The XIII SBPMat Meeting, to be held in João Pessoa from September 28 to October 02nd has registered more than 2,100 submitted papers – a record in the history of the Society’s annual meetings.
Among the 19 symposia of the event this year, the ones which received more submissions, holding over 200, were the symposium N, dedicated to Surface Engineering; M, on nanomaterials for nanomedicine, and B, about ceramic and metallic materials obtained through chemical methods.
The term for submitting abstracts ended on June 13. Until July 15, the authors of the submitted papers will be notified about their approval, necessary modifications or rejection.
Bernhard Gross Award
Among the accepted papers, the ones submitted by undergraduate or graduate students may compete for the Bernard Gross Award. With this award, the committee of the XIII SBPMat Meeting will distinguish the best papers presented by students in each symposium (one poster and one oral presentation, at most). The winning papers may be published in a special issue of the open access journal “IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering” dedicated to the XIII SBPMat Meeting, with no cost for the authors. To take part in the contest, the authors, once they are notified of the approval, must send an extended abstract, in compliance with the instructions and the model offered at the site of the event.
About the event
The SBPMat annual meeting is a traditional, international forum, dedicated to recent advances and perspectives on Materials Science and Technology. In the last editions, the event has gathered approximately 1,500 attendees, from the five regions of Brazil and dozens of others countries, for presenting and discussing scientific and technological studies in the field of Materials. The event also counts with plenary lectures, offered by internationally renowned researchers, and an exhibition of interest for the Materials community.
Schedule
Resubmission of papers after being notified about necessary changes: up to July 10.
Notification of the accepted abstracts: up to July 15.
Submission of extended abstracts for the Bernhard Gross award: from July 15 to August 08.
The new WAC members in their inaugural ceremony. Prof. Muccillo is the first from right to left.
On the morning of June 09th, in the Italian district of Montecatini Terme, the Materials researcher Reginaldo Muccillo, managing director of our SBPMat from 2012 to 2013, was sworn in as member of the World Academy of Ceramics (WAC). WAC is an international entity, with its main office located in Italy, dedicated to promoting progress in the field of ceramics, as well as to spread awareness regarding the social impact and cultural interactions offered by science, technology, history and arts in the field of ceramics.
Reginaldo Muccillo was one of the seventeen selected members in the 15th election process conducted by the WAC academicians, which recognizes the merit of those who substantially contributed to the field of ceramics. Being the only Brazilian member elected this time, Muccillo shared the induction ceremony with researchers and other professionals from China, Spain, the United States, Finland, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal and Sweden. The ceremony was held during the opening session of the International Conference on Modern Materials and Technologies (CIMTEC).
Researcher from the Materials Science and Technology Center of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN), Reginaldo Muccillo earned his undergraduate, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Physics, at the University of São Paulo (USP). He did research stages abroad, first at the National Research Council in Ottawa (Canada) during his Doctorate, then, during his postdoctoral studies, at the Max Planck Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, in Stuttgart (Germany) and the Institut National Politechnique de Grenoble (France). He was the (co) coordinator of seven issues of the Brazilian Electroceramics Symposium, the VII SBPMat Meeting (2008), and the 6th International Conference on Electroceramics (ICE 2013). He has been the main editor of the journal Cerâmica, an official publication of the Brazilian Association of Ceramics (ABCeram) for 15 years. He holds a 1A-level fellowship for research productivity in the Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
What follows is a brief interview with the scientist:
Tell us a bit about your history: what led you to become a scientist and work in the field of ceramic materials?
Already in my undergraduate studies, I left the Engineering course in USP’s Polytechnic School to attend Physics. Holding a research scholarship in the field of Nuclear Physics, I met renowned researchers in the USP’s Physics Institute, who effectively influenced me to pursue a scientific career. Once I graduated, I proceed to IPEN, for my Master in Solid-State Physics. Then, when I concluded my Master’s studies, I went to Canada for a research stage beeing part of my Doctorate course. After returning the IPEN, having defended my doctorate at the USP, I started to conduct researches with ceramic materials, moving from Solid-State Physics to Materials Science and Engineering.
In your opinion, what were your main contributions to the field of Materials?
