS02 – Poster – Letícia Cerqueira Vasconcelos. Development of luminescent nanoparticles based on Nd3+ and Yb3+ for use as nanothermometers in biological systems.

Symposium BS02 – Oral – Cleber Gomes de Jesus. Urease nanoflowers in conjugated polymers as think films: an alternative approach for biosensor.

Symposium BS03 – Poster – Vinícius Pereira Pinto. Study of Laser-Induced Ablation of Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) for Ophthalmic Applications.

Symposium BS03 – Oral – Érica Mendes dos Santos. Formulation with coffee pulp extract for wound healing.

Symposium BS04 – Poster – Diego Beltrame Pereira. Synthesis of bio-based polyurethanes using cellulose and lignin as polyols with simultaneous film formation: incorporation of SiO2 nanoparticles for antibacterial properties.

Symposium BS04 – Oral – Maria Clara dos Santos Oliveira. Combining and concentrating nanocelluloses for cryogels with remarkable strength and wet resilience.

Symposium BS05 – Poster – Rodrigo Borges Rhinow. SANS data analysis of poloxamer-based drug delivery systems.

Symposium BS05 – Oral – Andrea Delledonne. Polymeric unimer micelles as nanocarriers of organic fluorophores for bioimaging applications.

Symposium EP03 – Poster – Talles Benites. OUT OF EQUILIBRIUM VORTEX DINAMYCS: interaction of vortices with triangular defects and transport currents.

Symposium EP03 – Oral – João Felipe Pierdoná Antoniolli. Superionic conductor glass-ceramics for ionic selectivity of alkaline metals.

Symposium EP05 – Poster – Milton Alexandre Cardoso. Cathodic Performance of Polyaniline-Based Hybrid Materials in Biofuel Cells.

Symposium EP05 – Oral – Júlia Ketzer Majewski. Water Based Inks for Active Layers in Organic Photovoltaics.

Symposium EP06 – Oral – Gabrielle Coelho Lelis. Exploiting the Synergy Between Molecularly Imprinted Polymers, Electrolytic Transistors, and Machine Learning Towards Sensing of Small Analyte Molecules.

Symposium EP07 – Poster – Eduardo Oliveira Ghezzi. Synthesis and characterization of glasses and fiber for ultrassensive magneto-optical sensors.

Symposium EP07 – Oral – Guilherme Conceição Concas. Control of the photoluminescence quantum-yield of gold organometallic nanocomposites by pulsed laser driven CO2 reduction reaction.

Symposium FM01 – Poster – Gabriel Menegolo de Castro Meira. Analyzing the quality of our drinking water: by examining the presence of total coliforms and e. coli.

Symposium FM02 – Oral – Agnes Candido Teixeira. Siloxane-polyether nanocomposites with iron oxide nanoparticles for future applications as magneto-responsive drug delivery systems.

Symposium FM03 – Poster – Guilherme Cardeal Stumpf. Characterization of different carbide distribution for a CrCoNi alloy.

Symposium FM03 – Oral – Vinicius Pereira Bacurau. Detection of chemical short range ordering through thermal analysis in the equiatomic CrCoNi alloy.

Symposium FM04 – Poster – Iara de Lacerda Pataca. Synthesis and characterization of jacutingaite (Pt2HgSe3): exploring solid-state reactions.

Symposium FM04 – Oral – Rafael Reis Barreto. Evidence of Thickness-dependent Surface Induced Ferroelectricity in Few-layer Germanium Sulfide obtained via Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy.

Symposium FM05 – Oral – Jéssica Menezes de Mélo Luzardo. Processing of Biomass from Agricultural Waste for Production of Graphene Nanoplatelets for Soil Fertilization.

Symposium FM06 – Poster – Paula Fabiola Pantoja Pinheiro. Characterization of Arc Welding Coating of Metal Matrix Nanocomposite based on CNTs/Ti6Al4V/CaF2.

Symposium SS02 – Poster – Karolayne Emanuelly Gomes Xavier. Study of sugarcane biochar synthesis towards a recyclable waste application.

Symposium SS02 – Oral – Pedro Sales Toro Alonso. Scalable methods to isolate cellulose nanofibers from sugarcane bagasse.

Symposium SS03 – Poster – Jessica Gil Londoño. Al2W3O12 from the low-positive thermal expansion ceramic to an efficient photocatalyst under low-power visible light.

Symposium SS03 – Oral – Leonardo Shoji Aota. Grain boundary-controlled lithiation of Li-solid solution systems for lithium metal batteries.

Symposium SS04 – Poster – Lucas Silva Ricci. Effect of CTAB addition on Ni/CeO2 vacancy aiming CO2 catalytic methanation.

Symposium SS04 – Oral – Adervando Sebastião da Silva. The effect of Sn3+ centres on SrSnO3’s photocatalytic activity: An EPR study.

 

ACS Publications Student Prizes

(Sponsored by journals of ACS Publications, a division of the American Chemical Society. Prizes for the best student contributions of all the event)

Symposium EP07 – Poster – Eduardo Oliveira Ghezzi. Synthesis and characterization of glasses and fiber for ultrassensive magneto-optical sensors.

Symposium SS03 – Poster – Jessica Gil Londoño. Al2W3O12 from the low-positive thermal expansion ceramic to an efficient photocatalyst under low-power visible light.

Symposium AC06 – Poster – Heloisa Helena Pereira Silva. Study of thin film of CuZr metallic glass by electron pair distribution function.

Symposium AC03 – Oral – Francisco Mateus Cirilo da Silva. X-ray Dose Effects and Strategies to Mitigate Beam Damage in Metal Halide Perovskites under High Brilliance X-ray Photon Sources.

Symposium FM03 – Oral – Vinicius Pereira Bacurau. Detection of chemical short range ordering through thermal analysis in the equiatomic CrCoNi alloy.

