SBPMat newsletter. English edition. Year 1, issue 9 – special: XIII SBPMat Meeting.

 

Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat) newsletter

News update from Brazil for the Materials community

 

English edition. Year 1, issue 9. 

Greetings, .

Final arrangements for our meeting in João Pessoa!

– Read the message of the chairs of the event, which this year accepted 2,141 papers and has nearly 2,000 registrations from 28 countries so far. In the message, professors Ieda Garcia and Severino de Lima show the highlights of the program of this year’s meeting! Here.

– After lunch and before the afternoon plenary lectures, you can attend technical lectures of the meeting´s sponsors in João Pessoa: Shimadzu/Tescan will discourse about SEM with ion beam and TOF SIMS detector, and FEI will address DualBeam TEM. Learn more.

– Why is João Pessoa called “the sun door“? Learn more about the city, one of the oldest in Brazil, and its natural and cultural features. And get ready to dive into green waters at 28 °C! Read about João Pessoa.

– What to pack? Track the weather, whose temperatures should be between 20 °C and 30 °C. But pay attention, the meeting organization warns that, at the Convention Center, the air conditioner will make the room fresh … Link to weather in João Pessoa.

– Registration: here.

Program at a glance: here.

Detailed schedule. Search for times and locations of symposia presentations: here.

–  Some options of accommodation, car rental, transfers from the airports of the region, transportation from hotels to convention center, and tours: see on the home page of the site of the event.

– And what about the conference party? This year, it will be held on Wednesday evening at Espaço Caixa Econômica Federal in Cabo Branco. Tickets may be purchased in the information desk as of Monday 1 p.m..

 

Interviews with our plenary speakers

We interviewed Robert Chang, professor of the first department of Materials Science in the world at Northwestern University. Besides having a remarkable career as a researcher (his H index is 56), “Bob” has dedicated the past 20 years guiding the development of the Materials World Modules program, which develops educational, interactive and playful material (for example, card games) on Materials and Nanotechnology for pre-college students and their teachers. In his plenary lecture at the XIII SBPMat Meeting, Professor Chang will try to mobilize citizens of the world to solve global problems together. See our interview with the scientist.

We also spoke with Professor Colin Humphreys, a professor at the University of Cambridge.  Among other honors, the scientist was knighted by the Queen of England for his services to science. Besides being the author of over 600 publications, the professor developed materials for the industry that currently fly in aircraft engines and created low cost LEDs based on gallium nitride, material on which he specialized. In João Pessoa, he will show, among other issues, how gallium nitride could reduce electricity consumption by 25% in the world. See our interview with Colin Humphreys.


We interviewed the German physicist Karl Leo, specialist in organic semiconductors. Beyond being the author of more than 550 papers with more than 23,000 citations and 50 families of patents, the scientist has already participated of the creation of 8 spin-off companies. In his lecture at the XIII SBPMat Meeting, Karl Leo will speak on highly efficient organic devices, as OLEDs and solar cells. See our interview with Karl Leo.

We also spoke with the Portuguese physicist Antonio Luis Ferreira Martins Dias Carlos, of the University of Aveiro, who will perform a lecture in our meeting in João Pessoa on luminescence applied to nanomedicine. In the interview, the professor shared with us his most prominent works in the field of Materials. He also told us about some challenges in the area of luminescence for medical applications, both in medical imaging and intra-cellular temperature mapping, and cited examples of applications of luminescent materials that have already been used in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. See our interview with Luis Dias Carlos.


We interviewed the French scientist Jean-Marie Dubois (Institut Jean-Lamour), specialist in quasicrystals (ordered, but aperiodic structures on solid materials) and pioneer in patenting applications for them. He told us a little about his main contributions to the field of Materials and gave a teaser on the theme of his plenary lecture in the XIII SBPMat Meeting: he will talk about quasicrystal structures, found in metallic alloys, polymers, oxides and artificial nanostructures, and their unprecedented properties. In the picture, Jean-Marie Dubois (on the left) and Dan Shechtman, who received a Nobel Prize in 2011 for the quasicrystals, using equal ties, both decorated with the Penrose tiling, an example of aperiodicity.  Read our interview with Jean-Marie Dubois here.

