Tag: tecnologia de materiais

People in the Materials community: interview with Rodrigo Fernando Bianchi.

Posted on Thursday 31 de March de 2016
Rodrigo Fernando Bianchi.

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!”

Special feature: Sirius, the latest generation Brazilian Synchrotron.

Posted on Thursday 31 de March de 2016

Before the end of this decade, the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), located in Campinas (SP), will be receiving researchers from Brazil and from the rest of the world to use the Sirius, the fourth generation Brazilian synchrotron that will replace or supplement the UVX – the current second generation Brazilian synchrotron, which has been operating since 1997 and is the only synchrotron in Latin America.

Highly appreciated by the scientific community of Materials Science, and by many other areas, synchrotrons are the best sources of beams of X-rays and ultraviolet light, two very useful types of radiation in the study of matter. The process of producing radiation is achieved by the acceleration of electrons moving near the speed of light and subjected to deviations in its path. When diverted, the electrons lose some of their energy in the form of synchrotron light, which is filtered by monochromators that will release radiation by selectively passing the desired wavelength. Therefore, the X-ray beams or ultraviolet light are carried to the experimental stations or light lines, around the accelerator, which have various scientific instruments. The users of the synchrotron make use of the radiation to analyze its interaction with matter through the scientific instruments to obtain information about the structure and properties of the materials at micro and nanoscale.

Sirius, as its name suggests the brightest star in the night sky, will be able to generate extremely bright light beams (up to a billion times higher than the brightness of UVX) – a very important feature that will allow to perform more and better experiments.

This high-brightness radiation, together with advanced scientific instruments and powerful computers to quickly process large amounts of data, will allow performing a wide range of experiments that will generate scientific and technological results in sectors such as Agriculture, Biology, Geology, Energy and Health, and of course in the Materials Science area.

Synchrotron light sources in construction and operating around the world. Map provided by LNLS-CNPEM.

About 300 people are currently working on the project and construction of Sirius, a large-scale and complex project that involves many challenges. One is the development of the synchrotron light source. As a matter of fact, Sirius is one of the first fourth generation light sources in the world (there is only one more currently under construction in Sweden, but neither one operating). There are many challenges, such as developing a system for the monitoring, diagnosis and correction so that the sensitive electron beam trajectory remains stable. Even the construction of the building itself must meet very specific conditions, in order to ensure an almost complete absence of vibration, however small.

This large-scale Brazilian undertaking, whose value is estimated at 1.3 billion reais, is being conducted by LNLS, which developed the UVX and has taken care of its operation, maintenance and upgrades for 19 years. The general management and direction of the team is under the responsibility of the current director of LNLS, Antonio José Roque da Silva. Full Professor of the University of São Paulo (USP), Roque da Silva has an undergraduate and master’s degree in Physics from Unicamp, and a doctorate (PhD), also in Physics, from the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of over 120 scientific papers published in indexed journals, many of them related to materials science studies. According to Google Scholar, his publications have over 4,400 citations.

The SBPMat Newsletter interviewed Roque da Silva on the technical characteristics of Sirius, the possibilities it offers to the materials science community, the progress of the project and the future of UVX, among other issues.

SBPMat: Newsletter – Sirius will be a high brightness synchrotron light source. What is the importance of brightness for research in Materials Science and Technology?

Antonio José Roque da Silva: – For a given frequency of radiation, its brightness is directly proportional to the flux (number of photons per unit time) and inversely proportional to the product of the beam size times the beam divergence angle). The latter quantity is the beam emittance. Therefore, the lower the emittance, the higher the brightness.

The high-brightness affects the analysis of the materials in different ways:

a.  The higher the brightness of the light produced by the synchrotron, the higher the number of samples that can be analyzed within a time period; This allows performing experiments with temporal resolution, which allows to monitor the progress of reactions or processes, e.g., as a function of time.

b.  Higher brightness means a better signal-to-noise ratio of different analysis techniques.

c.  Low emittance, hence higher brightness, allows probing smaller spatial scales by analytical techniques. This opens study opportunities using nanometer-sized beams, important in areas such as nanotechnology, and other areas.

d. Higher brightness allows the emergence of new techniques or to explore them more effectively. This occurs, for example, with the Coherent Diffraction Imaging technique. Higher brightness will greatly benefit imaging techniques, tomography and microscopy.

