Professor Fernando Lázaro Freire Junior, a participatory member of SBPMat since its creation, took over as director of the Physics Department at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) in an inauguration ceremony held on May 31 of this year.
With an undergraduate degree, a master’s and doctorate in Physics from PUC-Rio, Freire Junior began teaching at that university in 1979. In 1985, he became an assistant professor and, in 2012, a full professor. From 2003 to 2008 he was director of the Physics Department of the university, a post he occupies again this year. Between 2011 and 2015, he served as director of the Brazilian Center for Research in Physics (CBPF).
In SBPMat, Fernando Lázaro Freire Junior was a member of the founding board (2001), scientific director from 2004 to 2005, president for two consecutive terms from 2006 to 2009 and financial director from 2012 to 2013, among other activities.
Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat) newsletter News update from Brazil for the Materials community
English edition. Year 3, issue 5.
XV Brazil-MRS Meeting - Campinas (SP), Sept 25-29, 2016
Authors: The abstract submission deadline has been extended to June 15. Acceptance notifications will be sent to the authors by July 10. Authors should read the submission guidelines. Here.
Registration: Registration for the event is now open. Early registration discount deadline is 31 August. Here.
Symposia: See the list of 22 approved symposia, to which the abstracts can be submitted. Here.
Awards: Those interested in participating in the event’s student prize competition, the Bernhard Gross Award, which selects one oral and one poster presentation in each symposium, must submit an extended abstract by August 22. Know more in the instructions to authors.
Exhibitors: Companies interested in participating in the event with stands and other forms of dissemination should contact Alexandre, via the e-mail comercial@sbpmat.org.br.
Plenary sessions: View the abstracts of the plenary lectures and the memorial lecture of our event and bios of the scientists presenting them. Here.
Accommodation and tickets: See the list of the travel agency “Follow Up” with hotels, hostels, guesthouses and the forms to book flights. Here.
Vacation packages: The Follow Up website also suggests tour packages for before and after the event. Here.
Venue: See video of the city of Campinas and folder about the Expo Dom Pedro convention center.
Organizers: This edition of the event is coordinated by Prof. Ana Flávia Nogueira (Unicamp, Institute of Chemistry) and Prof. Mônica Alonso Cotta (Unicamp, “Gleb Wataghin” Institute of Physics). See who are the members of the local committee and view the photos of the organizers. Here.
SBPMat news
Public note of SBPMat. The directory and the board of the Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat) express their unease in light of the lack of prospects for science, technology and innovation (STI) in Brazil. Here.
Collection of works of the XIV SBPMat Meeting published in IOP journals. A page in the website of the Institute of Physics (IOP) compiles and highlights 13 scientific papers assembled from papers presented at the XIV SBPMat Meeting (Rio de Janeiro, September 27 to October 1, 2015) and published in IOP journals after conventional peer-review process. Here.
Featured paper
The cover of the April issue of the Nano Letters journal highlights a study by an international team of researchers, of which four are scientists from Brazilian institutions. The article reports on the formation of defect-free carbon nanotube coils, considered an ideal format to use nanotubes as inductors. The article also presents the coil-formation mechanism from simulations carried out by scientists from Unicamp and the Federal University of Roraima.See our story about the study: “Nanotubes that coil to the sound of tango or chorinho”.
People in the Materials Community
Note of condolences on the passing of Prof. José Arana Varela, president of SBPMat in 2010-2011. Here.
SBPMat counselor Carlos Roberto Grandini and three other researchers from Brazil became fellows of the International Union of Biomaterials Societies. Here.
Interviews with plenary speakers of the XV Brazil-MRS Meeting
Paper and metal oxides are some of the materials that the Portuguese scientist Elvira Fortunato uses to develop electronic devices, which besides producing low environmental impact, promise to make our many everyday objects become electronic, revolutionizing our lives. Learn more about these innovations and the trajectory of its inventor, who will deliver a plenary lecture on green electronics in the XV SBPMat Meeting. See our interview.
Reading tips
New carbon films manufacturing process produces promising supercapacitors for wearable electronics (based on paper in Science). Here.
A study carried out in Brazil is the cover of Langmuir journal: silica nanoparticles coated with folate for non water-soluble drug delivery, killing 70% of tumor cells and reaching only 10% of the healthy ones in in vitro tests. Here.
Nanoparticles injected into mice change in the body to release chemotherapeutic drug inside tumor (based on paper in PNAS). Here.
