[Paper: Antimicrobial Activity and Cytotoxicity to Tumor Cells of Nitric Oxide Donor and Silver Nanoparticles Containing PVA/PEG Films for Topical Applications. Wallace R. Rolim, Joana C. Pieretti, Débora L. S. Renó, Bruna A. Lima, Mônica H. M. Nascimento, Felipe N. Ambrosio, Christiane B. Lombello, Marcelo Brocchi, Ana Carolina S. de Souza, and Amedea B. Seabra. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2019, 11 (6), pp 6589–6604. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b19021. ]
Synergistic anticancer films
A team of researchers from Brazilian universities developed a new film material that contains and releases, simultaneously, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and nitric oxide (NO) – two active substances known for their antimicrobial and anticancer activity. Tested by the scientific team, the material proved to be effective in eliminating various types of bacteria and cells from certain types of cancer. The characteristics of the film make it promising to topically treat malignant tumors or infectious lesions.
The main authors of the paper: from the left, Wallace Rosado Rolim (doctoral student at UFABC), Amedea Barozzi Seabra (Professor at UFABC) and Joana Claudio Pieretti (Master´s student at UFABC).
The study, recently published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (Impact Factor 8.097), was developed during the Master’s research work of Wallace Rosado Rolim, guided by Professor Amedea Barozzi Seabra, and defended this year in the postgraduate program in Science and Chemical Technology of the Federal University of ABC (UFABC). The work also involved, through scientific collaborations, knowledge and experimental techniques of Biology and Biomedicine areas. “I emphasize the importance of interdisciplinarity and teamwork for the success of scientific and technological research,” says Professor Seabra, who is the corresponding author of the article.
The idea of developing this biomaterial (a material planned to interact with a biological system for medical diagnostic or treatment) came up in discussions between Rolim and his advisor. “We were looking for new strategies for controlled, localized and sustained release of actives such as nitric oxide molecules associated with silver nanoparticles, for biomedical applications,” reports Professor Seabra. The scientific duo had the idea of bringing together the two therapeutic assets in a single material that was able to topically release them. “We were looking for a synergistic action of these two assets,” says Seabra.
Thus, Professor Seabra and Rolim, with the collaboration of the Master’s student Joana Claudio Pieretti, endeavored to develop the material. The team was able to prepare films made from a composite material, whose matrix consists of a polymer, known as PVA, added with another polymer, called PEG, which made the matrix more flexible. Both polymers are non-toxic and biocompatible. During the preparation of the films, they added silver nanoparticles and a nitric oxide donor substance (the GSNO molecule, which, spontaneously, decompose and generate nitric oxide).
The same group prepared the silver nanoparticles using a simple, inexpensive method that is friendly with the environment and living organisms, also developed by Rolim in his Master’s work. In the method, which was reported in an article published earlier this year (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.08.203), green tea extract is used to generate the nanoparticles from silver nitrate, as shown in this figure:
In order to compare the antimicrobial and anticancer effects, the team prepared several types of films: some formed by the pure matrix (PVA/PEG), others containing silver nanoparticles or nitric oxide donors in different concentrations, and the last containing both therapeutic agents in the same matrix. After analyzing all the films using various characterization techniques to accurately determine their composition and morphology, Professor Seabra and her students studied how the release of nitric oxide and silver nanoparticles occurred.
Finally, the films were sent to the collaborators from other research groups to perform the biological assays, which were performed in vitro (i.e., outside living organisms and within environments with controlled conditions). At UFABC, the groups of professors Ana Carolina Santos de Souza Galvão and Christiane Bertachini Lombello focused on the anticancer action of the biomaterial, using cervical and prostate cancer cells. On the other hand, the tests related to the antibacterial activity of the films were carried out at the São Paulo State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), by Professor Marcelo Brocchi’s group, which involved tests with several types of bacteria, including the well-known Escherichia coli and Staphylococus aureus.
The tests showed that the films containing both therapeutic assets presented the best results in the elimination of bacteria and mainly of cancerous cells, as this figure illustrates:
As a result, the synergism between silver and nitric oxide nanoparticles, which Seabra and Rolim had looked for since the beginning of the Master’s research work, was proven. In one of the assays, to cite one example, less than 25% of the cancer cells remained alive (viable) after being treated with these films for 24 hours.