The first 13 beamlines that will be installed in Sirius. Data provided by the LNLS-CNPEM.

SBPMat Newsletter: – What are the limitations of UVX synchrotron that will be overcome by Sirius? For example, will there be characterization techniques of materials in the experimental stations of Sirius that cannot be installed in UVX?

Antonio José Roque da Silva: – The major difference between the two machines is the energy range in which they operate. The electrons in the storage ring of Sirius will be accelerated up to the energy of 3 GeV, more than double the energy of UVX. This results in producing higher energy X-rays and enables more in depth studies of materials such as steel, concrete and rock due to the penetration of X-rays up to a few centimeters, against some micrometers of the UVX.

Also because of the energy difference, the number of chemicals that may be studied by soft X-ray spectroscopic absorption is also different. In the UVX less than half of the chemicals can be studied, while almost all elements of the Periodic Table can be studied in the Sirius.

The low brightness and high emittance of UVX greatly limits the most modern synchrotron techniques available to the scientific community of the country. Nanotomography, coherent diffraction imaging, fluorescence nanomicroscopy, nanocrystals analysis, materials research under extreme conditions (high pressures and high temperatures), inelastic scattering, temporal monitoring of various processes, together with nanometer spatial resolution and chemical resolution (for example, important for catalytic processes), among many other techniques, cannot be performed in UVX or are carried out with great limitations, however they can all be carried out, with high standard, in the Sirius.

SBPMat Newsletter: – What will happen to the UVX?  Will it be dismantled?

Antonio José Roque da Silva: –  It should be emphasized that everything that the UVX does today can be done much better in Sirius. In addition to the large number of new experiments that cannot be performed in the UVX, as mentioned earlier. The LNLS has decided that during the commissioning period of the Sirius beamlines, the UVX will be kept operational to ensure that the community is not affected by any discontinuity. However, it is not known if after Sirius becomes fully operational the current machine will be preserved or disabled. We know that the scientific instrument available today in some experimental stations of UVX will be transferred to Sirius. Additionally, the cost and feasibility of maintaining the simultaneous operation of two synchrotron light sources must be assessed, as well as the staff (engineers, technicians, researchers and etc.) needed to operate both sources. It is also necessary to assess the users’ level of demand for the experimental stations of UVX once Sirius is fully operating.

SBPMat Newsletter: – Will the expertise of professionals (scientists, engineers, technicians) and Brazilian companies developed during the construction of UVX be used in Sirius? If yes, in what way?

Antonio José Roque da Silva: – The Sirius project would not be possible without the expertise and skills of the professionals formed by LNLS over the years, particularly during the construction of UVX. This high-capacity and specialized professional body (scientists, engineers, technicians) formed over the past 30 years, is crucial to the success of Sirius. The amalgamation of experienced professionals that originated with the construction of UVX, including the young people, is a key strategy of the LNLS – for Sirius and for the future of the laboratory. From a technical point of view, the knowledge accumulated by our engineers and technicians during the construction and operation of UVX is what allowed to design a state of the art synchrotron such as Sirius. This experience will also be crucial to the operation of the new synchrotron. And the same goes for the scientists. The involvement with the construction and operation of the beamlines and the experimental stations of UVX is an important factor for the projects of the sophisticated beamlines of Sirius. The ongoing involvement of these researchers in training the new users, which is regularly performed by LNLS, is also fundamental, and which dates back to the beginning of the construction of UVX. We highlight that all of this knowledge acquired over the years also depends on a strong interaction with the international community of synchrotrons. The LNLS is strongly inserted in this community.

From a perspective of companies, the number of companies involved in the construction of the UVX was small. The UVX was not only designed by the LNLS but also mostly built within the LNLS. However, some companies which were important partners of UVX, as for instance Termomecânica, are also participating in the construction of Sirius. But LNLS successfully structured specific programs to involve Brazilian companies in the development and construction of various components for Sirius. These programs are in partnership with research funding agencies like FAPESP and FINEP. The development of partnerships with Brazilian companies will also be important for the future. Finally, the knowledge created by the Brazilian companies that cooperated (and that will continue to cooperate) with the project is extremely important and exceeds the limits of the project itself. This is why we consider Sirius to be a “structuring” project, whose developments will be reflected in new technologies, new products and processes that will bring benefits to the Brazilian high-technology supply chain.