Events
40th WOCSDICE ‐ Workshop on Compound Semiconductor Devices and Integrated Circuits held in Europe & 13th EXMATEC ‐ Expert Evaluation and Control of Compound Semiconductor Materials and Technologies. Aveiro (Portugal). June, 6 to 10, 2016. Site.
Photonic Colloidal Nanostructures: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications (PCNSPA Conference 2016). Saint – Petersburg (Russia). June, 27 to July, 1, 2016. Site.
1st International Symposium on Advanced Photonic Materials. Saint – Petersburg (Russia). June, 27 to July, 1, 2016. Site.
XXV International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy (ICORS2016).Fortaleza, CE (Brazil). August, 14 to 19, 2016. Site.
July 2008 was perhaps one of the most rewarding months in the professional career of the Portuguese scientist Elvira Fortunato, and also one of the busiest in media interviews. In fact, it was in July she learned she had won the competition of the European Research Council (ERC), winning EUR 2.25 million, the “Advanced Grant”, to conduct a project on transparent electronics. Titled “Invisible”, the project proposed the development of transparent transistors manufactured using metal oxides as semiconductor components, instead of the traditional silicon semiconductors. In addition to being transparent, these materials have an economic and ecological advantage, and improve the transistors performance.
July 2008 was also the month of extensive divulgation on the internet of a worldwide innovation developed under Elvira Fortunato’s leadership in the laboratory of Materials Research Center (CENIMAT), at the New University of Lisbon, located on the Caparica campus: the paper transistor. Fortunato and her team inserted the conductor and semiconductor components of the transistor on both sides of plain paper sheets (vegetable cellulose), using simple environmentally friendly manufacturing processes and carried out at ambient temperature. In addition to using paper as support, the Portuguese team broke new ground by giving this material an active role: to act as insulating component of the transistor. Different from traditional silicon based transistors, the paper based transistor of the Portuguese team is flexible, recyclable, made from renewable material and much cheaper. These features open up numerous application possibilities of “paper electronics” (a concept coined by Fortunato and registered by Paper-e®), from biosensors to smart packaging.
Transparent electronics.
Elvira Fortunato’s attraction to science began in her childhood when she saw an onion cell under an optical microscope. Her passion for scientific research occurred in 1987 when Elvira, in her last year of the Engineering Physics and Materials course at the New University of Lisbon (UNL), had the opportunity to be part of the team at a microelectronic laboratory. Continuing her scientific training at UNL, Fortunato carried out research on amorphous silicon and obtained her master’s degree in semiconductor materials (1991) and a PhD in Materials Science specializing in microelectronics and optoelectronics (1995). In 1991 she began her teaching career at UNL. In 1998 she took over the directory of CENIMAT, a position she holds to this day. In 2012, she became Full Professor of the Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Technology of the University. Since the end of 2015, together with six other European scientists from different fields, she is part of the first group of scientific advisors dedicated to strengthening the EU policies for scientific issues, the High Level Group of Scientific Advice Mechanism.
In nearly three decades of research, the materials scientist, whose H index is 54 according to Google Scholar, has about 500 published articles and more than 50 patents filed. Her scientific production includes more than 14,000 citations.
Paper electronics.
Elvira Fortunato has received dozens of awards from various entities; among them the “Grand Officer” of the Order of Infante D. Henrique, awarded by the President of the Republic of Portugal (2010). As for this year, the scientist has been honored with two major awards. Together with her husband, the scientist Rodrigo Martins, they are among the finalists for the European Inventor Award 2016, the European Patent Office, for the invention of the paper transistor. Moreover, the researcher was awarded by the European Academy of Sciences (EURASC) with the Blaise Pascal Medal for Materials Science 2016, which also makes her a fellow of this academy.
At the end of September, Elvira Fortunato will be in Brazil, in the city of Campinas (SP), giving a plenary lecture at the XV Brazil-MRS Meeting. The theme will be “green electronics”, a concept that covers the development of components and devices via environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, using materials such as cellulose produced by bacteria in addition to metal oxides, plain paper and nanostructured paper. Through a process of ingenuity, the speaker will show some of the many potential applications of these green devices.
Here is a brief interview with the Portuguese scientist.
SBPMat Newsletter: – In your opinion, what are the main research results of the work undertaken by you and your group in the field of invisible electronics and paper electronics? Are there any products or prototypes in the market? Any patents licensed? Are there advances in the manufacturing techniques? Could you to share with our readers references of articles or patents?