We also interviewed the Italian chemist Roberto Dovesi (Universita’ degli Studi di Torino), one of the creators of CRYSTAL, a computational tool for ab initio quantum calculations used in the study of several solid materials properties. The CRYSTAL code is currently used in over 350 laboratories around the world.  In his plenary lecture in the XIII SBPMat Meeting, Dovesi will attempt to demonstrate that today quantum simulations may be very useful tools to complement experiments. See our interview with Roberto Dovesi.


We have interviewed Professor Alberto Salleo, from Stanford University, who is going to give a plenary lecture on organic electronic devices in the XIII SBPMat Meeting. Young, yet holding a career that stands out internationally, Salleo told us about the work conducted by his group, which has been developing a deeper understanding on the role provided by the defects in charge transport in organic semiconductors. He also shared with us his main papers, published in Nature Materials. Finally, Salleo discussed the next challenges and applications on organic electronics, and anticipated what he is going to address in the plenary lecture, which promises to be very informative while mild enough for a wider audience. Read our interview with Alberto Salleo.

To suggest news, opportunities, events or reading recommendations items for inclusion in our newsletter, write to comunicacao@sbpmat.org.br.
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XIII SBPMat Meeting: sponsors´technical lectures.

Speaker: Shimadzu/Tescan.

Title: Scanning Electron Microscope with Focused Ion Beam and TOF SIMS Detector.

Abstract: The purpose of this lecture is to present a new technique for chemical analysis, applied to research and development, aiming to detect elements from H, with lateral and nanometric depth resolution, with excellent detection limits. This technique uses the TOF SIMS detector coupled with an ion cannon.

When: September 29th (Monday), from 13:30 to 14:00.

Where: plenary room of the João Pessoa Convention Center.

——————————

Speakers: Mauro Porcu and Daniel Phifer (FEI).

Title: Cutting-edge DualBeam™ sample preparation and TEM analysis for material science.

Abstract: Site specific sample preparation is becoming essential for advanced material science as innovative workflows have been developed to enable atomic TEM resolution. The DualBeam-TEM workflow saves time and offers possibilities for analysis of specific areas with optimized orientation. Low voltage FIB cleaning and advanced manipulation allow lifting out sampled from bulk substrates and thinning with little to no significant damage. When coupled with the new FEI TEMs, it is possible to capture better compositional information from both traditional TEM thin sections and cylindrical “pillar TEM samples”. TEM EDS has advanced so much and EDS tomography is routinely performed with the new EDS geometry and fast data processing. Atomic material characterization thus highly benefits from newer DualBeam-TEM-sample-preparation-methodologies.

When: September 30th (Tuesday), from 13:30 to 14:00.

Where: plenary room of the João Pessoa Convention Center.

Interviews with plenary lecturers of the XIII SBPMat Meeting: Sir Colin Humphreys (University of Cambridge, U.K.).

Professor Sir Colin Humphreys.

Sir Colin Humphreys, PhD from Cambridge and a BSc from Imperial College, is Professor of Materials Science and Director of Research in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom). His research covers three main areas: gallium nitride  (GaN) materials and devices, advanced electron microscopy, and ultra-high temperature aerospace materials. He has published hundreds of papers on electron microscopy and given many plenary and invited lectures throughout the world. He has received national and international medals for his research in electron diffraction and microscopy and on gallium nitride.

He founded a spin-off company (CamGaN) to exploit the research on gallium nitride of his group on low-cost LEDs for home and office lighting. The company was acquired in February 2012 by Plessey, which manufactures LEDs based on this technology. He is the founder and director of the Cambridge Centre for Gallium Nitride, a center with world-class growth and characterization facilities where research is carried out from fundamental studies on GaN to applications in LEDs and lasers. He also founded and directs the Cambridge/Rolls-Royce Centre for Advanced Materials for Aerospace, which developed materials that now fly in Rolls-Royce engines.

He is a fellow of the Royal Society, the self-governing Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering, and medicine, and of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He is also a fellow of Selwyn College, one of the Cambridge University 31 autonomous units in which students live, eat, socialise and receive some teaching sessions. In 2010 he was Knighted (receive a special honor and the title of Sir from the Queen of England) for services to science.

Professor Humphreys has authored over 600 peer reviewed papers with over 9,400 citations and his h-index is 43.

In his limited spare time he writes books on science and religion, such as “The Mystery of the Last Supper: Reconstructing the Final Days of Jesus”, which has recently been translated into Russian, German, Portuguese, Japanese and Greek.