SBPMat Newsletter: – Because it is a very complex, high standard and pioneer engineering project, (there is no other operating 4th generation synchrotron in the world), the construction of Sirius has unprecedented challenges, right? As project director, how do you address these challenges?

Antonio José Roque da Silva: – We rely largely on the experience, knowledge and audacity of the team of scientists, engineers and technicians of the LNLS. The courage of this team to face such challenges is among the greatest legacies dating back to the construction of the UVX. The compelling story of the construction of UVX has already been addressed in other SBPMat newsletters [Newsletter Note: see here the first and second part of this story). The culture of “yes, we can do it”, which comes from the beginning of LNLS, it crucial to overcome the challenges. One strategy is to increase the professional personnel, fundamental given the size of Sirius, mixing young people with the more experienced professionals, ensuring to preserve the existing in-house culture and knowledge. In addition to this experience, competence and courage, the continuous interaction with other laboratories is a key factor. We invested heavily in this area, sending LNLS professionals abroad and bringing experts from abroad to visit the laboratory. In this respect, also important is the assessment of our solutions by leading international experts. This is done through evaluation committees that regularly come to LNLS, and through the presentation of our results in conferences and specialized workshops. Also important is the investment made in cutting-edge infrastructure in both manufacturing and metrology. Finally, an important part is in regard to management and coordination of the activities and staff, thereby ensuring the efficient implementation of the necessary processes.

SBPMat Newsletter: – Tell us about the participation of national and international external companies and institutions in CNPEM regarding the development of Sirius.

Antonio José Roque da Silva: – One of the goals of the Sirius project is to stimulate the development of the Brazilian industry, by promoting demands related to technological developments, services, raw materials, processes and equipment. The goal is to apply between 65% and 70% of the project’s funds in the country. We should bear in mind that the project is 100% Brazilian.

Among the already established partnerships, we mention as an example the partnership created with the company Termomecânica of São Paulo, which developed the process to manufacture the raw material for the vacuum chambers of the storage ring and also the hollow copper wires for the electromagnets that allow cooling the water circulating through the pipes (this development dates back to UVX). Another example is the company WEG Indústrias (SC), a traditional electric motors manufacturer, which will manufacture over 1350 electromagnets for Sirius, designed by the technical staff of LNL. This is an exceptional partnership related to the sophisticated development of production processes and which has been extremely successful.

There are also examples of partnerships with smaller companies, such as FCA Brasil (Campinas, SP), for the manufacture of booster vacuum chambers, and with the Company EXA-M Instrumentação do Nordeste (BA), for the development and manufacturing of the devices for heating the vacuum chamber of the storage ring, and with Engecer of São Carlos for the manufacture of special ceramic vacuum chambers.

To increase the participation of national companies in the Sirius project, other systematic initiatives were undertaken. In 2014, negotiations with FINEP and FAPESP culminated in the launching of the first public call to select São Paulo-based companies for the development of 20 technological demands of the Sirius project, with resources of R$ 40 million. These funds were made available under the PIPE/PAPPE grant program, so that each proposal could request up to R$ 1.5 million for its development. Eight companies were selected to develop 13 research projects to carry out the challenges proposed in the bidding process.

In 2015 a second public call for proposals was launched for the development of 13 new technological challenges, with resources amounting to R$ 20 million under the same program. February was the deadline for the submission of bids by the companies, which are currently under analysis by FAPESP. For the second half of 2016 we expect that at least thirteen other companies are approved to develop the challenges of the second FAPESP/Finep call to support the Sirius project.

From an international point of view, as already mentioned, the continuous interaction with several laboratories has been vital to the project. An interesting detail is that today, as we are at the frontier and with several innovative solutions, needless to say there are international groups interested in interacting with the LNLS. That is, Sirius is obviously an important international vector.

SBPMat Newsletter: – What are the funding sources of the project.

Antonio José Roque da Silva: – The project is mainly funded by the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, MCTI. It should also be mentioned that the Sirius project was recently included in the Growth Acceleration Program, better known as PAC, and is listed as one of the first MCTI projects to be part of the program.

Other important resources were provided by the State Government of São Paulo. For example, the land area of 150,000 square meters where Sirius will be installed was acquired by the State Government and granted to CNPEM.

Moreover, FAPESP has been an important partner in the interaction programs with companies and in supporting events and in the acquisition of scientific instruments that will be installed in the experimental stations (beamlines) of Sirius.

