A captivating group of materials whose existence has been experimentally proven a little over a decade ago will feature on the afternoon of September 25 at the XVIII B-MRS Meeting. These are topological insulators, which in broad lines can be described as materials that are insulating in their interior but can support flows of electrons on their surface. These materials have attracted the scientific community both for the challenges they pose to basic science and for their application possibilities in quantum computing and spintronics, two areas that should generate technologies for the very high performance devices we will use in the future.
The lecturer will be Mingzhong Wu, Professor of Physics at Colorado State University (USA). Prof. Wu received his Ph.D. in Solid State Electronics from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China) in 1999. In 2007 he joined the faculty of Colorado State University. Between 2012 and 2016 he was an Editor for IEEE Magnetics Letters. Currently he serves as an Editor for Physics Letters A, besides being on editorial boards of Journal of Applied Physics and Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials. He has authored about 140 papers and 4 book chapters, and he has co-edited a book on magnetic insulators.
In his plenary lecture at the XVIII B-MRS Meeting, Professor Wu will talk about the experiments he conducted on a system consisting of a topological insulator layer interfacing with a magnetic insulator layer. Working with this system, Professor Wu could understand a little more about the nature of topological insulators, as well as explore applications related to the control of magnetic properties.
See our mini interview with this scientist.
B-MRS Newsletter: – We´d like to know more about your scientific work. Please choose your favorite contribution, briefly describe it, and share the references.
The main interests of my research group are with magnetization dynamics and spintronics. We have contributed to the development of the research field of insulator-based spintronics. We explored different approaches for using magnetic insulators to generate pure spin currents; demonstrated the use of spin currents to manipulate and control magnetization in magnetic insulator thin films; and developed unique processes for the growth and patterning of high-quality magnetic insulator thin films. Using spin waves in magnetic insulator thin films, we have observed experimentally a number of new nonlinear phenomena, such as soliton fractals and chaotic solitons. These observations contributed to the advance of “Nonlinear Dynamics” in general and the understanding of magnetization dynamics in magnetic thin films in particular. Some of our works are listed at: https://www.physics.colostate.edu/about/people/mingzhong-wu/
B-MRS Newsletter: – What does the word “topological” refer to in the case of the insulators you study?
The word “topological” refers to the topological distinction between topological insulators and ordinary insulators. Insulators can be characterized by a Z2 topological invariant. This invariant takes odd integers for topological insulators but takes even integers for ordinary insulators.
For more information on this speaker and the plenary talk he will deliver at the XVIII B-MRS Meeting, click on the speaker’s photo and the title of the lecture here https://www.sbpmat.org.br/18encontro/#lectures.
Panel session “Mastering the Art of Scientific Publication – ACS Publications’ Meet the Editors”
Description
While the electronic age has made the publication process easier and quicker, optimizing the structure of a scientific paper requires a certain degree of skill and proficiency. During this “ACS Publications’ Meet the Editors” event, editors from some of our journals will summarize the key steps involved in writing an effective paper, journal submission, review processes, and post-publication efforts.
Panelists
Julia R. Greer, Carlos Toro, Osvaldo Oliveira Jr and Mônica Cotta.
Julia R. Greer – Ruben F. and Donna Mettler Professor of Materials Science, Medical Engineering, and Mechanics/ California Institute of Technology. Associate Editor, Nano Letters.
Osvaldo N. Oliveira Jr. – Professor of the São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Brazil. Executive Editor, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Monica A. Cotta – Full Professor in Physics at University of Campinas, Brazil. Associate Editor, ACS Applied Nano Materials.
Due to the high participation in the XVIII B-MRS meeting (Balneário Camboriú, September 22 to 26), and to ensure everyone’s comfort, the sessions and activities will take place in two hotels, 300 meters apart: Hotal Sibara Flat & Conventions and Mercure Camboriu Hotel. Both venues are located in the center of the city, close to many hotels, restaurants and shops, and some meters from the sea.
In addition, the opening session of the event will be held at the Cristo Luz Complex, one of the main tourist attractions in the city, with impressive panoramic views.
Opening session (opening ceremony, memorial lecture and welcome cocktail):
Where? Cristo Luz Complex. Rua Indonésia, 800, Balneário Camboriú.
When? September 22 (Sunday), starting at 7:30 pm.
How to get? The complex is a 10-minute taxi/Uber ride from the Sibara Hotel. There will be free shuttle service between Sibara Hotel and “Complexo Cristo Luz” from 5:00 pm on. It is recommended to arrive in advance.