The material developed by the UFABC team brings the possibility of implementing a new therapeutic strategy for some cancerous tumors and infectious lesions, based on the simultaneous release of nitric oxide and silver nanoparticles, directly at the affected site, from a film. Seabra explains that “In practice, this film can be applied, for example, in a tissue (such as the skin or mucosa) or an organ, for antimicrobial or antitumor actions.” By releasing therapeutic amounts of the agents directly at the site of interest, it avoids unwanted release in healthy organs and/or tissues and thus prevents possible side effects, Seabra adds.
This work received financial support from the Brazilian agencies CNPq, FAPESP and CAPES. The first author of the paper, Wallace Rosado Rolim, developed his master’s research work with a grant from UFABC.
B-MRS Electoral Comission 2019: from the left, Cícero Cena da Silva, Laura Péres and Marco Cremona.
B-MRS is pleased to present the committee responsible for organizing the process that at the end of this year will conclude with the election of the next Executive Board and members of the Council of the society. All active members with paid 2019 annuity will be eligible and may vote.
The members of the Electoral Commission are:
Prof. Cícero Rafael Cena da Silva (UFMS) .
Prof. Laura O. Péres (UNIFESP)
Prof. Marco Cremona (PUC-Rio)
The commission will soon be making available the election calendar and other information on the B-MRS website. The information will be disclosed in B-MRS’s e-newsletter and social media, as well as sent by e-mail to the active members.
The current Executive Board of B-MRS thanks the participation of Professors Cena, Cremona and Péres in the organization of this important process of the Society.
Professor Aldo Jose Gorgatti Zarbin (UFPR, Department of Chemistry), a member of B-MRS , is one of the 58 scientists in the world and the only one in Latin America who participated in a special paper on the future of Chemistry, published in Nature Chemistry in 22 March, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the journal. Zarbin and the other scientists were invited by this renowned scientific journal to write about the most challenging and interesting aspects regarding the development of their research lines.
Professor Zarbin works mainly in the synthesis of nanomaterials in liquid/liquid interfaces, their characterization and their applications in the generation and storage of energy, catalysis and sensors.
As of March, with the incorporation of a University Chapter (UC) unit at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Brazil’s five regions are present in the map of the B-MRS’s UCs. In addition, the map of the program gains a new spot in the state of São Paulo, through the participation of a team in the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), campus of São José dos Campos.
The UCs program, which now has 11 units, brings together undergraduate and graduate student teams from Brazilian universities around complementary activities for academic education.
According to the president of UFMS UC, Gustavo Sander Larios, M.S., the creation of the UC was motivated by the desire to increase interaction among students from different laboratories, departments and research groups. Thus, the team, which is made up of undergraduate, masters and PhD students from the areas of Materials Science, Physics and Chemistry, will stimulate the organization of seminars and scientific meetings involving members of the UC and researchers from B-MRS. “We intend to promote activities that stimulate the development of scientific knowledge, given the national and international research trends, provided through the interaction among the UC members,”adds Larios. The supervisor of this unit is Professor Cícero Rafael Cena da Silva.
Members and supervisor of the UC unit at UNIFESP – São José dos Campos.
At the UC of the University of São José dos Campos, UNIFESP, the main objective is to disseminate Materials Engineering and Science among university students from all over the Vale do Paraíba region and also in society as a whole, says the master’s Verônica Ribeiro dos Santos, president of the unit, and Professor Manuel Henrique Lente, the supervisor of the UC. The team intends to “divulge the concept of Materials Engineering, since for many it is still unknown, given the great diversity of areas of expertise that the professional in this field is capable of carrying out.” According to Verônica Ribeiro dos Santos and professor Manuel Henrique Lente, the group aspires, in the future, to make their UC an extracurricular source of scientific and technological knowledge and to increase the number of members. Some of the activities the team intends to promote are: seminar cycles involving students and researchers from UNIFESP and other institutions; lectures by representatives of S&T support agencies, class entities, industrial sectors, etc.; technical visits to R&D institutes, companies and incubators; summer courses; dissemination lectures in high schools. In order to carry out the activities, the UC has a comprehensive team of 24 undergraduate students (Bachelor’s degree in Science and Technology, and Materials Engineering), three master’s and one doctoral students (Post-graduation in Materials Science and Engineering, PPGECM), all from UNIFESP.