Working in a research institute, I could focus all my time to conduct the research work itself, to raise resources in supporting entities (São Paulo Research Foundation – FAPESP, and CNPq) for improving the infrastructure of the laboratory (I am an experimental researcher dedicated to assembling and collecting data from equipment, analyzing such data and wrinting articles to be submitted to indexed and peer-reviewed journals), to train and instruct staff, to organize events, to edit scientific journals and to interact with the productive sector. In addition to the development of fundamental research in the field of Materials, my expertise allows me to seek applications in devices concerning many industrial sectors.
In your opinion, what are the main challenges to your current research topics in Materials Science and Engineering?
Explaining, modeling and providing theoretical equations to several physical and chemical phenomena that occur in the Ceramic Materials Science.
In your opinion, how did you receive the recognition of the international Ceramics research community, as expressed by your election as a WAC scholar?
Developing research work, training staff at undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral levels, assembling laboratories for the scientific community (multi-users), editing journals (the Cerâmica) in the field of ceramic materials, and researching materials for producing sensors and alternative energy sources, as well as, most recently, flash sintering.
The scientific paper by members of the Brazilian community on Materials research featured this month is:
Caio G. Otoni, Márcia R. de Moura, Fauze A. Aouada, Geany P. Camilloto, Renato S. Cruz, Marcos V. Lorevice, Nilda de F.F. Soares, Luiz H.C. Mattoso.Antimicrobial and physical-mechanical properties of pectin/papaya puree/cinnamaldehyde nanoemulsion edible composite films. Food Hydrocolloids. Volume 41, December 2014, Pages 188–194. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2014.04.013.
Papaya and cinnamon: ingredients in antimicrobial films for food packaging.
The ingredients and one of the films. Photo: Flavio Ubiali. – Núcleo de Comunicação Organizacional, Embrapa Instrumentação.
Edible packagings are films that may be eaten without harming one’s health. They may be used to wrap food in order to protect it, to improve its appearance or to provide some texture or flavor. Such films already are on the markets, replacing animal tissue in cold meats or seaweeds in sushi, just to name a few uses.
Besides being interesting under an environmental perspective, as they may use wasted residues from fruit and vegetables in their composition, they are even more attractive when provided with antimicrobial properties, because it allows the decrease in the amount of preservatives in the food they wrap.
In Brazil, a team comprising materials engineers, chemists and food engineers has produced edible films with antimicrobial properties, based on renewable sources: pectin, papaya and cinnamon essential oil.
The project was developed in three main stages. The first one was performed at the National Nanotechnology Laboratory for the Agribusiness in the instrumentation unit of Embrapa (the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation)and consisted in obtaining and characterizing nanoemulsions of cinnamaldehyde, the main component in the cinnamon essential oil. Using mechanical stirring in a controlled way, with several speeds, the researchers obtained emulsions with cinnamaldehyde particles of different sizes, from 20 to 500 nm of diameter.
For the second stage, also conducted at Embrapa Instrumentation, the researchers produced films based on pectin (a natural polymer found in plant tissues and known for its gelling capacities), added with papaya puree and the obtained emulsions. Finally, the team characterized the films. Their mechanical and antimicrobial properties were analyzed at the Packaging Laboratory of the Federal University of Viçosa, UFV, in Minas Gerais State, while their properties as a water barrier were assessed at Embrapa Instrumentation. Professors from the State University of Feira de Santana in Bahia State and São Paulo State University, UNESP, performing at that moment their postdoctoral researches at Embrapa and UFV’s laboratories contributed to the project as well.
The results of their studies were recently published by the journal Food Hydrocolloids.
The films
Incorporating cinnamaldehyde nanoemulsions to the films inhibited the development of four pathogenic bacteria tested by the team of researchers (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus).
“The most interesting result is that decreasing the size of the nanoemulsions particles notably potentiated the inhibitory activity of the films”, highlights Caio Otoni, main author of the paper, Master’s student in Materials Science and Engineering at the Federal University of São Carlos, UFSCar. “That may impact the use of polymeric packaging with antimicrobial capacites for wrapping food, considering that the same food security guaranteed by the active packaging may be obtained using lower amounts of preservatives, if encapsulated in smaller particles, which is an advantage for manufacturers (lower production costs) and consumers (ingestion of less preservatives)”, concludes Caio, who developed the project with other seven authors, while attending the Food Engineering undergraduate course at UFV.