Elvira Fortunato: – In the area of transparent electronics the most immediate applications are in the area of flat-panel displays. The new generation of displays will switch to OLED technology over LCD and thin film transistors made of metal oxides have better performance to those used, the reason why they will replace the current amorphous silicon-based ones. There are prototypes in the market now, especially in the leading companies in this area, such as Samsung and LG.
In the electronic paper area, a more disruptive area, there are no products on the market as of now, but we believe that within the short/medium term it will be quite visible in the area of smart packaging and the internet of things. In terms of packaging, there are some prototypes, especially in the Nordic countries, such as in packaging for medicines.
We have several patents, and others in partnership with companies, in the field of electronic paper and transparent electronics.
You can get more information on transparent electronics and electronic paper:
E. Fortunato, P. Barquinha, and R. Martins, “Oxide Semiconductor Thin-Film Transistors: A Review of Recent Advances,” Advanced Materials, vol. 24, pp. 2945-2986, Jun 2012.
R. F. P. Martins, A. Ahnood, N. Correia, L. Pereira, R. Barros, P. Barquinha, et al., “Recyclable, Flexible, Low-Power Oxide Electronics,” Advanced Functional Materials, vol. 23, pp. 2153-2161, May 2013.
SBPMat Newsletter: – In your opinion, what are the next steps or challenges to reach a widespread green electronics?
Elvira Fortunato: – Scientific research associated with recent technological developments are increasingly moving toward a strong awareness of the environment and of the adverse effects of which we are now the victims, and which concerns the scientific community. I also believe that in this area the recent cop21 conference in Paris made great strides, in particular the “Paris Agreement”, a historic commitment signed by 195 countries for the Sustainable Development in 2030.
SBPMat Newsletter: – Please leave an invitation or message about your plenary speech to the readers who will participate in the XV Brazil-MRS Meeting.
Elvira Fortunato: – If you are interested in seeing how you can make dreams come true, come see the lecture “Green electronics: a technology for a sustainable future”.
The directory and the board of the Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat) express their unease in light of the lack of prospects for science, technology and innovation (STI) in Brazil. The sector has experienced deep budget cuts in recent years, cuts that threaten to derail programs and research projects and crucial advancements for the Nation. The government has shown no signs of repealing these cuts, hence ensuring a budget that can minimally maintain Brazil in the upward trajectory of recent decades.
Even more worrying is the absence of a strategic plan for STI, a key requirement to help Brazil overcome the severe crisis we are experiencing. The unification of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation with the Ministry of Communications, for example, does not seem to adhere to any logic that allows us to envisage the formulation of public policies to boost Brazil’s economic and social development.
In the very short term, our suggestion is that the government should reinstate the budgets and provide the means for the ongoing initiatives of the funding agencies such as CAPES, CNPq and Finep, because the interruption or reduction of STI programs – even for short periods of time –may cause irreparable damage to Brazil.
The area that most concerns our Scientific Society is with regard to the fact that Brazil is a major producer of raw materials and lacks sufficient investment in STI to add value to products, provide high-tech companies and create jobs. It is relevant to point out that the knowledge generated in the STI activities is an essential element to build an egalitarian and developed society, which is what we aspire for our country.
It is with deep regret that SBPMat announces the passing of Prof. José Arana Varela of the Chemistry Institute of Unesp, Araraquara, on 05/17/2016. Professor Varela was one of the founders of SBPMat, and its president from 2010 to 2011.
SBPMat sympathizes with the family of Professor Varela, in a sad day when Brazilian science loses one its exponents.
Sixteen years ago, working as a post-doctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the group of professor Mildred Dresselhaus, the Brazilian physicist Ado Jorio de Vasconcelos headed a study that would produce the first successful result of the application of Optics, more precisely Raman spectroscopy, in the individual characterization of carbon nanotubes – keeping in mind that nanotube´s walls are just one atom thick, with diameters typically about one nanometer. In the MIT website, the page of Professor Mildred, who has been studying carbon nanostructures at MIT for more than 50 years, reinforces the importance of the work she has carried out with Jorio: 5 of the 6 publications selected by the emeritus professor are co-authored by Jorio.
When Ado Jorio began his postdoc he was 28 years old and had just finished his doctorate in Physics from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). His thesis was on phase transitions in incommensurate systems, conducted under the guidance of Professor Marcos Assunção Pimenta. Prior to that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Physics, also from UFMG, after studying Electrical Engineering for three years.