Read our interview with the plenary speaker.

SBPMat newsletter: – Why do you think gallium nitride is one of the most important semiconductor materials? Which are the main challenges in the field of gallium nitride for materials scientists and engineers?

Sir Colin Humphreys: – I think gallium nitride is one of the most important semiconductor materials because of the huge range of potential applications and the benefits to mankind which will result from these applications. The main challenges to realising these applications are reducing the cost of GaN devices and improving the efficiency still further.

SBPMat newsletter: – Which are the principal contributions you have done for the development of Materials Science and Engineering?

Sir Colin Humphreys: – The principal contributions I have made for the development of Materials Science and Engineering are solving some fascinating problems in basic science and also developing materials for industry. For example, I direct a Rolls-Royce Centre in Cambridge on Advanced Materials, and some of the materials we have developed are now flying in Rolls-Royce engines. In addition, I direct the Cambridge Centre for Gallium Nitride, and the low-cost GaN LEDs on silicon that we developed are now being manufactured in the UK by Plessey.

SBPMat newsletter: – Brazil is making efforts to transfer technology to the industry. You have founded a spin-off company and research centers, in both cases having good technology transfer results. Based on these experiences, what would you say to the Brazilian Materials community about making technology transfer real?

Sir Colin Humphreys: – First, scientists and engineers have to have an idea for a new or better product. In order to convince industry, it is important that the scientists and engineers make prototype devices to show to industry. If the scientists and engineers decide to set up their own company, it is usually helpful to bring in a CEO from outside to run the company because most scientists and engineers are not so good at running a company. The choice of the CEO is critical. It is also possible to set up a company for virtually nothing, set up a website for virtually nothing, etc. It is really important to get lots of good advice. I was fortunate in setting up two companies, in that I got a lot of good advice for free because there are a lot of people around Cambridge in the UK that have set up companies and can give good advice. Finally, making technology transfer real is good fun, but also hard work! You may have lots of set-backs, but keep persevering! Also, be enthusiastic about your product, if you are not enthusiastic, no-one else will be! You have really to believe in what you are doing.

GaN LEDs on a 6-inch Si substrate.

SBPMat newsletter: – If possible, tell us a little about the topic of your plenary talk at SBPMat meeting.

Sir Colin Humphreys: – In my plenary talk at João Pessoa I plan to start by showing some striking atomic-resolution electron micrographs showing single silicon impurity atoms in graphene, and showing that they can occupy two different sites. I will also show images of dancing silicon atoms in graphene (I know Brazilians are experts in dancing!). I will then move on to talk about Gallium Nitride (GaN) and how this amazing man-made material is likely to save more energy and CO2 emissions than solar, wind-power and biomass together! I will describe how advanced electron microscopy and atom probe tomography have been used to solve the fascinating problem of why GaN LEDs are so bright when the dislocation density is so high. I will also describe how growing GaN LEDs on large area silicon substrates can substantially reduce the cost of LEDs, and this cost reduction is likely to enable GaN LEDs to be the dominant form of lighting in our homes, offices, streets, etc, in the near future. In addition, I will show how GaN-based power electronic devices are 40% more efficient than silicon power electronic devices, so replacing Si power electronics by GaN would save another 10% of electricity, on top of the 10-15% electricity savings from using GaN LEDs. So GaN could potentially save 25% of the world’s electricity consumption, which is amazing.

In addition to saving energy and carbon emissions, if aluminium is added to GaN, then deep-ultra-violet (UV) light is emitted and this can kill all bacteria and viruses. So such deep-UV LEDs could be used for water purification in the world, saving millions of lives. Finally I will talk about how optimised quality LED lighting can improve the health of all of us and the exam results of school children! My talk will range from basic science through to applications.

From sunrise to sunset, some attractions for your spare time in João Pessoa.

Behind, João Pessoa city. Ahead, coral reefs at Picãozinho, 1,500 meters far from Tambaú beach. Foto: Cacio Murilo.

João Pessoa is the third Brazilian oldest city, being the capital of the state of Paraiba located in the Northeast of the country. It has a population about 770,000, while its metropolitan area comprises 8 satellite cities with 1,223,000 inhabitants. With a hot humid climate, João Pessoa has an average annual temperature around 26o C, reaching 29o C between September and October.