In addition to providing antibacterial properties to the films, the nanoemulsions made them less permeable to humidity and less plastic (more rigid and less extensible). On the other hand, the papaya pulp caused an inverse effect, concerning those attributes.
The authors Luiz Henrique Capparelli Mattoso, Marcos Vinicius Lorevice e Caio Gomide Otoni (from left to right) at Embrapa Instrumentation. Photo: Flávio Anselmo Faria Ubiali – Núcleo de Comunicação Organizacional, Embrapa Instrumentação.
O Programa de Pós-graduação em Materiais e Catálise da Universidade do Vale do Paraíba (Univap) está com inscrições abertas para o segundo semestre de 2014. O mestrado possui três linhas de pesquisa principais: (1) Desenvolvimento de materiais para suporte catalítico; (2) Processamento e caracterização de materiais metálicos; e (3) Processamento e caracterização de materiais compósitos, cerâmicos e poliméricos.
As inscrições podem ser feitas, pela internet, até 04/07. A prova de conhecimentos e entrevistas serão realizadas no dia 30/07, das 13:30h às 18:00h, no Instituto de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento do campus Urbanova em São José dos Campos (SP). Podem participar do processo seletivo egressos de Engenharia, Química ou Física incluindo bacharéis e tecnólogos de áreas afins.
Requisito mínimo para inscrição no concurso: ter o título de doutor.
Perfil desejável do candidato: É desejável que o candidato possua experiência em estratégias ou métodos contemporâneos em síntese inorgânica envolvendo elementos representativos, de transição ou de pós-transição; que seja portador do título de Doutor em Química ou em áreas afins, que possua produção científica caracterizada pela publicação de artigos científicos em revistas indexadas relacionada com a área do concurso, capacidade de liderar atividades de pesquisa e de formar recursos humanos. É desejável também que o candidato possua experiência no exterior bem como habilidade ou experiência didática. A inscrição de candidato que deixar de atender ao perfil desejável não será indeferida por este motivo.
Inscrições: podem ser feitas na Secretaria do Departamento de Química Inorgânica, Instituto de Química/UNICAMP – Bloco D sala 349 – R. Josué de
Castro s/n – cidade universitária Zeferino Vaz – distrito de Barão Geraldo – Campinas – SP
Período de inscrições: todos os dias úteis até dia 17.07.2014 das 9h00 às 11h30 e das 14h00 às 17h00.
O aumento da importância e competitividade tecnológica no domínio de nanomateriais e na ciência de materiais é reconhecido como um dos grandes pilares do desenvolvimento científico, tecnológico e social no século XXI. A possibilidade de desenvolver moléculas e materiais que podem substituir os materiais tradicionais terá um profundo impacto em muitos aspectos do desenvolvimento de diversos produtos. O campo emergente de materiais funcionais é, portanto uma tecnologia estratégica para o futuro.
Diante desta realidade o programa de Pós-Graduação em Nanociências e Materiais Avançados da Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC) busca capacitar profissionais com formação interdisciplinar que apresente uma visão abrangente e diferenciada, qualificando-o para a pesquisa de ponta e as inovações tecnológicas nas áreas do programa.
As inscrições para o processo seletivo para o Mestrado e Doutorado estão abertas até o dia 24 de Junho.
O Programa de Pós-graduação em Física e Química de Materiais (FQMat) divulga o Edital 001/2014 do processo seletivo – 2° semestre de 2014, para preenchimento de vagas de mestrado e doutorado.
As inscrições acontecerão no período de 18 a 27 de junho de 2014, 15h às 17h, Sala 3.05 do bloco C do Departamento de Ciências Naturais, Campus Dom Bosco – São João del Rei. As inscrições podem ser feitas via Sedex, desde que a correspondência seja postada até o dia 25 de junho de 2014.
Para mais informações sobre inscrição, documentos necessários, datas das provas e preenchimento da GRU, confira o edital no link http://www.ufsj.edu.br/fqmat/processo_seletivo.php
Outras informações pelo telefone (32) 3379-2535 , (32) 3379-2444 ou pelo e-mail fqmat@ufsj.edu.br.
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.