Oral sessions of symposia K, M, S and U: at the Mercure Camboriú Hotel. Avenida Atlântica, 2010, Balneário Camboriú.
All other program sessions and activities (oral sessions of all other symposia, all poster sessions, plenary lectures, technical lectures of exhibitors, pre-event tutorial, exhibitors fair, coffee breaks, secretariat, workshops and round tables): at Hotel Sibara. Avenida Brasil, 1500, Balneário Camboriú.
Conference Party
Where? Lounge of the Green Valley Club.
When? September 25 (Wednesday), starting at 9 pm.
How much? 20 reais. Tickets (limited) will be on sale at the event secretariat from September 23 (Monday).
After blood, bone is the most frequently implanted/ transplanted tissue, with about 2 million bone grafts performed each year worldwide – a number that tends to increase at the rate of population aging. A well-known case is that of the jaw graft to allow firmer dental implants. However, many other causes, such as tumors, severe fractures, congenital malformations or even infections, may cause a patient to need a graft, that is to say, an implant of a natural or synthetic piece of bone to support the natural growth of bone tissue.
In Barcelona, at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), a research group has been successfully working on the development of innovative tissue regeneration biomaterials. Led by Professor Maria-Pau Ginebra, the multidisciplinary group consists of 30 researchers. After many published papers and patents obtained, Professor Ginebra decided to found, along with other members of the group, a spin-off company to bring the results of years of research into real life. Thus, in 2013, Mimetis Biomaterials was created, dedicated to nature-inspired bone regeneration solutions.
On the afternoon of September 24, Prof. Maria-Pau Ginebra will deliver a plenary lecture at the XVIII B-MRS Meeting. She will talk about a new generation of bone graft biomaterials, made through nature-inspired methods that allow control of the structure and composition of the material at the nano scale. The resulting biomaterials bring together the benefits of both natural and artificial bones, including the possibility of producing personalized grafts on 3D printers.
See our mini-interview with this Spanish scientist, Full Professor and Head of the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy at UPC, President of Mimetis Biomaterials, and Member of the Editorial Board of Acta Biomaterialia, Journal of Tissue Engineering and the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
B-MRS Newsletter: – You work in a research area that has a direct impact on society. What, in your opinion, is your scientific discovery with the greatest actual or potential impact? Please describe it very briefly.
One of the great challenges in the field of bone regeneration is the development of synthetic materials that are able to be degraded and transformed in newly formed bone. In this case, the synchronization between material degradation and new bone deposition is critical, and very difficult to achieve. We have demonstrated that this can be accomplished by using biomimetic processing routes, which allow tuning the nanostructure and composition of hydroxyapatite, mimicking more closely the mineral phase of bone. In this way the synthetic material can enter the natural bone remodeling cycle, allowing for this progressive transformation in new bone tissue.
B-MRS Newsletter: – Turning scientific knowledge into products is not an easy task. In your experience, what are the most important factors in getting a lab research to become a product on the market?
The transformation of the scientific achievements into real products is indeed a great challenge. This is particularly difficult in the biomedical field, where the scientists face a number of regulatory restrictions which were often overlooked during the previous stages of more “academic” research. In my experience, to be successful, you need the confluence of a good idea and the right people. Moreover, you need money. In summary, in my experience there are three main aspects that determine the success of the translation of a good idea to the market: 1) selecting a good team, with people mastering the different aspects of entrepreneurship, which we, as scientist, do not know; from regulation/legislation to marketing and financial aspects; 2) finding appropriate investors is always necessary; the innovation in the biomedical field is particularly expensive; 3) being willing to work really hard.
For more information on this speaker and the plenary talk she will deliver at the XVIII B-MRS Meeting, click on the speaker’s photo and the title of the lecture here https://www.sbpmat.org.br/18encontro/#lectures.
Many shades of blue, red and purple that we can see in the vegetable kingdom (for example, in grapes, raspberries, eggplants and flowers such as violets) are known to be generated by the presence of natural pigments called anthocyanins. However, what makes anthocyanin express in a plant a certain tone of this wide range? This intriguing basic science issue has applications of great interest to the food industry in its quest for healthier dyes from natural components.
A thorough answer will be presented in a plenary lecture of the XVIII B-MRS Meeting by Stefano Baroni, Full Professor of Condensed Matter Theoretical Physics at Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA) – an institution located in Trieste (Italy), dedicated to research and graduate studies in various areas of science. Baroni has been studying that issue, using, mainly, a computational method that considers phenomena occurring at the molecular level over several time scales.