Symposium EP06 – Oral – Gabrielle Coelho Lelis. Exploiting the Synergy Between Molecularly Imprinted Polymers, Electrolytic Transistors, and Machine Learning Towards Sensing of Small Analyte Molecules.

 

RSC Student Prizes

(Sponsored by journals of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Prizes for the best student contributions of all the event)

Symposium BS01 – Poster – João Paulo dos Santos Prado. A new biomaterial developed from a marine compound for use in bone tissue engineering.

Symposium BS03 – Poster – Vinícius Pereira Pinto. Study of Laser-Induced Ablation of Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) for Ophthalmic Applications.

Symposium AC03 – Poster – Maria Gabriella Detone Guaita. Influence of co-solvent and methylammonium chloride additive on low-dimensional perovskites for solar cells.

Symposium BS01 – Oral – Laura Ordonho Libero. Cytotoxicity and modulation of cell death in fibroblasts caused by Ag2WO4 dose and morphology-dependent.

Symposium FM04 – Oral – Rafael Reis Barreto. Evidence of Thickness-dependent Surface Induced Ferroelectricity in Few-layer Germanium Sulfide obtained via Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy.

Symposium SS02 – Oral – Pedro Sales Toro Alonso. Scalable methods to isolate cellulose nanofibers from sugarcane bagasse.

When Marília Junqueira Caldas began working with computers in 1970, their use was still in its early stages in Brazil, even at universities. However, from then on, computational tools constantly accompanied the scientist on her path of scientific discoveries.

At that time, Marília was a student in the undergraduate Physics course at the University of São Paulo (USP), where she had enrolled in 1968. She graduated in 1974 and, the following year, began her Master’s degree in Physics at the same institution. She obtained her Master’s degree in 1978 with a thesis on mathematical modeling applied to Oceanography. In the same year, she began her PhD in Physics, also at USP. In 1981, she defended her dissertation in Materials Physics, an area in which she works to this day, having made a series of impactful contributions in materials such as silicon, conductive polymers, graphene and hybrid structures.

Between 1983 and 1984, she did her postdoctoral studies at the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) in the United States. Back in Brazil, she became a professor at the Gleb Wataghin Institute of Physics (IFGW) at Unicamp. In 1986, she returned to her alma mater, USP, as a professor at the Physics Institute (IFUSP) in the Department of Mechanics and Materials Physics. Throughout the 1990s, the scientist worked as director and administrator of the IFUSP Electronic Computing Center. In 2000, she became a full professor at USP. From 2010 to 2014, she served as head of the department.

Now 74 years old, Marília continues to teach at USP. From her imminent retirement, she will dedicate herself entirely to continuing the research she has been conducting on organic and inorganic semiconductor materials with applications in devices that interact with light.

With over 100 scientific articles published in international journals and 23 supervisions of master’s and doctoral projects, Marília Caldas is a CNPq research productivity fellow at the Senior Researcher level.

At the opening of the XXII B-MRS Meeting, on September 29 of this year, she will deliver the Memorial Lecture Joaquim da Costa Ribeiro, an honor granted annually by B-MRS to senior researchers with outstanding careers within the Materials research community.

Learn more about this distinguished scientist in this interview.

B-MRS Newsletter: Tell us how you became a scientist.

Marília Junqueira Caldas: Mathematics has always been a great attraction for me, starting as a game when I was a child and continuing throughout my adolescence – initially touching on geometry and the beauty of shapes, their appearances in nature, their movements, and so on. My father was an architect and at first I thought about becoming one too. During high school – which I chose, as it was called at the time, the “scientific” one – I had Physics classes with Professor “Dona” Célia, brilliant and motivating like few others! My classmates also remember Dona Célia, and it was she, in her classes, who encouraged me to take the Physics entrance exam (at the same time as the Architecture one!). Just to top it off, the textbook we used with Dona Célia was Halliday’s, which I later found in my first years at IFUSP!

During my undergraduate studies, right after those “lead years” of 1968-69, in 1970 I began my life in the computing environment. This was due to the existence of the Nuclear Physics particle accelerator (Pelletron) at IFUSP, which needed and implemented the Applied Mathematics Sector (SEMA), that is, a sector for analyzing data acquired by the accelerator and which needed to be “translated”. Under the guidance of Prof. Claudio Mammana, I began my career in IT, initially to assist users, which later led me to become a user. I was introduced to data analysis, the FORTRAN programming system, and so on, so that as my academic life progressed I continued to use computing resources to obtain results for problems that aroused my curiosity. Another very important factor was being able to visit the IFUSP library, since at the time it was the place where scientific news arrived from international journals.

As for the topics of interest, there were many, in different directions of Physics. I joined experimental laboratories and finally, at the beginning of my Master’s degree, I moved on to the sea, to ocean currents, how they develop and how they continue – an area of ​​Fluid Dynamics that both fascinates and frightens us, especially if, like me, we have often been near the sea since childhood. Thus, during my Master’s degree I was able to go to the ocean (Oceanographic Ship Prof. Wladimir Besnard) to collect samples of “sea water”, an unparalleled experience. As for my thesis specifically, under the guidance of Prof. Luiz Brunner de Miranda, I worked on analyzing current data collected to understand the flow of currents along our coast. This research already developed my interest in marine life and its dependence on the chemistry and photochemistry of the sea, the ocean, and led me to the study of molecules, etc. Thus, in another group, now at IFUSP, I initially studied microsamples of various origins experimentally using gas chromatography. Later, I resumed my mathematical-computational characteristic and focused on the quantum mechanics of solids, which was of interest to me and to the general public at the time, specifically semiconductors such as silicon (Si) and the effect of the infinitesimal presence of other atoms and elements in their “body”, which are called defects in semiconductors. It is interesting to note that the term “defect” is strange, since they are what give the semiconductor the property we desire, such as photoactivity. In my case, I worked at the Group of Electronic Structure of Materials in the Department of Physics of Materials and Mechanics, where I did my doctorate under the supervision of Professor José Roberto Leite, who has unfortunately passed away.