SBPMat’s community people
Upon his inauguration as a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), we talked to Professor Fernando Lázaro FreireJunior, SBPMat’s former president, financial director and scientific director. Throughout his scientific path, Professor Fernando Lázaro has been specially committed to researching carbon-based materials: DLC films, nanotubes and graphene. The researcher told us how he became a scientist, and commented on his most highlighted contributions to the field of Materials. Having a great portion of his career developed in the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), the Professor emphasized, in his message to younger readers: it is possible to do research with an international impact in Brazil. Read our interview with Fernando Lázaro Freire Junior.
History of SBPMat
We talked again to Professor Fernando Lázaro Freire Junior, President of the society during two turns in a roll, from 2006 to 2009. During such time, SBPMat held, in addition to the 4 annual meetings, with an increasing number of attendees, the International Conference on Advanced Materials (ICAM 2009). It was also in those years that the society organized its office. Professor Fernando Lázaro presented a brief overview on his administration, regretted some pending issues (proximity with members and the interaction with the industry) and, to conclude, said that young people should be more involved in SBPMat’s decisions. Read it here.
Featured papers with Brazilian participation
– Our “featured paper” (release about a scientific paper made in Brazil) about ultra-small crystals with modulated shell thickness was posted at the webpage of Materials Today. Read it.
– “A new ozone sensor“, another SBPMat “featured paper”, is among the 10 most read in the month of April at the webpage of Materials Today. Read it.
Reading recommendations
Science journalism stories based on papers published in journals with high impact factor.
– Breakthroughs on molybdenum disulfide lead to new technique and advance the applications of this two-dimensional material (Science). Read it.
– In a blender, scientists create graphene production route in large scale for composites and coatings (Nature Materials). Read it.
– Biomaterials: silk microstructures are produced with photolithography and guide cell adhesion (Advanced Materials). Read it.
– Biomimetics: new discoveries on the anatomy of the gecko inspired a high-performance adhering material, developed without nanotechnology (Advanced Materials). Read it. Materials news from the Brazilian National Institutes of Science and Technology (INCTs).
– In order to monitor air pollution rates, project from university-industry partnership develops low-cost sensors, without batteries. Read it. Another news.
– New Brazilian laboratory for the development of low-weight, high-resistance structures, components and parts. Read it.
– In the United Kingdom, £ 3 million project on nanoparticles for diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases. Read it.
Opportunities
– Postdoctoral fellowship on micro-nanomaterials, monitoring and processing for industrial application in the Brazilian Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Here.
– Selection of the new director for the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM). Here.
– Call for collaborative projects São Paulo State – Finland on some Materials topics. Here.
– L´Oréal-Unesco-ABC Award “For women in Science” for research projects conducted by young female Doctors. Here.
Upcoming events in the area
– 13th International Conference on Modern Materials and Technologies (CIMTEC 2014). Here.
– 1st International Conference on Polyol Mediated Synthesis. Here.
– 2º Workshop Adesão Microbiana e Superfícies. Here.
– 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.
On May 6th, at the Naval School of Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC)held the tenure ceremony of its new members, elected in a process of nomination and evaluation by their peers, performed throughout 2013. In the event, 24 scientists were assigned as full members of ABC. Among those, in the field of Physical Sciences, there was Professor Fernando Lázaro de Freire Junior, Materials researcher and former president of SBPMat.
Contemplating the ideia of being a researcher, Fernando Lázaro chose to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics by the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RIO),earning it in 1978. In 1979, he started teaching in the same university, while attending his Master’s (1979-1981) and Doctorate (1981-1985) courses in Physics there. During his graduate studies, Fernando Lázaro made his first scientific interventions in the field of Materials by means of an ion accelerator, initially used by him for works in Atomic Physics. In 1998, he went to Università degli Studi di Padova (in Italy) for his Postdoctoral studies, working with materials surfaces and interfaces.
From 2003 to 2008, he was the Director of PUC-Rio’s Physics Department. From 2008 to 2012, he coordinated the field of Physics and Astronomy in the Research Foundation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ). In Europhysics Letters (a journal from the European Physical Society), Professor Lázaro worked as coeditor between 2006 and 2010, and advisory editor from 2010 to 2013. In SBPMat, he served two consecutive terms as president, two as scientific director and one as financial director.