After the postdoc at MIT, Jorio returned to UFMG and was later accepted as associate professor of the university in 2002 via a public selection procedure. From 2007 to 2009 he held a position at the Brazilian National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (Inmetro) to develop nanometrology-related activities. In 2010, he became full professor of UFMG and that same year took over the direction of the Coordination of Transfer and Innovation of the University until 2012. In 2013 he was at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) as a visiting professor, carrying out teaching and research activities. In August 2016 he became Dean for Research of UFMG.
Since 2002, Jorio has expanded the subject of his post-doctoral work. He has conducted research in optics and the development of scientific instrumentation, namely the study of carbon nanostructures with various applications. An example of this diversity is a study in which Jorio participates, in which nanotechnology field techniques are used to understand details of the composition of the “Indian black earth”, a highly fertile soil with carbon sequestration potential, which is found in places formerly inhabited by Indians in the Brazilian Amazon.
Jorio holds one of the highest H-index among scientists in Brazil: 74, according to Google Scholar. He is also one of the most cited researchers in the world, evidenced by the inclusion of his name in the latest Thomson Reuters international list, which tabulated 1% of the most frequently cited papers in each knowledge area among all the indexed scientific articles between 2003 and 2013. Jorio is the author of over 180 scientific articles and 20 books or book chapters, and 8 patent applications. According to Google Scholar, his publications combine more than 30,000 citations.
His contributions have received numerous acknowledgments from prestigious institutions, such as the Somiya Award from the International Union of Materials Research Societies in 2009; the ICTP Prize of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in 2011, and the Georg Forster Research Award by the Humboldt Foundation in 2015, among many other national and international awards.
In the XV Brazil-MRS (SBPMat) Meeting, Ado Jorio will deliver a plenary lecture on a topic in which he is one of the world’s leading experts, the use of Raman spectroscopy to study carbon nanostructures. The Brazilian scientist will talk about how the technique evolved until reaching the nanoscale. He also promises to reveal some tactics that allow using light, whose wavelength is at least hundreds of nanometers, as a probe to investigate structures of only few nanometers.
See our interview with this member of the Brazilian research community in Materials and plenary speaker at our annual event.
SBPMat Newsletter: – Tell us what led you to become a scientist and work in the Materials area.
Ado Jorio: – It was a winding path! I entered university to study electrical engineering. Back then I played in a progressive rock band, so I looked for scientific research in the area of music. I was told to talk to a teacher at the physics department who enjoyed music, studied acoustics and materials. That’s how my career began and which ended up in materials science.
SBPMat Newsletter: – In your own words, what are your main contributions to the Materials area.
Ado Jorio: – I would say there are two main contributions. The first is in the area of carbon nanotubes, I have shown that optics could be brought to the level of individual nanotubes. This gave way to a very broad research field because there are various types of nanotubes, depending on their diameter and chirality. Before this work, people were studying nanotubes. After this work, people began to study specific types of nanotubes. It would be equivalent to saying that researchers studying the atom then realized that there are different types of atoms. The article that was the linchpin of this discovery was the [PRL86, 1118 (2001)]. The second contribution was the advancement of optics to study carbon nanostructures more broadly. I worked on several fronts, from scientific instrumentation for optical measurements below the diffraction limit, to the study and characterization of defects, approaching materials of interest in soil science, biotechnology and biomedicine. Some key references are the books “Raman Spectroscopy in Graphene Related Systems” and “Bioengineering Applications of Carbon Nanostructures”.
SBPMat Newsletter: – We always invite the interviewee to leave a message for the readers who are beginning their scientific careers. Many of these readers would like to one day achieve an H index like yours. What do you say to them?
Ado Jorio: – Make a big effort to attend conferences and make great presentations, always! Science is a debate and you have to be heard. Never repeat the same presentation. Each public requires a specific focus. Of course this advice depends on funding, but since the beginning of my career I have always spent my own money to fund my travels, and I still do this.
SBPMat Newsletter: – Leave a message or invitation to your plenary lecture for the readers who will participate in the XV Brazil-MRS (SBPMat) Meeting.
Ado Jorio: – After all of the above, and since the title and abstract are available, I can only offer my thanks to those who will honor me with their presence. It will be an honor to have these colleagues in the auditorium.
Edgar Dutra Zanotto, Professor at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), one of the founders of SBPMat and researcher in the Materials area for nearly 40 years, was chosen as a fellow of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) – a recognition conferred annually upon few select members.