On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we invite you to participate the XVIII Brazil MRS Conference (XVIII B-MRS Meeting), which will be held in the city of Balneário Camboriú-SC, in the period of September 22nd-26th, 2019.
Don’t miss the opportunity of participating this important international scientific event on Materials Science and submit your Abstract for Oral or Poster Presentation.
Deadline for Abstract submission: April 15th, 2019.
Newsletter of the
Brazilian Materials
Research Society
Year 6, issue 2. March 7, 2019.
Featured Paper
A team of Brazilian researchers has developed a simple, clean and very efficient method to produce hydrogen. These scientists used thin films of graphene and metal nanoparticles as catalysts for a spontaneous chemical reaction that occurs between borohydride and water. The work was reported in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A. Know more.
Featured Scientist
We interviewed Juliana Davoglio Estradioto. This 18-year-old girl holds a collection of national and international awards received for research work carried out during high school, in which she developed biodegradable materials from agro-industrial waste and created applications for them. See our interview.
News from B-MRS Members
– Professor Sidney J. L. Ribeiro (IQ-UNESP – Campus de Araraquara), member of B-MRS, was appointed associate editor of the journal Frontiers in Chemistry – Inorganic Chemistry. Know more.
B-MRS News
– The University Chapters Program commemorates the establishment of its 9th unit, formed by a group of 15 students from different areas of the Brazilian Federal University of Pernambuco. Know more.
XVIII B-MRS Meeting (Balneário Camboriú, SC, Brazil, September 22 – 26, 2019)
Abstract submission. The submission of abstracts is open until April 15. Approval, modification, or rejection notifications will be sent by May 31. Final notices for abstracts needing modification will be sent by June 21. See instructions for authors, here.
Symposia. 23 symposia proposed by the international scientific community compose this edition of the event. See the symposia list, here.
Student awards. To participate in the Bernhard Gross Award, authors must submit an extended abstract by July 11 in addition to the conventional abstract. Learn more, here.
Registrations. Registration is now open. More information, here.
Venue. The meeting will be held in the delightful Balneário Camboriú (State of Santa Catarina, Brazil), at the Hotel Sibara Flat & Conventions, located in the center of the city, close to many hotels, restaurants and shops, and only 100 meters from the sea. More information, here.
Memorial lecture. The traditional Memorial Lecture Joaquim da Costa Ribeiro will be given by Professor Yvonne Primerano Mascarenhas (IFSC – USP).
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.
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. 29 companies have already confirmed their participation in the event. Those interested in sponsoring/support can contact Alexandre at the e-mail comercial@sbpmat.org.br.
Reading Tips
– By encapsulating graphene in boron nitride, scientists are able to print patterns with nanolithography, opening up possibilities to use the material in nanoelectronics (paper from Nature Nanotechnology). Know more.
– Scientists improve activity of aluminum nanocatalysts by coating them with MOFs using a strategy inspired by the natural process of wood petrification (paper by Science Advances). Know more.
– Quantum materials: Scientists confirm experimentally that topological material of atomic thickness conducts electricity at the edges, opening possibility of its use in quantum computers (paper of Science Advances). Know more.
Opportunities
– WIN Rising Star Award in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology nominations. Know more.
– Doctoral fellowship in ultra-sensitive bioelectronic transducers in Portugal. Know more.
– Invitation to organize the official International Sol-Gel Society Conference in 2021. Know more.
Events
International Workshop on Advanced Magnetic Oxides (IWAMO 2019). Aveiro (Portugal). April 15 – 17, 2019. Site.
2019 E-MRS Spring Meeting e IUMRS – ICAM. Nice (France). May 27 – 31, 2019. Site.
20th International Symposium on Intercalation Compounds (ISIC). Campinas, SP (Brazil). June 2 – 6, 2019. Site.
10th International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies (ICMAT 2019). Singapore. June 23 – 28, 2019. Site.
20th International Sol-Gel Conference. Saint Petersburg (Russia). August 25 – 30, 2019. Site.
YUCOMAT 2019 & WRTCS 2019. Herceg Novi (Montenegro). September 2 – 6, 2019. Site.
XVIII B-MRS Meeting. Balneário Camboriú, SC (Brazil). September 22 – 26, 2019.Site.
19th Brazilian Workshop on Semiconductor Physics. Fortaleza, CE (Brazil). November 18 – 22, 2019.Site.