João Pessoa is known as the “Sun Door” or as “the city where the sun rises first”, having the easternmost point of Brazil. It has also a very beautiful sunset which can be admired at the sound of Ravel´s Bolero, in the “Praia do Jacaré”. It is also one of the greenest cities of the world, due to the presence of two reserves of Atlantic Forest inside the city.

João Pessoa has an important local culture. The architectonic-historic collection is very rich with baroque buildings from the XVI century, which worth a visit.

“Cabo Branco” Science, Culture and Art Station. Foto: Cacio Murilo.

Another touristic point is the “Cabo Branco” Science, Culture and Art Station, located at the easternmost point of the Americas (Ponta do Seixas), which is both an educational and cultural institution as well as a national landmark. The complex, inaugurated in 2008, was created by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and is one of his latest projects.

But the main touristic attractions of João Pessoa are its 18 beautiful beaches of green warm water – with a water average temperature of 28oC. Seven of these beaches are located in urban areas, with easy acces, very inviting for a nice swim.

XIII SBPMat meeting: registrations, program highlights and thanks in the message from the chairs.

Dear readers,

We hope to see you at the XIII Brazilian Materials Research Society Meeting, held on 28 September to 02 October, 2014, in João Pessoa, PB, Brazil. This year the meeting has 2,141 accepted abstracts and, up to this moment, almost 2,000 inscriptions from Brazil and other 27 countries.

The XIII Meeting is comprised of 19 Symposia following the format used in tradicional meetings of Materials Research Societies, involving topics as synthesis of new materials, computer simulations, optical, magnetic and electronic properties, traditional materials as clays and cements, advanced metals, carbon and graphene nanostructures, nanomaterials for nanostructures, energy storage systems, composites, surface engineering and others. A novelty is a symposium dedicated to the innovation and technology transfer in materials research. The program also includes 7 Plenary Lectures presented by internationally renowned researchers.

This year, the B-MRS will present the results of two important actions from our society. The first one is the meeting of the B-MRS directory with the University Chapters (UC) already established and the students who want to establish other UC´s. The second one is the launch of the IOP publication on behalf of the B-MRS, Materials Science Impact, reporting advances in Materials Research in Brazil.

The Opening Ceremony will be followed by the Memorial Lecture “Joaquim Costa Ribeiro”, Progresses in Materials Research in Brazil by Professor José Arana Varela. During the Closing Ceremony the symposium coordinators will honor students with the “Bernhard Gross Award” for the best poster and the best oral presentation of each Symposium.

On behalf of Organizing Committee, we would like to thank the Brazilian Materials Research Society staff and board, the hired agencies, the symposium coordinators, the program, local and national committee members, for their commitment and great effort to make this Meeting possible.

We hope that the participants will have a very pleasant Meeting with stimulating exchange of scientific informations and establishment of new collaborations.

Ieda M. Garcia dos Santos and Severino Jackson Guedes de Lima

Meeting Chairs

Interviews with plenary lecturers of the XIII SBPMat Meeting: Robert Chang (Northwestern University, USA).

Prof. Chang and other developers of Nanocos, a card game that encourages students to learn science concepts and their role at the nanoscale.

Robert Chang is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the first materials science academic department in the world, created more than 50 years ago at Northwestern University, where he is also director of the Materials Research Institute.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Ph.D in Plasma Physics from Princeton University. He spent 15 years performing basic research at Bell Labs (Murray Hill). During the past 28 years at Northwestern University, he has directed several National Science Foundation (NSF) centers and programs in materials research and education.

Prof. Chang was the president of the Materials Research Society (MRS) in 1989. He is the General Secretary and Founding President of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS). He has received many distinctions for his work, such as the Woody Award from MRS in 1987, the Siu Lien Ling Wong Fellow from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1999, and the NSF Director’s Distinguished Teaching Scholar Award in 2005. He is fellow of the American Vacuum Society and MRS, and honorary member of Materials Research Societies of India, Japan and Korea.

He is (co)author of 400 peer reviewed journal articles, with near 13,000 citations, and h-index of 56.

Read our interview with the plenary speaker.

SBPMat newsletter: – Under your viewpoint, which are your main contributions in the field of Materials Science and Engineering?

Robert Chang: 1. Plasma processing of semiconducting materials;

2. Carbon based materials, such as diamond, fullerene, and carbon nanotubes, and their related devices;

3. 3rd generation solar cells;

4. Infrared plasmonics and sensors;

5. Thin film oxides for electronic and photonic devices.

Top publications below.