The elevation to fellow is a peer recognition by ACerS members for outstanding contributions to ceramics science or art. In fact, the fellows of ACerS are chosen from the almost 10,000 members of the society, located in 70 countries, in a nomination and election process that has the participation of members, fellows, and with the final approval of the directors of ACerS. For scientists working in academia, scientific and technological production is one of the main points considered in the election.
Professor Zanotto currently has more than 5,500 citations and an H index of 40, according to Google Scholar. Among the other positions he holds, he is director of the Center for Research, Technology and Education in Vitreous Materials (CeRTEV) and editor of the Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids.
The election of the new fellows of ACerS will be celebrated at the awards and recognition banquet of the 118th annual meeting of the society on 24 October 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States.
Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat) newsletter News update from Brazil for the Materials community
English edition. Year 3, issue 3.
SBPMat news: XV Meeting - Campinas (SP), Sept 25-29, 2016
Authors: Abstract submission is open until 30 May. Acceptance notifications will be sent to the authors by July 10. Authors should read the submission guidelines. Here.
Symposia: See the list of 22 approved symposia, to which the abstracts can be submitted. Here.
Exhibitors: There are still stands available. Companies interested in participating in the event with stands and other forms of dissemination should contact Alexandre, via the e-mail comercial@sbpmat.org.br.
Plenary sessions: View the list of scientists who will present plenary talks at our event and start to get motivated. Here.
Accommodation and tickets: See the list of the travel agency “Follow Up” with hotels, hostels, guesthouses and the forms to book flights. Here.
Venue: See video of the city of Campinas and folder about the Expo Dom Pedro convention center.
Organizers: This edition of the event is coordinated by Prof. Ana Flávia Nogueira (Unicamp, Institute of Chemistry) and Prof. Mônica Alonso Cotta (Unicamp, “Gleb Wataghin” Institute of Physics). See who are the members of the local committee and view the photos of the organizers. Here.
Featured paper
A team of scientists from Brazil, led by a group from USP, studied through simulations and other theoretical methods, the adverse effects that nanofabrication processes can generate in certain photonic crystals. The scientists also analyzed theoretically how these imperfections affect the performance of photonic crystals for light manipulation. The study was recently published in the Journal of Applied Physics. See our story about the study.
People in the Materials community
To celebrate the second anniversary of the SBPMat University Chapters Program (UCs), in which about 150 students from various parts of Brazil, organized in teams, actively participate in the society, we interviewed Professor Rodrigo Bianchi (UFOP), who has coordinated the program since it was created. Curiosity about understanding nature and a set of circumstances led Bianchi to “Engineering – Physics” and research on electronic properties of organic materials. In this field, with his students and other collaborators, Bianchi has produced papers, patents, startups and products. The secret? Study technological limitations of existing devices and turn them into innovation opportunities for other devices. In the interview, in addition to outlining his research career, he talked about the UCs program and left a message for the younger generation. See our interview.
Special: Sirius, the latest generation Brazilian synchrotron
300 people currently work in Campinas (São Paulo State) in the construction of a fourth generation synchrotron light laboratory that will be one of the first of its kind in the world, the Sirius. The technical characteristics of radiation that it will generate (high energy, very low emittance) will open up new possibilities for the materials science community and will provide high-level research, surpassing the equipment that now operates in the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS). See our article that features an interview with the project coordinator, Antonio José Roque da Silva.
Reading tips
Study with the participation of Brazilian researchers results in flexible and biocompatible electrode capable of measuring biological processes associated with electric potential variations (based on cover paper from Advanced Functional Materials). Here.
Scientists from Brazil and Canada combine materials and create luminescent glass that can convert to yellow the cold light of LEDs (based on paper from Scientific Reports). Here.
The MackGraphe, a research center on graphene that proposes to be a “bridge” between research and product commercialization, was inaugurated in the Mackenzie University in Sao Paulo. Andre Geim, awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on graphene, was present at the ceremony. Here.
Opportunities
Postdoctoral positions available for glass research. Here.
Events
5th International Conference on Surface Metrology.Póznan (Poland). April, 4 to 7, 2016. Site.
9th Brazilian-German Workshop on Applied Surface Science. Maresias, SP (Brazil). April, 10 to 15, 2016. Site.
43rd International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (ICMCTF). San Diego (USA). April, 25 to 29, 2016. Site.
5th School of SAXS. Campinas, SP (Brazil). May, 2 to 6, 2016. Site.