I now turn to my doctoral work, which focused on “defect” states in Si, but which was carried out in a group that investigated several families of tetrahedral semiconductors, and which mainly introduced me to the use of electronic structure calculations, which are extremely important for the worldwide development of the entire science of electronic and optoelectronic devices.

B-MRS Newsletter: Think about the scientific discoveries you have made throughout your career and briefly describe those that you consider most relevant or interesting.

Marília Junqueira Caldas: Our first discovery, which was quite impressive for the entire semiconductor community, was an impurity in Si, the replacement of an atom in the crystal by an oxygen atom (O). Since the number of valence electrons in O is the same as in Si, plus 2 extra electrons, it was thought that it would act as a double donor, just like the isovalent impurities sulfur (S) and selenium (Se), with greater conductivity than the pure semiconductor. However, our study showed that in the case of O, a structural reorganization occurs at the location of the defect, electron-phonon coupling, which in fact introduces an acceptor state (captures electrons) in the Si band gap. Thus, the creation of a conductive state was ruled out, and the result was associated with a defect labeled at that time (late 1970s, early 1980s) as an A-center in Si, which extracts the conductive electrons from the system. This work was part of my PhD, and was carried out with what was available at the time for realistic first-principles calculations. As was common, my work became widely known by colleagues through its presentation at an international conference, and although it is rarely cited (based on today’s measurements), the result is now part of the knowledge base for Si devices [Caldas et al. 1980]. I continue to investigate defects in several different semiconductors to this day [Atambo et al. 2019]. On the other hand, after my PhD, I became interested in organic semiconductors, and I highlight here our work in the late 1980s on Polyaniline (PANI), a polymer that generated controversy in the community, as it was considered an insulator, or a high-gap semiconductor, even with doping, but experimentally it behaved like a p-type semiconductor with excellent conductivity. We showed that this very interesting property comes directly from the disorder inherent in polymeric systems, which caused quite an impact on the community. In this case, we used empirical and semi-empirical methods that allowed us to access very large systems [Galvão et al. 1989]. I continued working on polymeric systems, moving on to the conductors polyparaphenylene (PPP) and polyvinyl paraphenylene (PPV), now in collaboration with the University of Modena, focusing on electronic properties and moving on to optical properties, applying mostly first-principles functionals [Ferretti et al. 2003]. I believe that our contribution to understanding the behavior of these systems was impactful in the community. In another very common area now, I became interested in and we worked on two-dimensional systems such as graphene and variants, with defects or other atomic components, an area in which I also continue to work [Valência and Caldas 2017, Bonacci et al. 2022]. In another perspective, I focused on organic/inorganic interaction systems, such as polythiophene (PT) or oligothiophenes and oxide surfaces, and so on, where I continue to work given their importance for device assembly. In the last ten years (or more) I have focused mainly on devices for solar energy conversion, that is, photovoltaic devices, due to the global need for clean energy, which will continue to grow. As a final comment, I must say that the creation of the Brazilian National Institutes of Science and Technology (INCTs) was very important, of which I have been a member since the beginning through the IMMP (Multidisciplinary Institute of Polymeric Materials), which is now INEO (National Institute of Organic Electronics). Collaboration and interaction between researchers in Brazil was expanded and motivated by this great initiative of the INCTs, which in my case was very important due to the interaction with the experimental side.

B-MRS Newsletter: From the point of view of training researchers, creating laboratories, scientific dissemination and other aspects of a researcher’s career, what are your achievements that have had the greatest impact or given you the greatest satisfaction?

Marília Junqueira Caldas: It is difficult to choose, but probably what brought me the most satisfaction was, during my work as Coordinator of the USP Electronic Computing Center (CCE), the creation and implementation of a program which gave students at our university the opportunity to work directly with microcomputers, which at the time was very difficult and only possible for young people from high-income families. This achievement does not fall into the “categories” mentioned above, but the administration of a university is extremely important for the effectiveness and continuity of humanity’s progress. At the CCE, I dedicated myself to setting up the USPnet network, expanding and improving the quality of high-performance computers available for research activities, and, as I have already emphasized, making computing available to students. As for my research work, the interaction with Brazilian researchers outside my institute, whether in the state of São Paulo, in other states of Brazil, or abroad, has always been a very important stimulus for the continuity of my research activity. Finally, knowing that I helped to form, through mentoring activities, high-quality researchers, is my greatest return.

B-MRS Newsletter: In your profession as a professor and researcher, have you encountered many difficulties related to the fact of being a woman?

Marília Junqueira Caldas: As in any profession, these difficulties exist, perhaps – I hope – less so now than in my time. I must say that due to my family, I have had fewer problems than usual, since my maternal grandmother was an anti-racism and anti-sexist activist, always applauded by my grandfather; my parents were extremely strong in these areas and always encouraged me. When working in the scientific community, I faced problems, as was common, but my advisor, Prof. José Roberto Leite, always had a positive and anti-sexist stance regarding the training of female students and supported our activities, including post-doctorate studies at other institutions, in an exemplary manner. As for the problem that I still remember as the most emblematic, it was when I asked for resources from a Brazilian funding agency to do my post-doctorate abroad, and it required a greater effort than usual – but I was granted the scholarship. I must also emphasize that, as advised by Prof. Leite, I did not put my full name when submitting a paper, only my initials and surname to avoid the sexist effect, and I remember to this day the first time I went to a conference abroad and presented a paper. At that time, we would put the complete article on paper, to be published in the proceedings or in a journal, and deliver it to the conference committee before the oral presentation. When I submitted my paper, I remember my colleague’s reaction: “Ah! So Caldas is a woman?”. I replied: “Yes, it is me!”.

