B-MRS Newsletter: Year 13, issue 2

Papers by the community

Considering that 99% of the world’s population is exposed to air quality exceeding recommended pollution limits, air pollution sensors are extremely relevant. However, their use is still limited, mainly because current devices lack sufficient selectivity to quantify specific pollutants in real-world environments, which contain hundreds of interferences. In a recently published review article, researchers from UNESP (Brazil) and ETH (Switzerland) present a systematic comparison of the performance of various air pollution sensor technologies in relation to current air quality guidelines. The study covers sensors based on materials such as metal oxide heterostructures, MOFs, MXenes, and conductive polymers. The article can help develop more efficient and sustainable sensors, as well as their integration into everyday devices and systems, from wearable electronics to smart homes. Go to the paper.

A scientific team led by researchers from Brazilian universities USP and UNESP has shown which heat treatment generates the best properties in Mar18Ni maraging steel. This alloy presents a rare combination of mechanical strength and toughness and has been used to produce parts with complex geometries through additive manufacturing techniques. After processing, heat treatments are performed to adjust some properties. In this work, the authors systematically analyzed the impact of eight post-processing routes on the microstructure and properties of the alloy. They concluded that aging at 480 °C increases the material’s strength, while treatments at 610–670 °C improve its ductility. Furthermore, the scientists showed that the combination of these routes results in an intermediate behavior, offering a balanced combination of strength and ductility. In addition to researchers from Brazil, authors from the United States (Ohio State University) and Germany (Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon and Max-Planck-Institut) participated in the work. Go to the paper.

An international collaborative project coordinated by researchers at the Brazilian university UFSC has yielded fundamental advances in understanding a phenomenon that makes OLEDs more efficient. In these devices, widely used in cell phone screens and high-quality TVs, organic materials emit light when they receive electricity. When these organic materials exhibit the phenomenon of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), they are able to convert 100% of the injected energy into light emission, making OLED devices more efficient. Typically, the materials used in OLEDs are organic molecules formed by an electron donor and an electron acceptor part, joined together by conjugation, which can be of the “para” or “meta” type. In this new work, the authors used experimental and theoretical methods to investigate the impact of “para” and “meta” conjugations on the TADF phenomenon. They discovered that the delayed emission properties change drastically with these modifications in the molecule’s structure. Go to the paper.

XXIV B-MRS Meeting
Curitiba (PR), September 27 to October 1st, 2026

Record number of submissions. For the first time, the B-MRS Meeting surpassed 3,000 submitted abstracts!

Important upcoming dates. On May 29th, authors will receive notifications regarding the evaluation of their abstracts. Those who need to modify their abstracts may submit the corrected versions until June 12th and will receive final approval notification on June 26th.

Student Awards. The best oral and poster presentations given by undergraduate and graduate students will be recognized with awards from B-MRS (Bernhard Gross), ACS Publications, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. To be eligible for the awards, an extended abstract must be submitted by July 10th. Learn more.

Early-career Woman Award. Sponsored by MDPI’s Electronic Materials journal, this award will recognize a young female researcher who presents outstanding contribution in an oral session. To participate, scientists must submit an extended abstract by July 10th. Learn more.

Science Popularization Award. This contest challenges event participants to produce a short video for a general audience about their research. The award is sponsored by the startup Arqueatec. Participants must submit their videos by June 30th. Saiba mais.

Accommodation. We have provided a list with some hotel options in Curitiba, here.

Venue. The event will be held at the Cruzeiro do Sul Conecta Convention Center (formerly UP Experience), in the city of Curitiba, capital of the state of Paraná. Address: Rua Prof. Pedro Viriato Parigot de Souza, 5300.

Plenary lectures. See the names of the renowned scientists from Australia, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, and the United States who will deliver plenary lectures at the event, here.

Registration. The registration fee can now be paid with an early registration discount. See the prices by category and the important discounts for active B-MRS members, here.

Chairs. The chairs of this edition are Prof. Gregório Couto Faria (IFSC-USP) and Prof. Paula Cristina Rodrigues (UTFPR).

FAQ. If you have questions about the event, please consult the frequently asked questions or write to 24encontro@sbpmat.org.br.

ATTENTION: The XXIV B-MRS Meeting does NOT have an authorized travel agency. Protect yourself against scams and fraud.

Opportunities

– Postdoctoral research in materials for carbon dioxide separation/capture at IPEN, with a FAPESP scholarship. Applications accepted until May 15th. Learn more.

– Postdoctoral opportunities (12 fellowships of 36 months each) for the FutureChips program at Tampere University (Finland) for researchers from all countries holding a PhD in fields related to photonics, advanced materials, future electronics, and chip design. Learn more.

– PhD opportunity at Keele University (England) in interfaces and electrolytes for solid-state batteries. Applications until May 29th. Learn more.

If you wish to publicize opportunities in the materials area, write to comunicacao@sbpmat.org.br.

Upcoming events

– Workshop on i-Caloric Effects (WiCE). Online. May 5 – 6, 2026. Site.

– The 4th Global Conference of Innovation Materials & MRS-K Spring Meeting (GCIM2026). Jeju (South Korea). May 31 – June 4, 2026. Site.

– 7th International Conference on Applied Surface Science. Chengdu (China). June 1 – 4, 2026. Site.

– 25th International Conference on Photochemical Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy (IPS-25). Seoul (South Korea). July 12 – 17, 2026. Site.

– International Conference on Science and Technology of Synthetic Electronic Materials (ICSM). Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). July 19 – 24, 2026. Site.

– 20th International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering (PSE). Erfurt (Germany). August 31 – September 3, 2026. Site.

– XXIV B-MRS Meeting. Curitiba (Brazil). September 27 – October 1, 2026. Site.

– 12th International Workshop on High Resolution Depth Profiling. Bento Gonçalves (Brazil). October 5 – 9, 2026. Site.

– 13th International Conference of the African Materials Research Society (AMRS 2026). Nairobi (Kenya). December 5 – 10, 2026. Site.

– XXV B-MRS Meeting. Fortaleza (Brazil). September 12 – 16, 2027.

If you wish to publicize materials science events, write to comunicacao@sbpmat.org.br.

Follow us on social media