1st User Workshop on Coherent X-ray Imaging and Small Angle X-ray Scattering. Campinas, SP (Brazil). May, 5 to 6, 2016. Site.
40th WOCSDICE ‐ Workshop on Compound Semiconductor Devices and Integrated Circuits held in Europe & 13th EXMATEC ‐ Expert Evaluation and Control of Compound Semiconductor Materials and Technologies. Aveiro (Portugal). June, 6 to 10, 2016. Site.
Photonic Colloidal Nanostructures: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications (PCNSPA Conference 2016). Saint – Petersburg (Russia). June, 27 to July, 1, 2016. Site.
1st International Symposium on Advanced Photonic Materials. Saint – Petersburg (Russia). June, 27 to July, 1, 2016. Site.
XXV International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy (ICORS2016).Fortaleza, CE (Brazil). August, 14 to 19, 2016. Site.
XV Encontro da SBPMat. Campinas, SP (Brazil). September, 25 to 29, 2016. Site.
Aerospace Technology 2016. Stockholm (Sweden). October, 11 to 12, 2016. Site.
In the month when the SBPMat University Chapters program completes two years of existence, we interviewed its coordinator, Professor Rodrigo Fernando Bianchi of the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), scientific director of SBPMat.
Curious since his childhood to understand the phenomena of nature, Rodrigo Bianchi chose Physics as his undergraduate major, which he studied between 1992 and 1995 in his native city, at the São Carlos Institute of Physics of the University of São Paulo (IFSC-USP). Research opportunities appeared and later he earned a master’s and doctoral degree in the area of Materials, also in the IFSC-USP, under the guidance of Professor Roberto Mendonça Faria. He received his master’s degree in 1997. In 2000, during the doctorate program, he spent six months doing research in United States, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, (a research stage known as a “doctoral sandwich” program). In 2002, he received the degree of Doctor of Science at IFSC-USP.
During his undergraduate studies, Bianchi complemented his academic activities with tutoring at USP, until he became a teacher at the Electronic Systems Engineering Department in 2004. In 2006, he became a professor in the Physics Department of UFOP. That same year he created the Laboratory of Polymers and Electronic Properties of Materials (LAPPEM). From 2011 to 2013 he was a visiting researcher at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. Between 2013 and 2014, he was the coordinator of the Center for Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship of UFOP.
Since the creation of LAPPEM, the research and development work carried out by the research group and collaborators of the laboratory have produced scientific papers, patents and enterprises, and have received national-level awards. For example, in 2008, the group was awarded 3rd place in the Werner von Siemens Technology Innovation Award in the “Health” modality and the Incentive Award in Science and Technology for SUS, given by the Ministry of Health for the development of neostickers. Designed for blue light phototherapy to treat neonatal jaundice, the neostickers are organic light-emitting diode sensors that indicate the optimum point of blue light accumulation for the treatment.
Another one, among the several recognitions that took place earlier this year, was a project created by LAPPEM members to introduce to the market a development conducted in the laboratory, which was classified in fourth place among 1.500 startups in Brasil in the ranking “100 Open Startups”. In this case, the product was an adhesive, also based on organic luminescent material, which allows to monitor the level of ultraviolet (UV) radiation absorbed by human skin.
Currently, and since 2014, Rodrigo Bianchi is scientific director of SBPMat. When he took over the direction, he received the assignment to create and lead the SBPMat University Chapters (UCs) program, which currently has eight participating groups based in universities of five Brazilian states. Bianchi is also dean of Planning and Development of UFOP and permanent professor of the postgraduate programs in Materials Engineering and Science: Physics of Materials.
Awarded a level 2 CNPq productivity scholarship, Bianchi is the author of 7 filed patents and more than 40 articles published in international indexed journals. He has supervised 19 master dissertations and six doctoral theses.
The following is an interview with the researcher.
SBPMat Newsletter: – Tell us why you became a scientist and what led you to work in the Materials area.
Rodrigo Bianchi: – I was always a curious child trying to understand the phenomena of nature. This “curiosity” has accompanied me throughout my journey as a scientist, from the basic and secondary cycles, through my studies in Physics in the Institute of Physics of São Carlos, USP, and postgraduate studies in Materials Science and Engineering, also at USP, up to the research lines that I coordinate at UFOP, in polymeric electronic devices applied to healthcare. The research opportunities in polymers I had since my undergraduate years led me to work closer in the applied area. As a result, from Physics I went to Materials Science and Engineering, and today I consider myself a “physicist – materials engineer” with research lines focused on both the fundamental study of charge transport phenomena in organic electronic devices, as well as the idealization of sensors applied to neonatology, to the food area and to the monitoring and control of radiation.