H. Cao, Y. G. Zhao, S. T. Ho, E. W. Seelig, Q. H. Wang, and R. P. H. Chang. Random Laser Action in Semiconductor Powder. Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 2278 (1999); DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.2278.

Michael D. Irwin, D. Bruce Buchholz, Alexander W. Hains, Robert P. H. Chang, and Tobin J. Marks.p-Type semiconducting nickel oxide as an efficiency-enhancing anode interfacial layer in polymer bulk-heterojunction solar cells. PNAS, vol. 105 no. 8, 2783–2787 (2008); doi: 10.1073/pnas.0711990105.

Q. H. Wang, A. A. Setlur, J. M. Lauerhaas, J. Y. Dai, E. W. Seelig and R. P. H. Chang. A nanotube-based field-emission flat panel display. Appl. Phys. Lett. 72, 2912 (1998);http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.121493.

Quanchang Li, Vageesh Kumar, Yan Li, Haitao Zhang, Tobin J. Marks, and Robert P. H. Chang. Fabrication of ZnO Nanorods and Nanotubes in Aqueous Solutions. Chem. Mater., 2005, 17 (5), pp 1001–1006. DOI: 10.1021/cm048144q.

SBPMat newsletter: – And what about your main contributions to science education, especially in Materials Science?  

Robert Chang: – Over the past 20 years, I have led the development of the Materials World Modules program to teach pre-college students about Materials and Nanotechnology: materialsworldmodules.orgnclt.usgsasprogram.orgimisee.net.

SBPMat newsletter: – Please give us a short teaser about your plenary talk at SBPMat meeting. What do you intend to broach?  

Robert Chang: – Mobilizing world-citizens to solve global problems together!

SBPMat newsletter: – Feel free to leave other comments to our readers from the Materials research community, if you want so.  

Robert Chang: – Materials and nanotechnology research and education are the driving force of all future technologies, including energy, environment, health, and security.

SBPMat newsletter. English edition. Year 1, issue 8.

 

Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat) newsletter

News update from Brazil for the Materials community

 

English edition. Year 1, issue 8. 

Greetings, .

XIII SBPMat meeting (João Pessoa, September 28th to October 2nd)

Less than a month left until our meeting at João Pessoa!

– Registration: here.

–  Some options of lodging, rental of cars, transfers and tours: on the home page of the site of the event. Here.
Detailed technical program: here.


We interviewed the German physicist Karl Leo, specialist in organic semiconductors. Beyond being the author of more than 550 papers with more than 23,000 citations and 50 families of patents, the scientist has already participated of the creation of 8 spin-off companies. In his lecture at the XIII SBPMat Meeting, Karl Leo will speak on highly efficient organic devices, as OLEDs and solar cells. See our interview with Karl Leo.

We also interviewed the Portuguese physicist Antonio Luis Ferreira Martins Dias Carlos, of the University of Aveiro, who will perform a lecture in our meeting in João Pessoa on luminescence applied to nanomedicine. In the interview, the professor shared with us his most prominent works in the field of Materials. He also told us about some challenges in the area of luminescence for medical applications, both in medical imaging and intra-cellular temperature mapping, and cited examples of applications of luminescent materials that have already been used in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. See our interview with Luis Dias Carlos.

Featured paper with Brazilian participation

By making small adjustments in the technique of thin film deposition known as magnetron sputtering, a group of scientists obtained the control of the direction of magnetization in the manufacture of spin valves, devices formed by nanometric layers of magnetic and non-magnetic materials used, for example, in the reading of data of hard disks. This work of spintronics, conducted by researchers from Brazil and Chile, has been recently published in Applied Physics Letters.  Read the story.

History of Materials research in Brazil

We celebrate the Graduate Program in Materials of University of Caxias do Sul for its 10 years of existence, with a report and photos on the history of the program and its interaction with the local industry. See here.

Reading recommendations

– Contribution of nanotecnology to medical imaging for diagnostics of problems of small intestine (Nature Nanotechnology). Here.
– With a AC-TEM, scientists test and observe, live, electric properties of graphene and their relation with structure  (Nanoletters). Here.
Xerox does R&D in graphene, and company’s patent nº 2,000 is on graphene nanosheets. Here.
– Material for ceramic blocks for civil construction developed in the Brazilian State University of Maringá uses residues (silt) from local laundries. Here.
– Flexible, resistant and biodegradable, spider web developed by Brazilian researchers can find diverse applications. Here.