SBPMat Newsletter: – At what stage is the project now? What is the forecasted inauguration date of the light source and the first experimental stations?

Antonio José Roque da Silva: – The construction work of the Sirius building is about 20% complete. Part of the superstructure of the main building and part of the metal structure of the cover of the main building has already been built. An important milestone is making the tunnel available to begin assembling the accelerators at the end of 2017.

Several components of the accelerator are in the production phase. All quadrupoles and correctors of the booster have already been manufactured (by WEG) and delivered. Last week the pilot-batch of sextupoles was delivered, and the manufacture of the sextupoles will begin in two weeks. The prototypes of the booster dipoles will be delivered by the end of March, and its production should begin in early May. The Linac linear accelerator is ready and undergoing tests at the Shanghai Institute of Physics. Additionally, other components have concluded the development stage and are awaiting approval to start production, such as the vacuum chambers of the booster and part of the vacuum chamber of the storage ring. The RF booster cavities have been ordered, and the RF cavities of the storage ring will be ordered. Several other subsystems are in the final prototyping or in the initial production phase.

With regard to the experimental stations (beamlines), their projects are entering the technical detailing and construction phase and/or components acquisition. The projects of the Ipê, Carnaúba, Ema and Cateretê lines are now entering a detailed components phase of the experimental stations, technical designs and construction/custom component orders, such as inverters and mirrors which have a delivery time of up to two and a half years. Basically all the important beamline prototypes will be completed by the end of 2016. Overall, the chronogram of Sirius is on schedule, and the first beam and initial commissioning phase is expected in 2018, that way in 2019 the machine can receive the first researchers.

SBPMat Newsletter: – Would you like to add any comments or information?

Antonio José Roque da Silva: – It should be highlighted that Sirius is a result of the evolution of both the internal capacity of the laboratory as well as the maturing of the scientific community in Brazil. The concept of an Open National Laboratory, which is the goal of LNLS to provide an extremely sophisticated and unique equipment to the ST&I community is at the heart of the culture in the laboratory. Its high performance operation requires constant investment to train this highly specialized human resources (scientists, engineers, technicians), for the maintenance of cutting-edge equipment and infrastructure (accelerators, beamlines, experimental stations, support groups, metrology, manufacturing techniques, etc.), for user training, for developing new technologies, excellence in communication and management. The synchrotron project in Brazil, from UVX to Sirius, is something that all Brazilians can and should be proud of, bearing in mind it began from “square one” and in thirty years has placed Brazil in the state of the art, with a significant effect on the formation of human resources, high-level science, innovation, high-technology development and internationalization.

Simulation of the Sirius building (round, on the left) at CNPEM campus. Provided by LNLS – CNPEM.

SBPMat newsletter. English edition. Year 3, issue 2.

Posted on Tuesday 1 de March de 2016

 

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.

 


SBPMat news: governance

Members of the executive board and council elected at the end of 2015 took office on January 29 at a meeting held in the city of Campinas. Meet the scientists who will lead SBPMat in the coming years.

 
Featured paper

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.

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Featured paper: Taming the reactivity of nanoalloys.

Posted on Monday 29 de February de 2016

[Paper: Charge transfer effects on the chemical reactivity of PdxCu1−x nanoalloys. M. V. Castegnaro, A. Gorgeski, B. Balke, M. C. M. Alves and J. Morais. Nanoscale, 2016,8, 641-647. DOI: 10.1039/C5NR06685A]

Taming the reactivity of nanoalloys

When, in 2009, the Electron Spectroscopy Laboratory (LEe-) group of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) decided to start developing in-house metal nanoparticles required for their studies, they came across some issues. Many synthesis methods reported in the literature did not provide the expected results when made in the Brazilian laboratory.

Authors of the paper. From the top left: Marcus Vinicius Castegnaro, Andreia Gorgeski, PhD Benjamin Balke, Prof. Maria do Carmo Martins Alves and Prof. Jonder Morais.

Strongly motivated by curiosity, as usual, says professor Jonder Morais, LEe- researcher, the group members were able, after much dedication, to develop new routes of synthesis that, in addition to being reproducible, are environment-friendly, efficient and cost-effective. “The first articles were published in international journals in 2013, initially with palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles applied to the catalytic decomposition of nitric oxide. Subsequently, we published some works focused in “in situ” studies aimed at determining the mechanisms of formation and growth of monometallic nanoparticles. We have recently started reporting the results obtained with more complex systems, such as palladium and copper (Pd-Cu) nanoalloys,” states Professor Morais.