Prof. Stefano Baroni is an internationally renowned Italian scientist who loves to invent and improve computational methods to unveil the properties of matter at the molecular scale and apply them to problems of fundamental and applicative interest. For example, Baroni is one of the principal creators of Density Functional Perturbation Theory (DFPT), a computational tool that allows the study of physical properties of materials that depend on responses to external perturbations. He is also the founder and one the main instigators of the Quantum ESPRESSO, project, one of the most popular open source softwares for quantum materials modeling and calculations at the nanoscale, and founding director of the Quantum ESPRESSO Foundation.
Stefano Baroni obtained a degree in Physics from the Università di Pisa (Italy) in 1978. After that, until 1984, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in Switzerland. Later, he became Assistant Professor at the Department of Theoretical Physics at the Università degli Studi di Trieste until he joined SISSA in 1988. From 1994 to 1998, he was Director of CECAM, a European center for research in computational sciences and their applications, then based at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, in France. Thereafter, until 2003, he served as coordinator in Trieste of the Istitituto Nazione per la Fisica della Materia (INFM). From 2001 to 2008, he was Founding Director of the DEMOCRITOS national simulation center, now part of the Italian CNR. Baroni has been a visiting professor at many institutions around the world, including Université Pierre et Marie Curie (France), Princeton University (USA), University of Minnesota (USA), University of Sydney (Australia), University College London (UK).
See our mini interview with Prof. Stefano Baroni.
B-MRS Newsletter: – We´d like to know more about your scientific work. Please choose one or two of your favorite/ high-impact contributions, briefly describe them, and share the references.
For forty years my research has been motivated by the attempt to solve the fundamental equations that determine the properties of materials at the atomic scale, in the most realistic conditions practically accessible to computational science. While this effort, which I shared with many scientists more talented than me around the world, is having a tremendous impact in many and diverse technologies, as this Conference convincingly witnesses, my own motivation has been, how to say?, a bit “swotty”? Theorists like me strive to understand. Geniuses sometimes understand what they cannot teach or do not care to implement. Ordinary swots have to do, implement, and teach in order to convince themselves they have understood, and this is what I have been doing all my life, like a Renaissance craftsman. I am probably mostly known for density functional perturbation theory [https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.73.515], a technique that Paolo Giannozzi and I introduced in the late 80s [https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.58.1861] and that is now considered the state of the art in the simulation of the vibrational properties of condensed matter. In the late 00s my colleagues and I generalised this technique to account for the dynamical phenomena that are probed in optical spectroscopies [https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.113001, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2899649]. This work provided the methodological motivation for me to enter the field of molecular spectroscopy, which eventually led me to study the color of flowers and fruits. The challenge to compute what others believe cannot be computed was also the motivation for me to enter the fascinating field of heat and charge transport in condensed matter, a senile passion I will have the privilege to report on in Symposium S of this conference on September 24 at 9:30 [https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys3509, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-15843-2, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11572-4, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.255901, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-019-0562-0].
B-MRS Newsletter: – The subject of the talk aroused our curiosity. Could you tell us what led you to study these pigments? Does it have to do with industrial interest? With the search for fundamental answers? With the application of a new methodology?
As mentioned before, I was drawn to molecular spectroscopy while seeking useful applications for a new computational method that my collaborators and I had devised to deal with dynamical perturbations to quantum-mechanical systems. Ask around what would be the most important application of molecules absorbing light, and many would answer: “solar cells to produce clean, inexhaustible, energy”. So we went, and we were induced into the wrong thinking that efficient and inexpensive solar cells could be manufactured “using fruit juice” (i.e. using anthocyanins as the light-absorbing element of a photovoltaic device). It soon became clear that while the principle per se is not wrong (in fact, organic solar cells based on it are routinely assembled and used for educational purposes https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/uoh_organic_activity1, https://education.mrsec.wisc.edu/titanium-dioxide-raspberry-solar-cell/) the stability and efficiency of the resulting device are far too poor for industrial purposes. Meanwhile, our work attracted some attention, and I was invited to some important meetings on solar energy. On one occasion, I declined the invitation knowing that our work could not have a real impact in the field. The organisers flatteringly insisted, and I finally accepted under the condition that I would not talk of solar energy, but of the color of fruits and flowers, which had meanwhile started to arouse my curiosity. A few months later I was approached by a representative of a head-hunting company who, seeking an expert in the molecular simulation of natural dyes on behalf of a major multinational food manufacturer, had stumbled across the abstract of my talk. When I received the telephone call I thought it was a prank and I almost hung up on her. I resisted the impulse, and that was the beginning of an exciting five-years adventure in industrial research, which I never thought I would have lived and whose story I will tell in Balneário Camboriú …
For more information on this speaker and the plenary talk he will deliver at the XVIII B-MRS Meeting, click on the speaker’s photo and the title of the lecture here https://www.sbpmat.org.br/18encontro/#lectures.