B-MRS Newsletter: Leave a message for our younger readers who are starting a career as scientists in Brazil or are considering this possibility.

Marília Junqueira Caldas: Science is always a beautiful, intriguing road, and whenever you see something you don’t understand, it’s exciting. This beautiful road has a shortcut, a fork in the road every millimeter, where you can study, investigate, and learn. Apart from this almost poetic vision, the development of science in the current world brings many job opportunities to young people, in different directions, and along the way you can still learn and teach more.

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References cited

Atambo, M.; Varsano, D.; Ferretti, A.; Ataei, S.S.; Caldas, M.J.; Molinari, E.;  “Electronic and optical properties of doped TiO₂ by many-body perturbation theory” – Physical Review Materials 3, p. 04501, 2019.

Bonacci, M.; Zanfrognini, M.; Molinari, E.; Ruini, A.; Caldas, M.J.; Ferretti, A.;” Excitonic effects in graphene-like C₃N” – Physical Review Materials 6, p. 034009 2022.

Caldas, M.J.; Leite, J.R.;Fazzio, A.; “Theoretical-Study of the Si-A Center” – Physica Status Solidi B 98, p. K109, 1980.

Ferretti, A.; Ruini, A.; Molinari, E.; Caldas M.J.; “Electronic Properties of Polymer Crystals: The Effect of Interchain Interactions” – Physical Review Letters 90, p. 086401, 2003.

Galvão, D.S. ; Santos, D.A. ; Laks, B. ; Melo, C.P. ; Caldas, M.J.;  “Role of Disorder in the Conduction Mechanism of Polyanilines” – Physical Review Letters 63, p. 786-789, 1989.

Valencia-García A.M.; Caldas, M.J.; “Single vacancy defect in graphene: Insights into its magnetic properties from theoretical modeling” – Physical Review B 96, p. 125431, 2017.

 

Year 11, issue 8. September 4th, 2024.

Paper and books by the community This paper reports a possible solution for producing electronics using cleaner and more sustainable processes. The authors, from UNESP (Brazil) and the University of Glasgow (Scotland), demonstrated the effectiveness of an innovative method for manufacturing biodegradable and flexible paper electronic devices. They used a laser to draw conductive paths in kraft paper, causing the carbon atoms on the surface to reorganize into graphene-like structures. The conductive paths were used to produce resistive heaters. The group used the life cycle assessment method to measure the environmental impact of this process, showing a reduction in impact of two orders of magnitude compared to conventional methods. Access the paper. In this article, conducted at Brazilian institutions (UCS, Unicamp and CETENE) and at North Carolina State University (USA), the authors demonstrate a new way to control friction at the nanoscale. In the system prepared for the experiments, consisting of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in aqueous suspension, they observed that exposure to light reduces friction and that, when the light is turned off, friction increases again. The discovery may be a first step towards developing smart lubricants whose properties can be controlled with an external stimulus during use of the product. In addition, the study paves the way for studying the effects of light on other properties of various suspensions. Access the paper. Using nanocapsules containing minimal doses of herbicide has proven to be a good strategy for achieving better crop results while reducing environmental impact. This research, conducted at UEL and Unesp, further enhanced this effect. The scientific team developed polymeric nanocapsules containing atrazine (a well-known herbicide) and coated them with chitosan (a natural polymer derived from chitin that is biodegradable, biocompatible, and very abundant on the planet). The coating modified the interaction between the nanocapsules and the surface of the leaves, improving the delivery of atrazine to the plants. As a result, the researchers achieved greater weed control using only half the dose applied with the unencapsulated product. Access the paper. In this work, a Brazilian scientific team developed a process that uses extract from jambolan leaves (Syzygium cumini) as a binder and encapsulator to synthesize iron-doped tin dioxide nanoparticles. The objective of the work was to optimize the properties of the nanoparticles to use them as photocatalysts in environmental remediation processes; that is, to degrade pollutants present in the environment through light-driven oxidation reactions. With the new process, the scientists were able to improve characteristics of this semiconductor oxide that limit its performance in photocatalysis: they expanded its light absorption capacity and increased its quantum efficiency. The work was carried out through the collaboration of researchers from UNIFAL-MG, IFSC-USP, IFMA, UFSCar, UNESP and CDTN. Access the paper. This book is a reference for students, researchers and teachers who work in the field of Nanobiotechnology and need to understand the unique relationship between physical, chemical and biological properties of oncological drugs and their interactions. The author is Eudenilson L. Albuquerque, retired professor from UFRN and researcher in the areas of Condensed Matter Physics, Biophysics and Biochemistry. Access the book. Community Researchers Luiza Amim Mercante (UFBA) and Daniel Souza Correa (Embrapa Instrumentação), B-MRS members and chairs of our 2025 event, received the Academic Jabuti Award in the Chemistry and Materials category for a book in Portuguese about electrofiber spinning and nanofibers. In the work, they brought together 19 chapters on various aspects of the electrospinning technique, all written by authors from Brazilian institutions. In its first edition, the Academic Jabuti Award, a new award from the Brazilian Book Chamber dedicated to scientific, technical and professional areas, had almost 2,000 works entered. XXII B-MRS Meeting Santos (SP), September 29 to October 3, 2024 Short courses. Four short courses on characterization techniques, nanoparticle synthesis and scientific writing will be held on Sunday, September 29, before the opening of the event. To participate, it is necessary to register at no extra cost in the event system, in the “Add/Edit activity” tab. Poster printing service. Visumania printing company offers a poster printing service with delivery to the event location. Interested parties should send the files by email by September 26th. Learn more. Program. The program at a glance and the presentation schedule are available on the event website. Learn more. Transfer. The company Central de Fretes & Receptivo will have a transfer service between the airports (Congonhas and Guarulhos) and hotels in Santos for participants of our event who wish to hire it. Reservations must be made up to 15 days before the event. Learn more. Hosting. Hotels offering special discounts to participants of the XXII B-MRS Meeting are listed on the event website. By clicking on the links, the promotional prices are accessed. Learn more. Plenary lectures. Seven internationally renowned scientists from universities and companies in Brazil, Canada, the United States, Italy, Poland and Singapore will speak on topics of broad interest and current affairs.The Joaquim da Costa Ribeiro Memorial Lecture will be given by Professor Marília Junqueira Caldas (USP) and the José Arana Varela Prize Lecture by Professor Bluma Guenther Soares (UFRJ). Learn more. Exhibitors. 31 companies and startups have already confirmed their participation in our booth exhibition. Meet the exhibitors. Location. The event venue is the Blue Med Convention Center in the city of Santos. More information about the city and the convention center. Chairs. The general coordinators of the event are Prof. Laura Oliveira Péres, from the Chemistry Department of the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), and Prof. Lucas Fugikawa Santos, from the Physics Department of the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (Unesp). Opportunities -Submissions of scientific articles for a special edition of the new IOP journal on science and technology for sustainability are open until October 31. The edition is dedicated to solutions for Latin America and has two B-MRS members as guest editors: Ana Flavia Nogueira (Unicamp) and Caue Ribeiro (Embrapa). The publication will be open access and free of charge.. Learn more. – Special issue on materials for energy conversion and storage of the Journal of Alloys and Compounds Communications (Elsevier) accepts papers and review articles. Guest editors are members of the Brazilian materials community. Submissions are open until December 24th. Learn more. – The call for papers for a special issue of the Journal of Alloys and Compounds Communications on titanium-based alloys, from processing to applications, with a focus on biomedical devices, is open until March 31, 2025. The three guest editors are members of B-MRS (Pedro Nascente, Carlos Grandini and Conrado Afonso). Learn more. Upcoming events – VI Latin American Crystallographic Association Meeting. Montevideo (Uruguay). September 23 to 26, 2024. Website. – XXII B-MRS Meeting. Santos (SP). September 29 to October 3, 2024. Website. – VI Iberoamerican Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies (CIPOA). Florianópolis (SC). October 7-11, 2024. Website. – São Paulo School of Advanced Science on 4th Generation Synchrotron Techniques. Campinas (SP). October 14-25, 2024. Website. – Biomaterials and Novel Technologies for Healthcare (4th BioMAH). Rome (Italy) October 15-18, 2024. Website. – 8th International Workshop on Flow and Fracture of Advanced Glasses. Tokyo (Japan). October 27–30, 2024. Website. – 8th Meeting on Self Assembly Structures in Solution and at Interfaces (Autoorg). Santos (SP). November 27-29, 2024. Website. – XXIII B-MRS Meeting. Salvador (BA). September 28 to October 2, 2025. SAVE THE DATE! Follow us on social media