SBPMat Newsletter: – In your assessment, what are the main contributions to the Materials area? Please also tell us of the cases in which you participated to transform scientific knowledge into products.
Rodrigo Bianchi: – Without a doubt I believe that the main contribution was to use the phenomena that made organic electronic devices not feasible for the market, such as photodegradation, that led to low durability and poor performance of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDS), to develop innovative sensors. Something like knowing the principles of operation and limitation of devices that were still in the maturation phase to create new sensors with different applications. An example of this strategy was the use of color change of the OLEDs, generated by the exposure of oxygen and light, which precluded many of the commercial applications of these systems, to develop colorimetric radiation sensing in the form of nanofibers, films and gels. In other words, develop 1, 2 and 3D scale sensors to use in different health areas: from phototherapy control for neonatal jaundice to monitoring UV radiation for sunbathers and construction and rural workers, up to the monitoring of cobalt processes, radiotherapy and food irradiation. So, encouraged by such research, partnerships and guidelines, besides our group in UFOP, there are currently other research groups working in the area in Brazil and abroad. Furthermore, our group is currently composed of physicists, chemists, food engineers, pharmacists and many students and professionals focused on developing multidisciplinary research in the field of organic electronics. The group has generated dozens of articles, patents and guidelines, with a focus to always understand the fundamental phenomena in order to develop innovative organic devices. Due to this characteristic, our team members have been awarded important innovation awards, as for instance by the Ministry of Health, Siemens and the Government of the State of Minas Gerais.
From a technological point of view, the As31 startup, created by students to market these products, was recently in fourth place in the ranking of the 100 Open Brazilian Startups, and regularly meets with major companies to establish B2B partnerships (business-to-business) to launch products into the market. This was the second startup created by members of our research group. The lesson we learned is that there are many difficulties related to creating technological and innovative products. Therefore, the first step to launch a startup involves having a well-trained and competent scientific and technological team. However, having the courage to change and modify the direction of the company is fundamental. For example, today the As31 has two Smart Tags as driving-force products: one to indicate to the consumer possible raw meat contamination processes, caused by temperature variations during its shelf-life, and another to indicate when bathers, especially children, should reapply sunscreen. two applications that emerged from the observation of the problems of OLEDs for more than ten years and which are currently very up to date.
SBPMat Newsletter: – The SBPMat University Chapters (UCs) program, which you have coordinated from the beginning, celebrates its two year anniversary this month. Give us your personal assessment of the results achieved to date and tell us about your plans for the program going forward.
Rodrigo Bianchi: – About the SBPMat UC program, I have to say it has been a great pleasure to participate in this creation and in the work done. It’s a challenge and not an easy task setting up a work routine and the involvement of students who are the future of the materials area in the country. We now have materials groups spread out and concentrated in all regions of the country, from north to south, from east to west. Then, it is very important to unite these students in a single cause, and as a result provide them their value in society. How to do this? Our strategy was to encourage students to form their groups, and this included numerous lectures and disseminations of UCs across the country. Once the UC program were created, most important thing was to encourage students to organize a symposium at the annual SBPMat meeting, in which students had a leading role in society by getting involved in establishing the program and also in organizing the event. An innovation, because I don’t know of any other materials entity that has provided such an opportunity until now. This happened in Rio de Janeiro in 2015 and the involvement and success of the students was clearly seen. These were high-level scientific lectures involving not only materials science themes, but also ethics and scientific writing, for example. In other words, themes that interest directly the students, who are the future of the Materials area in the country. For the next meeting in Campinas, the students are organized to again coordinate this symposium. Regarding the future? The answer is to encourage the formation of new groups, interaction among students and consolidate the participation of everybody in SBPMat.
SBPMat Newsletter: – We always ask the person interviewed in this section of the newsletter to leave a message for those who are beginning their scientific careers. Would you like to say something in particular to these future scientists / junior scientists?
Rodrigo Bianchi: – As a final message to the readers, especially the younger ones: “the Materials area is extremely rich and gives us the opportunity to interact with various themes and professionals from many fields of knowledge. So, enjoy this significant feature. Get involved with competent and motivating people, and have the courage to innovate and bring your ideas into the market. Brazil needs this and you can make a difference!”
Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat) newsletter News update from Brazil for the Materials community
English edition. Year 3, issue 2.
SBPMat news: XV Meeting - Campinas (SP), Sept 25-29, 2016
Plenary speakers: See who are the scientists who will give plenary lectures at our event and enthuse yourself. Here.
Exhibitors: The contact for companies interested in being exhibitors is comercial@sbpmat.org.br (Alexandre).
Symposia: The list of the approved symposia that will compose the event will be posted on the meeting website until March 7.
Important dates: Abstracts submission will be open until May 30. Notifications of accepted abstracts will be sent to the authors until July 10.
Venue: Visit the site of event and watch the video about the city of Campinas and the folder on the Expo D. Pedro convention center.
Organization: This edition of the event is chaired by UNICAMP Professors Ana Flávia Nogueira (Institute of Chemistry) and Mônica Alonso Cotta (Institute of Physics “Gleb Wataghin”). Find the members of the local committee here.
In an article published in Nanoscale, a group of Brazilian scientists and a researcher from Germany reported a “green” method for synthesizing nanoparticles made of a palladium and copper alloy. The authors also reported that the composition of the nanoalloy affects its ability to oxidize and reduce. The results can be used for more efficient nanomaterials design for various applications. See our story about the study.
People in the Materials community
Our interviewee in this issue is Professor Roberto Mendonça Faria (IFSC-USP). Passionate about unraveling mysteries of materials through scientific research, Faria made significant contributions to the study of ferroelectric polymers, electronic polymers and organic solar cells. Besides, Faria was SBPMat president, IFSC – USP director, and coordinator of two Brazilian national research institutes. In the interview, he told us about his scientific career, his achievements as president of SBPMat and his plans for the immediate future within our society and in the international IUMRS, where he is the second vice president. In a message to young people, Professor Faria stressed the importance of “manufacturing knowledge”. See our interview.
Brazilian scientist Ruth Kiminami, professor at DEMa-UFSCar, is included in the book “Sucessful Women Ceramic and Glass Scientists and Engineers – 100 Inspirational Profiles”published by Wiley. See book.
Former presidents of SBPMat Elson Longo and José Arana Varela are among 50 researchers working in Brazil with more citations according to Google Scholar. Find out more.
Special: Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor (RMB)
Several characterization instruments receiving neutron beams to interact with matter will comprise the Brazilian National Laboratory of Neutrons, which, after its inauguration, estimated for 2022, will be open to the scientific community day and night, 80% of the year. The neutrons beams will come from RMB, a research nuclear reactor of 30 MW, currently under development. The laboratory will be in Iperó (São Paulo State). See our report, with an interview with the coordinator of the project, José Augusto Perrotta.
Reading tips
Lithium superoxide stabilization opens possibilities of batteries with better performance (based on Nature paper). Here.
New nanosculpture method for fabrication of 1-2 nm crystalline structures using STEM (based on Small paper). Here.
In the market (or almost): metal didymium is obtained for the first time in Brazil, enabling the national production of super magnets. Here.
Events
5th International Conference on Surface Metrology.Póznan (Poland). April, 4 to 7, 2016. Site.
9th Brazilian-German Workshop on Applied Surface Science. Maresias, SP (Brazil). April, 10 to 15, 2016. Site.
43rd International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (ICMCTF). San Diego (USA). April, 25 to 29, 2016. Site.
5th School of SAXS. Campinas, SP (Brazil). May, 2 to 6, 2016. Site.
40th WOCSDICE ‐ Workshop on Compound Semiconductor Devices and Integrated Circuits held in Europe & 13th EXMATEC ‐ Expert Evaluation and Control of Compound Semiconductor Materials and Technologies. Aveiro (Portugal). June, 6 to 10, 2016. Site.
Photonic Colloidal Nanostructures: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications (PCNSPA Conference 2016). Saint – Petersburg (Russia). June, 27 to July, 1, 2016. Site.
1st International Symposium on Advanced Photonic Materials. Saint – Petersburg (Russia). June, 27 to July, 1, 2016. Site.
XXV International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy (ICORS2016).Fortaleza, CE (Brazil). August, 14 to 19, 2016. Site.
XV Encontro da SBPMat. Campinas, SP (Brazil). September, 25 to 29, 2016. Site.
Aerospace Technology 2016. Stockholm (Sweden). October, 11 to 12, 2016. Site.