The latter group includes the results recently reported in an article published in the journal Nanoscale, whose main authors are Professor Jonder Morais and Marcus Vinicius Castegnaro, a physics doctoral student at UFRGS, advised by Morais. The research covered the entire process from the production of nanomaterials to the survey of their applications. “It was important to have dedicated students, willing to face the challenge of preparing accurately their own samples, and correlating the electronic and structural properties to understand the final properties in terms of chemical reactivity,” says Morais.

In the article published in Nanoscale, nanoparticles composed of palladium and copper alloys were produced by applying a simple method developed by the LEe- team. This process is carried out under mild conditions to the environment and health (aqueous, ambient temperature and pressure, and use of cheap and innocuous substances, such as ascorbic acid and sodium citrate). Several samples were synthesized by this route, containing three different amounts of palladium and copper atoms.

The synthesized nanoparticles have undergone a series of analyses conducted at UFRGS, in Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul State), they traveled to Campinas (São Paulo State) for another series of analyses on equipment of the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) and crossed the ocean to Johannes Gutenberg University, in Germany, for some additional measures. From characterization, the authors concluded that the nanoparticles were approximately 4 nm in size and were highly crystalline, among other characteristics. In addition, through experiments conducted by the XANES in situ technique, the team of scientists exposed the nanoparticles to carbon monoxide (CO) at 450 ° C and surveyed the reactivity of the nanoalloys, i.e., their ability to react chemically.

After studying the results of the characterization, the authors of the article were able to conclude that the alloy composition affects the ability of nanoalloys to reduce (gain electrons) and to oxidize (lose electrons). In fact, the greater the amount of palladium, the easier the reduction, and the harder the oxidation.

Representative scheme of the correlation between the partial charge transfer between the Pd and Cu atoms (observed by XPS), and the reactivity after exposure to CO (surveyed by XANES in situ) for Pdx¬Cu1-x nanoalloys. It was observed that the higher is the amount of Pd present in nanoalloys, the greater is the reactivity of the sample after CO reduction, and the greater is the oxidation resistance of the atoms comprising it.

“The published results, obtained by the association of several experimental techniques are relevant to an understanding of the origin of high catalytic reactivity of palladium and copper (Pd-Cu) nanoalloys, as well as to elucidating similar behavior of other bimetallic systems”, highlights Jonder Morais. “Mostly, these results can be used in the “design “of new nanomaterials more efficient for various applications, such as in the petrochemical industry, in fuel cells or in the control of greenhouse gas emissions,” he concludes.

 

Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor: a national laboratory of neutrons for the Materials research community.

Posted on Friday 26 de February de 2016
Building of the reactor and labs.

At the end of September 2015, in the context of the XIV SBPMat Meeting, around 40 researchers of the Materials field participated in a symposium about the Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor (RMB), a project that has been developed by the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) and that, when inaugurated in Iperó (SP), will add an important research tool to the current facilities that Brazil has.

As a matter of fact, the RMB will provide beams of neutrons that, when interacting with samples and with the mediation of several experimental techniques, will be able to provide unique information about the structure of the materials. For such, the RMB project envisions the construction of a series of laboratories with diffractometer equipment (of high resolution, of high intensity, Laue, of residual tension); small angle scattering; analysis of prompt gamma; triple-axis spectrometry and neutrongraphy, among other techniques. This research infrastructure must comprise a laboratory open to the scientific community and working day and night, more than 300 days a year: the Brazilian National Laboratory of Neutrons.

As indicated by its name, RMB will meet several goals. Besides providing beams of neutrons for scientific research, it will be used in irradiation tests of materials and fuels used in nuclear power plants for electricity generation and submarines propelled by nuclear reactors, for instance. The reactor will also have the important mission of producing radioisotopes and radioactive sources for health, industry, agriculture and environment, replacing imports and even generating exports.

Interview with the technical coordinator

To further explain the RMB project and, in particular, its applications in materials science and technology, we interviewed José Augusto Perrotta, technical coordinator of the RMB enterprise. Master in Nuclear Engineering by the Military Institute of Engineering (IME), and PhD in Nuclear Technology by the São Paulo University (USP), Perrotta works as technologist at CNEN since 1983.