It was while working on a scientific initiation project as an undergraduate student in the early 1970s that Bluma Guenther Soares identified with the profession of scientist. And for this reason, throughout her career as a researcher, she has always found great motivation and satisfaction in acting as a supervisor, especially for scientific initiation students.

Bluma Guenther Soares was born in Rio de Janeiro city, but she spent her childhood and adolescence in Barra do Piraí, in the interior of Rio de Janeiro state. At the age of 18, she moved to the capital to fulfill her dream of studying Chemistry at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). She completed her undergraduate degree at the Chemistry Institute of that university in 1973. The following year, she enrolled in a master’s degree in Organic Chemistry, also at UFRJ, and completed it in 1978.

In 1979, Bluma began her career as professor at UFRJ. At the same time, in 1981, she began her PhD in Polymer Science and Technology, also at UFRJ. In 1987, she defended her dissertation on cationic polymerization.

Between 1992 and 1993, during her postdoctoral studies at the Université de l’Etat a Liège, in Belgium, the scientist worked for the first time with conductive polymer composites, a topic in which she continues to work to this day.

Between 1998 and 2004, Bluma was coordinator of the Postgraduate Program in Polymer Science and Technology at UFRJ. In 2005, she became a full professor at UFRJ. In 2010 and 2016, she was a visiting researcher at the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) in Lyon, France.

In 2014, she was one of ten female scientists from Brazil honored with the Capes-Elsevier Award for their outstanding scientific production. In 2020, her name appeared in the ranking published in the journal PLOS Biology among the 2% of researchers in the world in her field with the greatest impact on publications.

Over 50 years of scientific activity, she has authored more than 370 scientific articles. With over 11,000 citations according to Google Scholar, Bluma currently has an H index of 54 and is a CNPq research productivity fellow at the highest level (1 A). In addition, she has supervised 60 scientific initiation projects, 74 masters and 49 doctorates to date.

At 73 years of age, the scientist has no less than 25 students under her supervision in her laboratory at the Macromolecule Institute Professora Eloisa Mano (IMA) at UFRJ and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at the university. In addition, she is a member of the editorial board of several journals and is part of the board of directors of the Brazilian Polymer Association (ABPol).

At the XXII B-MRS Meeting, which will be held in Santos (Brazil) from September 29 to October 3 of this year, Bluma Guenther Soares will receive the José Arana Varela Award, which is granted annually by B-MRS to an outstanding researcher in Brazil. On the occasion, the honoree will give a plenary lecture on ionic liquids in polymeric materials and nanocomposites.

Learn more about this prominent scientist from our community in this interview.

B-MRS Newsletter: Tell us what led you to become a scientist.