 

Opportunities

Postdoctoral positions at the Center for Research, Technology and Education in Vitreous Materials (CeRTEV), in São Carlos, Brazil. Here.

Upcoming events in the area

– 13th European Vacuum Conference + 7th European Topical Conference on Hard Coatings + 9th Iberian Vacuum Meeting. Here.

– 19th International Conference on Ion Beam Modification of Materials. Here.

– XIII SBPMat Meeting. Here.

– International Symposium on Crystallography – 100 years of History. Here.

– Congresso Brasileiro de Engenharia Biomédica (CBEB). Here.

– MM&FGM 2014 – 13th International Symposium on Multiscale, Multifunctional and Functionally Graded Materials. Here.

– X Brazilian Symposium on Glass and Related Materials (X-BraSGlass). Here.

To suggest news, opportunities, events or reading recommendations items for inclusion in our newsletter, write to comunicacao@sbpmat.org.br.
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An anniversary at the materials research community: 10 years of PGMAT – UCS.

Faculties and students receiving lab equipment through a window in 2007.

This August records the 10th anniversary of one of the 31 Brazilian graduate programs in the field of Materials: the Graduate Program in Materials Engineering and Science of the University of Caxias do Sul (PGMAT – UCS in Portuguese).

PGMAT-UCS history dates back to the year of 2003, when Israel Baumvol, physicist and researcher in the area of Materials, was invited by authorities of UCS to lead the creation of a graduate program in this field of knowledge. Baumvol was, at the time, retiring from his position as professor at the Brazilian Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).

In August, 2004, after conducting a selection process that had 85 applicants for 15 vacancies, PGMAT-UCS started the activities of its Master’s Degree course under the coordination of professor Baumvol. The program then had some laboratories that already existed at the university and a few professors with PhD, and offered the only graduate course at the university in the area of Sciences and Engineering.

Nowadays, the program has more than 20 laboratories and an all its professors hold PhDs. Since 2012, PGMAT also offers a doctoral program, which currently has 19 students.

The same room is today the Laboratory for Surface Characterization at the Nanoscale and has a GDOES analyser, among other instruments.

Another achievement of the program was the signing of an agreement with the European School of Engineers in Material Engineering (EEIGM, in the French acronym) for double degree. Two Masters have graduated with this double degree program after performing academic activities at UCS and EEIGM, headquartered in Nancy, France.

Regarding scientific production, more than 300 articles were published in international journals by faculty and students of the program in its 10 years of existence.

Impact of the research on the industry

From the beginning, the PGMAT-UCS team has pursued the interaction with local companies, based on the affinity that Science and Engineering of Materials have with almost all industrial segments. Thus, already in 2003, the UCS faculty involved in creating the program had visited companies of Caxias do Sul to appraise their needs.

On several occasions throughout its history, PGMAT-UCS could count on resources of companies and entities of the industrial sector, especially the Union of Metallurgical, Mechanics and Electric Equipment Industries of Caxias do Sul (SIMECS), which complemented the public funds in the purchase of equipment for the laboratories of the program.

Inauguration of the Laboratory for Surface Engineering and Thermal Treatments in 2007: local industry was there. Speaking, professor Baumvol.

In 10 years of existence, PGMAT-UCS has graduated 90 Masters. Among them, 45% work in local companies, 10% are academics and 30% are ongoing or concluded their Doctorate degree.

In some cases, the own Master’s research works were essential to the development of new products in the region. This was the case with the Celtrav®, a high-performance material to be used in springs and stops, which composes the product portfolio of the company Travi. A Masters research at PGMAT was also important in developing a coating for ornaments used by the footwear manufacturer Grendene. According to the company, about 18 million pairs of shoes with these ornaments were sold in 2013.

Young entrepreneurs who founded companies from works developed at PGMAT are also among the students and graduates of the program.  Plasmar Tecnologia, one of these spin-off companies, currently provides service for hundreds of industries in the region with plasma-based surface treatments that improve the performance and the cycle life of molds, matrices and other parts and components. The other example is Fineza, a company recently created, dedicated to manufacturing and commercializing products for housing and kitchen with decorative coatings that had been optimized in a PGMAT master’s thesis.