Currently, Fernando Lázaro is a Full Professor in PUC-Rio and director of Centro the Brazilian Center for Research in Physics (CBPF), in addition to being a member of the FAPERJ’s Higher Board and coordinator of the National Institute of Surface Engineering. Author of over 170 scientific articles, with more than 2500 citations, he is a level 1A researcher in the Brazilian National Research Foundation, CNPq. Among his most relevant papers, there are several studies on carbon-based materials: DLC (diamond-like carbon) films, nanotubes and, more recently, graphene.
Following there is a brief interview with the researcher.
SBPMat newsletter: – Tell us a little about your history: what led you to become a scientist and work in the field of Materials?
Fernando Lázaro: – I always enjoyed Physics and Mathematics during high school, but in 1974 I had no ideia, when I applied for college entrance exams, that it was possible to do research in Brazil. Because of this, I took the exam to major in Electrical Engineering in PUC-Rio, and only there I realized that it was possible to perform researches in the field of Physics, in Brazil. Then, I transferred myself to the Bachelor’s in Physics, which was easier, as in 1975 PUC-Rio already had a common Basic Cycle for the whole of its Scientific and Technical Center. So, I didn’t waste any time. I was in my second year in the undergraduate studies. My graduate studies, then, still in PUC-Rio, were in Atomic Physics, using an ion accelerator as a working tool. As such accelerator was also a great tool to analyze materials, it was through this path that I entered into the field of Materials.
SBPMat newsletter- What do you consider as your main contributions to the field of Materials?
Fernando Lázaro: – My research has always been conducted in collaboration with several colleagues and students, and I think we made an important contribution to the study of nanostructured carbon films (diamond-like carbon films, DLC), as attested by the papers with a high number of citations and all the invitations to be invited lecturer in many international congresses. It is evident that supervising students has been important too, as well the management positions in PUC-Rio, CBPF and SBPMat.
SBPMat newsletter: – Choose some of your more highlighted papers, and comment on them, if possible.
Fernando Lázaro: – My most cited paper is an article in Applied Physics Letters, published in 1992, coauthored by Carlos Achete, from COPPE/UFRJ, and Dante Franceschini, currently at UFF, on the nitrogen incorporation in DLC films [Franceschini, D. F. ; Achete, C. A. ; Freire Junior, F. L. Internal Stress Reduction By Nitrogen Incorporation In Hard a-C:H Thin Films. Applied Physics Letters, New York, v. 60, p. 3229-3231, 1992]. It was released at the right time, and offered a relevant result for the issue of the applications of such materials, namely, the decrease of the internal tension of the film (an important factor in the debonding of films from the substrates), without a significant change in its hardness.
SBPMat newsletter: – In your opinion, what are the main challenges in your current research field for Materials Science and Engineering?
Fernando Lázaro: – I have been working with graphene and carbon nanotubes. For both, the production of good quality samples, in a controlled and profitable form, still represents a great obstacle for the use of those materials in a broader way than the one that has been verified up to this point.
SBPMat newsletter: – Send a message to our readers who are starting their careers as scientists.
Fernando Lázaro – An encouraging message. The material working conditions nowadays are much better than when I started, three decades ago; the same can be said about the wages in academia. So, things have improved and tend to keep getting better, and I think it is feasible to conduct good quality researches, with an international impact, in Brazil.
Com bolsa PNPD/CNPq, por 6 meses. Já disponível; renovável por mais 1 ano.
Local: Instituto de Física, UFRGS – Porto Alegre, RS (Programa de Pós-Graduação nível 7, o máximo, por avaliação da CAPES).
Perfil do candidato: Doutorado em Física, Química, Engenharia ou Ciência dos Materiais. Conhecimentos anteriores relacionados ao projeto serão apreciados.
Informações e candidatura: Enviar link para CV-Lattes ou CV completo, indicação de dois professores-pesquisadores de referência para contato (telefone, e-mail, carta de recomendação) e um parágrafo sobre motivações/expectativas para flavio.horowitz@ufrgs.br, até 31/05/2014 (ou, em 2ª chamada, 10/06/2014).
The XIII SBPMat Meeting, to be held in João Pessoa from September 28 to October 02nd has registered more than 2,100 submitted papers – a record in the history of the Society’s annual meetings.