Follow us on social media
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.
[Paper: Nanocatalysts for hydrogen production from borohydride hydrolysis: graphene-derived thin films with Ag- and Ni-based nanoparticles. Leandro Hostert, Eduardo G. C. Neiva, Aldo J. G. Zarbin, Elisa S. Orth. J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018,6, 22226-22233. DOI 10.1039/C8TA05834B]
Graphene and nickel films, the best catalysts for hydrogen production
Thousands of vehicles powered by hydrogen gas already circulate in some regions of the world releasing only water through the exhaust pipes. As a fuel or source of energy, hydrogen is in fact an extremely clean (does not generate harmful emissions) and efficient option (it can produce more energy than any other fuel). However, pure hydrogen does not exist in nature on Earth. It needs to be produced, and most of the hydrogen-generating methods known to date have both economic and ecological drawbacks.
An alternative to these methods was recently presented by a team of researchers from the graduate program in Chemistry of the Brazilian Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). These scientists have proposed a clean, efficient, simple and inexpensive method to produce hydrogen. The team developed new catalysts (compounds that modify the speed of a chemical reaction without being consumed during the reaction), made of graphene and metal nanoparticles, which made hydrogen production feasible through the hydrolysis of borohydride – a chemical reaction still little used in hydrogen generation, notwithstanding its enormous potential as it is clean and very simple.
Photographs and representative schematics of H2 generation by hydrolysis of borohydride catalyzed with graphene and metallic nanoparticles thin films. The films, about 500 nm thick, cover the two sides of a glass plate, covering 15 cm2, which is immersed in a solution of sodium borohydride and water. The photos depict the bubbles of hydrogen gas generated on the surface of the catalyst.
In this reaction, which is performed at room temperature, sodium borohydride (NaBH4) molecules, spontaneously react with water molecules generating hydrogen (H2) molecules. The process takes place in only one step, and is performed with catalyst materials, which accelerate the reaction rate.
“The main contribution of this work is the possibility of H2 generation through thin films of graphene nanocomposites,” says Professor Elisa Souza Orth, corresponding author of an article on the work, recently published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A (impact factor = 9,931). “Nanocomposites of carbon-based materials and metallic nanoparticles have shown many promising applications and we have shown that for the less exploited borohydride hydrolysis they could also be used efficiently,” she adds.
Among the thin film catalysts produced by the UFPR team, the ones that presented better performance were those of reduced graphene oxide with nickel nanoparticles (rGO/Ni). In fact, this nanocomposite, produced with a relatively inexpensive metal, performed better than most of the catalysts previously reported in the scientific literature, including those prepared with noble metals, which cost much more.
In general, this means that small amounts of rGO/Ni (some tens of mg) generated large volumes of hydrogen (400 ml) in a short time (5 hours).
In addition, the films developed by the Brazilian team presented another important characteristic for a catalyst: they can be easily removed from the reaction vessel, washed and dried without damage, thus allowing their reuse. “In this work, we were able to reuse the same nanocatalyst in 10 consecutive cycles, without losing activity,” says Professor Orth.
The doctoral student Leandro Hostert in a laboratory of the postgraduate program in chemistry of UFPR.
These results were made possible by combining competencies in the production of carbon nanomaterials from the Materials Chemistry Group, coordinated by Professor Aldo José Gorgatti Zarbin, with expertise in catalysis processes of the Catalysis and Kinetics Group, led by Professor Orth. These two UFPR groups have a history of collaboration in the application of carbon materials; initially, in the study of pesticides and, currently, in the development of multifunctional materials with extraordinary catalytic activity.
In addition to the development of catalysts and their application in hydrogen production, the work published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A included an analysis of the various ways of measuring the catalytic activity of a material. The authors were able to standardize criteria and compare several results obtained in the laboratory and found in the scientific literature. “We have developed a kinetic study that complements the discussion of these complex reactions and can help guide us to a more concise understanding of catalytic activity,” explains Elisa Orth.
The research was carried out under the doctoral program in progress of Leandro Hostert, guided by Professor Orth, and was funded by Brazilian agencies CNPq, CAPES, Araucária Foundation, INCT Nanocarbono, as well as L’Oréal-UNESCO-ABC through the Award for Women in Science (2015 ) and International Rising Talents (2016) received by Elisa Orth.