Bluma Guenther Soares: I was still in high school when I fell in love with science classes. I decided then that I would study Chemistry at the National School of Chemistry. The motivation to become a scientist came later when I began my scientific initiation internship at the Organic Chemistry Department of the IQ/UFRJ.

When I finished the basic cycle at the College (Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at UFRJ had the same basic cycle) I requested to transfer my student registration to the Chemistry Institute. My professional path was the same as always: I enrolled in the Master’s degree program at the Organic Chemistry Department of the IQ/UFRJ. During my Master’s degree, I realized that I wanted to follow an academic path and approached the head of the department to teach classes in the department without a contract – and without a salary, of course.

He encouraged me and I began teaching Organic Chemistry from that moment on. In 1979 I was hired as a professor by the Organic Chemistry Department. I then started my PhD in Polymer Science and Technology at the Institute of Macromolecules.

B-MRS Newsletter: Think about the scientific discoveries and advances in which you have participated throughout your career and briefly describe those that you consider most relevant or interesting.

Bluma Guenther Soares: As previously mentioned, I began my career as a researcher in the area of ​​Organic Chemistry and joined the Polymer Group, coordinated by Professor Eloisa Mano. After finishing my PhD, and based on student demand, I began working in the area of ​​polymer applications.

When I went to do my postdoctoral internship in Liège in 1992, the project was to be the synthesis of block copolymers, that is, organic chemistry applied to polymers. When I got there, the supervisor, Professor Jerome, changed my project to the development of electrically conductive polymer composites. It was truly the greatest challenge of my life, because I had no knowledge whatsoever about the physics involved in this area. I had to study a lot. Therefore, the discoveries involving materials that absorb electromagnetic waves were of great relevance.

Another discovery of great impact was the verification that some ionic liquids could act as non-covalent agents on carbon nanotubes and improve their dispersion. This discovery also resulted in the preparation of anticorrosive coatings involving epoxy resin and hybrid material containing polyaniline and carbon nanotubes, whose dispersion was aided by the ionic liquid.

B-MRS Newsletter: From the point of view of training researchers, creating laboratories, scientific dissemination and other aspects of a researcher’s career, what are your achievements that have had the greatest impact and/or that have given you the greatest satisfaction?

Bluma Guenther Soares: In my opinion, training human resources is always what gives us the greatest satisfaction. And every publication made with master’s, doctoral and scientific initiation students is of great importance to me.

I would like to highlight my work in advising scientific initiation students. Since I became excited about a career as a scientist after my scientific initiation internship, I am concerned with providing good guidance and inspiring these students, thus contributing to creating a critical mass of researchers in Brazil.

B-MRS Newsletter: In your profession as a professor and researcher, have you encountered many difficulties related to being a woman and/or being a mother?

Bluma Guenther Soares: Although I began my professional career in the 1970s, I never encountered any difficulties, either during my undergraduate studies or later as a professor and researcher, due to the fact that I was a woman. In these places, there was no discrimination because I was a woman.

In fact, I had some difficulties because I had to balance my professional life with a marriage and three children. For example, I ended up having to postpone my postdoctoral project in Liège, because I had to balance it at the best time. My male friends went abroad to do their doctorates and postdoctoral studies more easily than we women did. But we managed to balance the double shift well.

B-MRS Newsletter: Leave a message for our readers who are starting a career as scientists in Brazil or are considering this possibility.

Bluma Guenther Soares: As a message, I would like to say that studying new things is very challenging and tiring at times. Therefore, the first point is to know how to choose your field of activity so that research is truly a pleasure. When choosing a career that fascinates you, young people cannot be discouraged by the first difficulties.

Just to tell you a little story, I lived in Barra do Piraí when I was in middle school and high school – what we called the “science course” at that time. The only science course was at night, and the Chemistry teacher didn’t know Chemistry. He was a doctor. I had to study alone for the entrance exam to the university. It was very difficult, but I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by because I didn’t have a teacher. We don’t have good teachers, we have good books.

Good luck to everyone and don’t forget to pursue your dreams.

 

Year 11, issue 7. August 2nd, 2024.