The Graduate Program in Physics of Federal University of Santa Catarina – PPGFSC/UFSC, Florianópolis, announces the vacancy of 1 (one) postdoctoral scholarship from the (Programa Nacional de Pós-doutorado da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – PNPD/CAPES), to the period of 2 (two) years, it can be renewed annually at a maximum of 60 months.
The monthly amount of the scholarship is R$ 4.100.00 (four thousand one hundred reais) beyond the values destined to assets.
The candidate has to act in THEORETICAL or EXPERIMENTAL research lines at one of the following areas of research: Astrophysics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, Condensed Matter Physics and Statistical Mechanics, Mathematical Physics and Quantum Field Theory and Nuclear Physics and Hadrons.
Newsletter of the
Brazilian Materials
Research Society
Year 6, issue 8. September 9, 2019.
Featured Paper
Scientists from Brazil have discovered a potent anti-inflammatory effect on manganese-doped zinc germanate nanorods. In addition, the scientific team optimized the synthesis process of nanorods, reducing its duration to a few minutes. Nanostructures are promising for drug development. The work was recently published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. Know more.
From Idea to Innovation
Ready to launch nanotechnology-based cosmetics, Nanomed has been active since 2012 in the development of nano-scale technologies focused on the health and wellness segments (notably, nanocapsules that protect and deliver substances of interest). Learn more about Nanomed and its founder, here.
News from B-MRS Members
– B-MRS member Bartolomeu Cruz Viana Neto (UFPI) has just been certified as an affiliate member of a regional unit of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC). See ABC article about the researcher, here.
XVIII B-MRS Meeting/ Encontro da SBPMat
(Balneário Camboriú, Brazil, September 22 – 26, 2019)
Pre-event tutorial for participants. Professor Valtencir Zucolotto (USP) will offer the Young Researchers School: How to Produce and Publish High Impact Papers for the event participants, free of charge. The tutorial will take place on September 22 from 13:00 to 17:00 at Sibara Hotel.
Technical lectures. Within the program of the event, companies in the field of scientific instrumentation will offer 13 technical lectures, 20 minutes each, on techniques and equipment for characterization of materials. See schedule.
Program. The program of the event “at a glance” is online, showing technical and social activities and the distribution of oral and poster sessions. See here.Full program, with all presentations by symposium, is also online.See here.
Posters printing service. The poster file can be sent by email and later pick up the impression at the event location. Know more.
Venue. The meeting will be held in the delightful Balneário Camboriú at two hotels located 300 meters apart: Hotel Sibara Flat & Conventions and, for oral sessions of symposia K, M, S and U, the Mercure Camboriu Hotel. The venues are located in the center of the city, close to many hotels, restaurants and shops, and some meters from the sea. See map here.
Opening ceremony venue. The opening ceremony, the memorial lecture and the welcome cocktail will be held on September 22 (Sunday) at the Cristo Luz complex, one of the main tourist attractions in the city. There will be transportation to the venue, leaving the Hotel Sibara from 17:00 on. See Cristo Luz complex here.
Memorial Lecture. The traditional Memorial Lecture Joaquim da Costa Ribeiro will be given by Professor Yvonne Primerano Mascarenhas (IFSC – USP). Know more about the speaker,here.
Event party. The party will be held in the lounge of the Green Valley, a prominent nightclub. Learn more about Green Valley, here. The party will feature the striking Brothers band. Watch the Brothers, here. Tickets for the party are limited and will be sold at R$ 20 at the event secretariat from Monday on.
Host city. Balneário Camboriú (SC) is an important tourist destination that offers urban and wild beaches, ecotourism and adventure sports, boat trips, bicycles and cable cars – all within a unique landscape that combines mountains, sea and skyscrapers. The visitor has access to many options of gastronomy, lodging and shopping, as well as the bustling nightlife that stands out in the Brazilian scenario.