When she was little, Juliana Davoglio Estradioto dreamed of being a singer. Today, at age 18, she has other projects: she will pursue a scientific career. A career she has actually begun. When she was 15, Juliana first came across a scientific article and visited a research laboratory. From that moment, in just three years, she has won dozens of awards in competitions and science fairs (local, regional, national and international) for high school students. Among these distinctions, perhaps the most glamorous one is the one that in December of this year will take her to spend a week in Sweden alongside 24 other young researchers from around the world to attend the 2019 Nobel Prizes ceremony and celebrations in the company of laureates, besides visiting institutions and companies in Sweden and presenting her work to Swedish students.
Juliana was born and raised in Osório, a city of 40 thousand inhabitants, located 100 km from Porto Alegre, in the south of Brazil, surrounded by lakes, mountains and sea. There, in 2015, after finishing primary education in a public school, she enrolled at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS) – Campus Osório, which had been inaugurated five years earlier, to attend the Technical Course in Administration (secondary education). Created by a law sanctioned in 2008, the Federal Institutes (IFs) are public and free institutions, linked to the Brazilian federal government, that specialize in the provision of professional and technological education from high school to postgraduate level. Extension and research activities are part of the FIs proposal for all levels.
In her first year at IFRS, Juliana was enthusiastic about an extension project aimed at the community of family farmers in the region, with social and environmental bias, coordinated by Professor Flávia Santos Twardowski Pinto. First as a volunteer and later with an IFRS scholarship, Juliana participated in three projects involving research and development over the three years of high school, always guided by Professor Twardowski.
Juliana’s first work resulted not only in the development of biodegradable plastic made from agricultural waste available in the region (passion fruit peel), but also in the creation of an application for this material: a packet for seedlings that does not need to be removed prior to planting. Juliana received several honors for this work, such as 4th place in Environmental Engineering at the largest science competition in the world for high school students, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) held in Los Angeles (USA) in May of 2017. Another important international recognition was the gold medal obtained at Genius Olympiad, a competition for high school projects addressing environmental problems and their solutions, held in Oswego, USA, in June 2018. At the national level, the main distinction Juliana received was for the work of plastic made of passion fruit– first place in the High School category in the 29th edition of the Young Scientist Award, granted by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and partner entities in a ceremony in December of last year, with the presence of the President of the Republic and several other governmental authorities.
At the end of last year, when Juliana graduated from high school in IFRS, she already had a concrete possibility for her undergraduate studies: a scholarship to study at the University of Arizona (USA), received as a prize at Intel ISEF in 2018, for a work she developed on adsorbent materials from agroindustrial residues for the removal of dyes in aqueous suspension. Now, she has at least one more option, since she was approved in the entrance exam for the course of Chemical Engineering of the Brazilian Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Will she stay in her homeland? Whatever the decision, the girl’s background makes you think she will be able to take advantage of the opportunities.
See our interview with Juliana.
B-MRS Newsletter: You have just finished High School integrated to Technical Administration. When you enrolled in the course, did you plan to work in the administration area? What led you to participate in scientific research projects?
Juliana Davoglio Estradioto: In order to enter the IFRS – Osório campus, you have to participate in a selective process, and before the process I had to choose between Administration and Informatics. It was very difficult to make that decision at age 14 and I ended up choosing Administration. I never imagined I would do research, much less that it would be on topics so different from what I had seen in the classroom. I find Administration a very important area, but I do not see myself working in the area; now that I am a Technician in Administration, I ended up falling in love with research!
As soon as I joined the course I became very interested in a rural extension project because my family is really involved with the area of agronomy. The coordinator was Professor Flavia and I had to undergo a selection process to enter the project. I remember the 14-year-old teenager who was dying of anxiety, but very excited about being able to do something different from the theoretical classes, since FIs offer a number of opportunities. Soon after, I was being mentored by Professor Flavia and admiring the work she does.
B-MRS Newsletter:Complementing the previous question, how / when did the desire to become a scientist come about? Was participation in the competitions important in this process?