Papers by the community A study on a new transistor, conducted by researchers from Brazil (Unesp and Mackenzie) and Germany, was featured on the cover of Advanced Electronic Materials in June. Using low-cost printing techniques, the authors manufactured an EGVFET transistor based on zinc oxide. The new transistor was studied by the scientific team to elucidate its charge transport mechanisms, that is, how charge carriers move through the materials that compose it. In addition, the authors guarantee that the device is capable of allowing or interrupting the passage of electric current when exposed to ultraviolet light depending on its intensity. The advances open up possibilities for applications in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics. Access the paper. A large portion of the medications we take are excreted and end up polluting the water, since conventional treatments are unable to remove these substances. Therefore, developing advanced techniques to solve the problem is a major challenge. In this article, a team of Brazilian scientists from UFPI, UFAL and UFPE, together with collaborators from the University of Málaga (Spain), report a new approach to remove tetracycline from water, an antibiotic used to treat various infections and widely present in effluents. The researchers achieved a synergistic effect by combining the adsorption of the pollutant and its degradation through photocatalysis. To do this, they developed a nanocomposite formed by a porous adsorbent clay (sepiolite) and a photocatalyst (cerium-doped titanium dioxide). The material was able to remove 70.45% of tetracycline, thanks to the action, in almost equal parts, of adsorption and photocatalysis. Access the paper. Methanol is a compound that can be used in many everyday products, but when it volatilizes into the air, it has strong toxic effects that can harm human health. Therefore, its effective, real-time detection is necessary. Recently, a scientific team of researchers from UFPR and collaborators from NEXT Chemical (a Brazilian nanomaterials industry) reported the development of a new gas sensor that presented one of the highest responses ever published in methanol detection. The sensor was produced using a simple, low-cost method that can be used on an industrial scale: slot-die. The technique is similar to a printing technique, in which the ink contains the elements needed to form films of the desired material. In this way, the team obtained films of a nanocomposite formed by a conductive polymer and nanoparticles of an inorganic material (zinc oxide). The material was able to detect methanol at room temperature with high selectivity and can be deposited on both rigid and flexible substrates. Access the paper. XXII B-MRS Meeting Santos (SP), September 29 to October 3, 2024 Next important date. The early bird registration period, which guarantees registrations with significant discounts for all categories, ends on August 10th. Know more. Transfer. The company Central de Fretes & Receptivo will have a transfer service between the airports (Congonhas and Guarulhos) and the hotels in Santos for the participants of our event who wish to hire it. Know more. Accommodation. Hotels offering special discounts to participants of the XXII B-MRS Meeting are listed on the event website. By clicking on the links, the promotional prices are accessed. See here. Plenary lectures. Seven internationally renowned scientists from universities and companies in Brazil, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom and Singapore will speak on scientific topics of broad interest. The Joaquim da Costa Ribeiro Memorial Lecture will be given by Prof. Marília Junqueira Caldas (USP) and the José Arana Varela Prize Lecture by Prof. Bluma Guenther Soares (UFRJ). Know more. Exhibitors. 31 companies and startups have already confirmed their participation in our booth exhibition. Meet the exhibitors. Organizations interested in the exhibition and other forms of sponsorship can contact comercial@sbpmat.org.br. Local. The event venue is the Blue Med Convention Center in the city of Santos. More information about the city and the convention center. Chairs. The general coordinators of the event are Prof. Laura Oliveira Péres, from the Chemistry Department of the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), and Prof. Lucas Fugikawa Santos, from the Physics Department of the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (Unesp). Opportunities – Postdoctoral research in perovskite solar cells at Unesp (Bauru, SP). Applications until August 23rd. Know more. – Paper submission is open until October 31 for a special issue of a new IOP journal on science and technology for sustainability. The edition is dedicated to solutions for Latin America and has two B-MRS members as guest editors: Ana Flavia Nogueira (Unicamp) and Caue Ribeiro (Embrapa). The publication will be open access and free of charge. Know more. – Special issue on materials for energy conversion and storage of the Journal of Alloys and Compounds Communications (Elsevier) accepts papers and review articles. Guest editors are members of the Brazilian materials community. Submissions are open until December 24th. Know more. – Call for papers for a special issue of the Journal of Alloys and Compounds Communications on titanium-based alloys, from processing to applications, with a focus on biomedical devices. The three guest editors are B-MRS members (Pedro Nascente, Carlos Grandini and Conrado Afonso). The deadline is March 31, 2025. Know more. Upcoming events – 4th Workshop on Coated Tools & Multifunctional Thin Films. Campinas (SP). August 19-23, 2024. Website. – XIV Curso do Método Rietveld. Fortaleza (CE). August 26-30, 2024. Website. – III Simpósio Multidisciplinar em Materiais do Centro-Oeste (SMMCO). Caldas Novas (GO). August 26-28, 2024. Website. – 19th International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering (PSE 2024). Erfurt (Germany). September 2–5, 2024. Website. – VI Latin American Crystallographic Association Meeting. Montevideo (Uruguay). September 23-26, 2024. Website. – XXII B-MRS Meeting. Santos (SP). September 29 to October 3, 2024. Website. – VI Iberoamerican Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies (CIPOA). Florianópolis (SC). October 7-11, 2024. Website. – São Paulo School of Advanced Science on 4th Generation Synchrotron Techniques. Campinas (SP). October 14-25, 2024. Website. – Biomaterials and Novel Technologies for Healthcare (4th BioMAH). Rome (Italy) October 15-18, 2024. Website. – 8th International Workshop on Flow and Fracture of Advanced Glasses. Tokyo (Japan). October 27–30, 2024. Website. – XXIII B-MRS Meeting. Salvador (BA). September 28 to October 2, 2025. SAVE THE DATE! Follow us on social media

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Year 11, issue 6. July 2nd, 2024.