Lodging, tickets, transfers etc. Check the hotel options and the official travel agency of the event, here.
Plenary lectures. Leading scientists from institutions in Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States will deliver plenary talks on cutting-edge issues at the event. There will also be a plenary session by the Brazilian scientist Antônio José Roque da Silva, director of CNPEM and the Sirius project (new Synchrotron Light Lab). Learn more about the plenary sessions,here.
Symposia. 23 symposia proposed by the international scientific community compose this edition of the event. See the symposia list,here.
Organization. The chair of the event is Professor Ivan Helmuth Bechtold (Physics Department of UFSC) and the co-chair is Professor Hugo Gallardo (Department of Chemistry of UFSC). The program committee is formed by professors Iêda dos Santos (UFPB), José Antônio Eiras (UFSCar), Marta Rosso Dotto (UFSC) and Mônica Cotta (Unicamp). Get to know all the organizers, here.
Exhibitors and sponsors. 50 sponsors and supporters participate in the event with interesting activities and actions.
More details coming soon in B-MRS next newsletter and social media.
XIX B-MRS Meeting + IUMRS ICEM 2020
(Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, August 30 – September 3, 2020)
Joint event. The event will bring together the 19th edition of B-MRS’s annual meeting and the 17th edition of the International Conference on Electronic Materials organized every two years by the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS).
Call of symposia. B-MRS and IUMRS invite the international scientific community to submit symposium proposals by October 31, 2019. Learn more.
Organization. Professor Gustavo Martini Dalpian (UFABC) is the general coordinator, Carlos Cesar Bof Bufon (LNNANO) is the program coordinator and Flavio Leandro de Souza (UFABC) is the general secretary. At the international committee, the event features scientists from America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Learn more at the event website.
Plenaries. Five internationally prominent scientists have already confirmed their presence as speakers at the event. Learn more at the event website.
Exhibitors and sponsors. Companies and other entities interested in attending the event as exhibitors, sponsors or supporters can contact Alexandre through the e-mail comercial@sbpmat.org.br.
Reading Tips
– In celebration of the XVIII B-MRS Meeting, the Royal Society of Chemistry prepared a collection of articles by Brazilian authors published between 2017 and 2019. Learn more.
– Scientists make ferroelectric a paraelectric material for a few picoseconds by applying light pulses at THz frequencies, opening up possibilities for developing ultrafast reconfiguration devices (Science paper). Know more.
– OLEDs: Scientists innovate by combining thick layers of perovskites with organic films into material that can be used to develop new generation of screens and lamps (Nature paper). Know more.
– Scientists can make gold sheets only two atoms thick and show that they are catalysts ten times more efficient than nanoparticles. Synthesis method opens possibilities for 2D versions of other metals (Advanced Science paper). Know more. Know more.
– Researchers develop injectable liquid that turns into gel and can be used to make medical procedures such as polyp removal during colonoscopy easier and safer (Advanced Science paper). Know more.
– Scientists can flatten conjugated polymer molecules, which tend to bend, thereby increasing their ability to conduct electricity (Science Advances paper). Know more.
– Impact factors 2018: results from Royal Society of Chemistry journals. Know more.
– Research conducted by scientists from Brazil shows strong action against fungi and tumors of a material obtained by irradiation of silver tungstate (paper from Scientific Reports). Know more.
Opportunities
– Postdoctoral fellowship at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil). Know more.
Events
R2B Research to Business Itália-Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). September 19, 2019. Site.
XVIII B-MRS Meeting. Balneário Camboriú, SC (Brazil). September 22 – 26, 2019.Site.
XL CBRAVIC (Brazilian Congress on Vacuum Applications in Industry and Science). October7 – 11, 2019.Site.
2° Encontro – Fronteiras Tecnológicas em Engenharia. Lorena, SP (Brazil). October 9 – 10, 2019.Site.
XII Brazilian Symposium on Glass and Related Materials. Lavras, MG (Brazil). October 22 – 25, 2019.Site.
19th Brazilian Workshop on Semiconductor Physics. Fortaleza, CE (Brazil). November 18 – 22, 2019.Site.
XIX B-MRS Meeting and 2020 IUMRS ICEM (International Conference on Electronic Materials). Foz do Iguaçu, PR (Brazil). August 30 – September 3, 2020.Site.
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You can suggest news, opportunities, events or reading tips in the materials field to be covered by B-MRS Newsletter. Write to comunicacao@sbpmat.org.br.
Due to the high participation in the 