Juliana Davoglio Estradioto: When I was a kid I liked to climb trees, observe insects and stay in touch with nature. However, throughout childhood we learn to be more restrained and our investigative spirit diminishes. So I never had the urge to be a scientist even though I was curious when I was a child. My childhood dream was to be a singer! And so I say that science chose me and not the other way around. I never imagined that it was going to be something I would be so passionate about. When I joined the Federal Institute, I got involved in projects and had a teacher who really encouraged me to follow in that area. Contact with science helped me face a difficult personal moment, made me want to be a better, more determined person, and determined as a scientist. Participation in science fairs was more important in my personal construction and helped in developing my communicative skills and empathy, while interaction in the laboratory and the willingness to do research showed me that I want to do this for the rest of my life.
B-MRS Newsletter: On the development of biodegradable plastic from passion fruit waste, briefly tell us the path taken, from idea to material and application. Have you consulted many scientific articles? Have you exchanged ideas with other researchers? Which labs did you use?
Juliana Davoglio Estradioto: The project of biodegradable plastic from the peel of passion fruit arose from a problem I had observed in my region from the rural extension project I participated in the first year of high school: that the fruit processing industry generates waste, seeing that in the passion fruit the residues correspond to 70% of the fruit. I wanted to bring a use to that peel and Professor Flavia was instrumental in motivating and stimulating me to go after a solution. We talked about ideas for the use of the peel and then I discovered what scientific articles were. It was a frightening because I was 15 years old and had not had any contact with articles until then. Articles are a more academic means of communication and I had to figure out a lot of things before I could read them because my high school classes were basic and management-oriented. I had to learn a lot about Chemistry and Biology before I could understand the articles, I talked to other researchers and consulted my advisor. In the middle of the project development (when it was all going wrong ahahahaha), we found by coincidence that my advisor’s first teacher, Simone Hickmann Flôres, was working with biodegradable plastic films. So, it was possible to use some laboratories from the Institute of Food Science and Technology of the Brazilian Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul to make more complex analyses, while I continued to do the research in the baking laboratory of the Osório campus (the only one available at that time). When I had good plastic samples, I began to question myself about the application I could give the material. And that’s when I remembered the visits to the farmers, where I had seen seedlings wrapped in black plastic (low-density polyethylene). I wanted to replace this material with my biodegradable plastic and it was quite difficult until I got to a packaging for seedlings. The coolest thing of this application is that the packaging can be planted together with the seedling, avoiding waste generation.
B-MRS Newsletter: In 2018 you started working on another project related to the development of a material from agricultural waste, also coordinated by Professor Flavia. Could you summarize what this work is about and its development status?
Juliana Davoglio Estradioto: The project began from the demand of one of the largest agro-exporters of macadamia nut here in Brazil, and nut is on the rise in the world market. Processing the fruit to obtain the nut that is marketed generates an agroindustrial residue which is the macadamia nut bark. This bark is normally intended for landfills or for the combustion and production of energy. What I wanted to do was a biotechnological application, so my hypothesis was whether it would be possible to use the agroindustrial residue of macadamia nut in the synthesis of a polymeric biomembrane. The project is still being developed and improved, I have already been able to prove my hypothesis in a positive way and I am looking to improve the appearance of biomembranes.
B-MRS Newsletter: To what factors and competencies do you attribute the success your work has had in national and international awards?
Juliana Davoglio Estradioto: I believe that my life would be completely different if I had not studied at the Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Sul, because it provides several opportunities that unfortunately are not yet offered in other elementary schools. Being a student of IF and guided by Professor Flavia made my view on education and science to change, I am very grateful for understanding the transformative role they have played in my life and in many other Brazilian realities.
B-MRS Newsletter: Your career in scientific research began with a lot of attention. What are your plans, from a professional point of view, for the next few years or the next decades of your life?
Juliana Davoglio Estradioto: I intend to continue researching in the areas that I am passionate about and to be a scientist, I really like the natural sciences and I believe I will never be able to abandon it. I want to work on themes that focus primarily on sustainability, because we need to find alternatives for the impacts we are causing on all ecosystems. However, besides being a researcher, I intend to work with education and scientific dissemination.
B-MRS Newsletter: When googleing your name, one can guess your life has changed a lot recently. There are many interviews in all types of media, travels, presentations, awards, formalities, congratulations from politicians and admirers … How do you deal with this change?
Juliana Davoglio Estradioto: It is a very positive change and it represents a lot to me at this moment, because I feel responsible for the dissemination of girls doing research in high school. These are activities that give me pleasure and believe we need to encourage other young people so that they see the scientific career as a possibility and an opportunity.