Papers and patents by the community Photoluminescent nanoparticles can play a crucial role in diagnostic imaging methods used in medicine due to their ability to emit light inside living organisms and cells. They can also be used in theranostic medicine, which combines diagnosis and treatment in the same procedure. In this recently published article, a group of researchers from IFSC-USP and UFSCar presents new photoluminescent and biocompatible nanoparticles, made from carbonated calcium phosphate and functionalized with citrate. Using simple, low-cost methods, the team was able to optimize the luminescence of these nanoparticles, in addition to increasing their stability. The work highlights the potential of this material for bioimaging and theranostics. Access the paper. This paper reports an innovative approach to degrading the glyphosate molecule – a herbicide widely used in agriculture, which ends up polluting water and soil. In this proposal, glyphosate powers a fuel cell based on a photoanode that captures sunlight and promotes spontaneous reactions capable of degrading the molecule and, at the same time, generating electricity. The authors of the work, researchers from UFMS and LNNano-CNPEM, carefully developed the photoanode materials in order to increase their efficiency. Access the paper. In this article, a multidisciplinary team of researchers from Unesp, Unicamp and PUC-Rio presents an new antenna for satellite communication with better performance than conventional ones. The team developed an innovative design based on mathematical models and was able to manufacture it thanks to the use of metal additive manufacturing. The authors made adjustments to the design of the classic helical antenna, invented in the 1940s. By proposing wires with variable diameters throughout the antenna, they managed to bring together the main advantages of thick-wire and thin-wire antennas. Additive manufacturing was essential to enable the precise manufacturing of a device with complex geometry using high-quality steel. Access the paper. Recently granted to UFRN by the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), this letter patent protects the invention of a material with high sensitivity to deformation that could be used as a touch sensor. The technology is based on the use of magnetostrictive films, which change their magnetic properties when subjected to some degree of deformation. To maximize the effect, the authors carried out a detailed study to transfer these properties, already well studied in rigid substrates such as glass, to flexible substrates. Using the magnetron sputtering technique, they deposited nanostructures based on cobalt alloys on flexible polymeric substrates. The material obtained allows controlling the level of sensitivity through external magnetic fields and variations in the frequency of electrical current. This possibility may be interesting for technological applications, such as, for example, touch systems on car steering wheels, where sensitivity control must be rigorous to avoid accidents. Advocacy – B-MRS signs a letter to Brazilian federal science agencies CNPq and Capes asking for resources for mobility of students from institutions in Rio Grande do Sul affected by the climate catastrophe, so that they can continue their research in other institutions in the country, if they wish. Read the letter. Community Reginaldo Muccillo (IPEN), former administrative director of B-MRS, joined the body of associate editors of Ceramics International, Elsevier’s prestigious magazine dedicated to advanced ceramic materials. Muccillo’s trajectory in this area of ​​research has international prominence, including his election as a member of the World Academy of Ceramics and awards from the American Ceramic Society. We wish our member success in this new assignment! XXII B-MRS Meeting Santos (SP), September 29 to October 3, 2024 Next important date. Extended abstracts to compete for event prizes and awards must be sent by July 10th. Know more. Accommodation. The hotels that offer a special discount to participants of the XXII B-MRS Meeting are listed on the event website. By clicking on the links, the promotional values ​​are accessed. Check here. Plenary talks. Seven internationally renowned scientists, from universities and companies in Brazil, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom and Singapore, will speak about scientific topics of broad interest. The Memorial Lecture Joaquim da Costa Ribeiro will be given by Prof. Marília Junqueira Caldas (USP) and the José Arana Varela Award Lecture, by Prof. Bluma Guenther Soares (UFRJ). Know more. Student awards and prizes. The B-MRS Bernhard Gross Awards will recognize the best poster and best oral presentation by undergraduate and postgraduate students at each symposium. Among the finalists, the works with the best evaluations will receive cash prizes from scientific publishers ACS and RSC. To compete for the prizes it is necessary to submit an extended abstract by July 10th. Know more. Early career woman researcher prize. The B-MRS Young Researcher Award will recognize the best oral presentation of the entire event made by a woman who defended her doctorate between 2015 and 2024. The winner will receive a cash prize from the scientific publisher MDPI. To compete, you must submit an extended abstract by July 10th. Know more. Registration. The registration fee for the event is available for the different categories and conditions. The early registration discount for all categories ends on August 10th. See registration fees. Exhibitors. 31 companies and startups have already confirmed their participation in our booth exhibition. Meet the exhibitors. Organizations interested in the exhibition and other forms of sponsorship can contact comercial@sbpmat.org.br. Venue. The event location is the Blue Med Convention Center in the city of Santos. More information about the city and the convention center. Chairs. The general coordinators of the event are Prof. Laura Oliveira Péres, from the Department of Chemistry at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), and Prof. Lucas Fugikawa Santos, from the Physics Department of the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (Unesp). Opportunities – The submission of scientific articles for a special edition of a new IOP magazine on science and technology for sustainability is open until October 31st. The issue is dedicated to solutions for Latin America and has two B-MRS members as guest editors: Ana Flavia Nogueira (Unicamp) and Caue Ribeiro (Embrapa). The publication will be open access and free of charge. Know more. – Alexander von Humboldt Foundation + CAPES program offers scholarships for scientific visits to Germany for recent doctors or experienced researchers. Know more Upcoming events – 17th International Conference on Inorganic Membranes (ICIM 2024). Florianópolis (SC, Brazil). July 1-5, 2024. Website. – 29th International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC 2024). Rio de Janeiro (RJ, Brazil). July 21 to 26, 2024. Website. – 24th International Conference on Photochemical Conversion and Storage of Solar EnergS-24y (IP). Hiroshima (Japan). July 28 to August 2, 2024.​ Website. – VI Escola de Inverno em Física Aplicada à Medicina e Biologia (EIFAMB). Ribeirão Preto (SP, Brazil). July 29 to August 2, 2024. Website. – 4th Workshop on Coated Tools & Multifunctional Thin Films. Campinas (SP, Brazil). August 19 to 23, 2024. Website. – XIV Rietveld Method Course. Fortaleza (CE, Brazil). August 26 to 30, 2024. Website. – III Simpósio Multidisciplinar em Materiais do Centro-Oeste (SMMCO). Caldas Novas (GO, Brazil). August 26 to 28, 2024. Website. – 19th International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering (PSE 2024). Erfurt (Germany). September 2nd to 5th, 2024. Website. – VI Latin American Crystallographic Association Meeting. Montevideo (Uruguay). September 23-26, 2024 Website. – XXII B-MRS Meeting. Santos (SP, Brazil). September 29 to October 3, 2024. Website. – VI Iberoamerican Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies (CIPOA). Florianópolis (SC, Brazil). October 7th to 11th, 2024. Website. – São Paulo School of Advanced Science on 4th Generation Synchrotron Techniques. Campinas (SP, Brazil). October 14-25, 2024. Website. – Biomaterials and Novel Technologies for Healthcare (4th BioMAH). Rome (Italy) October 15 to 18, 2024. Website. – 8th International Workshop on Flow and Fracture of Advanced Glasses. Tóquio (Japan). October 27 to 30, 2024.Website. – XXIII B-MRS Meeting. Salvador (BA, Brazil). September 28 to October 2, 2025. SAVE THE DATE! 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