SBPMat Newsletter: – Briefly comment about all the possibilities that the future RMB will offer to the materials science and technology community. In what way the beams of neutrons can be used for research and development in this area?

Production and research nucleus.

José Perrotta: – RMB is an enterprise that has as its core part a nuclear multipurpose research reactor and several laboratories to perform research, services and products.

The reactor was conceived with a high flow of neutrons to:

i.        Produce radioisotopes in the quality and amount needed to Brazilian applications;

ii.        Have the ability to irradiate and test nuclear fuels used in the several applications and irradiation conditions within the Brazilian nuclear program;

iii.        Have the ability to irradiate materials with neutrons and check its performance under irradiation;

iv.        Have the possibility to irradiate samples to perform a chemical analysis via activation of neutrons;

v.        Extract beams of neutrons for research on materials structure in several application areas.

Regarding item (ii), the reactor is prepared to receive fuel samples and irradiation circuits that simulate the conditions of PWR reactors, that is, test fuels of the power reactors used or developed in the country.

Regarding item (iii), inside the reactor core there are two positions with high flow of neutrons for irradiations of materials. In these positions, samples can be placed in capsules with a controlled environment (temperature and medium of insertion of the sample). In these positions, samples of structural materials and samples of components of power reactors used in the country can be tested.

The reactor and the infrastructure of the reactor (pools, hot cells and transport shields) are designed to meet the two previous items (ii and iii).

A Post-Irradiation Analysis Laboratory is designed with hot cells and the entire infrastructure for mechanical, physical and microscopy analysis of the irradiated samples, both for the samples of irradiated fuels and for the structural materials.

Regarding item (iv), a laboratory of analysis by activation and radiochemistry is projected. The laboratory is connected to the reactor via pneumatic pipes that allow sending samples for irradiation in the reactor and bring them back to the laboratory for analysis. Several irradiation positions were defined in the reactor, varying the range of flow of neutrons in which the irradiations can be performed. The laboratory has hot cells to receive and handle the irradiated samples before their destination to the analysis equipment (radiochemistry or gamma spectrometry). The laboratory will be managed as a national laboratory, which will allow its use by the Brazilian scientific community.

Regarding item (v), the reactor is designed with a heavy water reflector tank that, mechanically, allows the extraction of beams of neutrons. These neutrons are thermal, and in order to obtain cold neutrons a small tank with deuterium at 19ºK (cold source) is designed. Thermal neutrons will be extracted in two positions and cold neutrons in two other. Each extraction tube may contain up to three neutrons guides. These guides will conduct the beam of neutrons for positions in a lobby of experiments at the building of the reactor, and in a building called neutron guides building. Scientific and technological equipment can be attached to the neutron guides for the analysis of the samples with the beam of neutrons. There is an additional thermal neutron extraction tube to make images with beam of neutrons (neutrongraphy). The experiments lobby in the reactor building and the guides building will form what we call “National Laboratory of Neutrons” (LNN).

SBPMat Newsletter: – Will there be experimental stations for Materials Science and Technology, analogous to the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS)? Which ones? Will they be open to the entire scientific community? Will they operate constantly while the reactor is working?

José Perrotta: – The neutrons lines, as mentioned, are five: three with thermal neutrons and two with cold neutrons. Four of the lines can have up to three guides. In these guides, the experimental instruments (or stations) will be placed.

The following stations might be available since the beginning of the operation of the National Laboratory of Neutrons

i.        Neutrons Guides Building.

  • For thermal neutrons: High Resolution Diffractometer; High Intensity Diffractometer; Laue Diffractometer; Residual Tension Diffractometer.
  • For cold neutrons: Small Angle Scattering; Prompt Gamma Analysis

ii.        Experiments Lobby in the Reactor Building.

  • Thermal Neutrons: Triple Axis Spectrometer; Neutrongraphy
The table shows the power of other research reactors worldwide. The Brazilian RMB will have a power of 30 MW. (Data provided by José Perrotta)

The RMB will bring to the country’s research community an important laboratory for utilization of neutrons beams. This laboratory, per its technical characteristics, is complementary to the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), which also has a large scale project, the Sirius. It is a proposal of the RMB enterprise that the National Laboratory of Neutrons is, like the LNLS, a national laboratory. This will facilitate the access of the Brazilian scientific society to the facility.

The functioning of the neutrons lines is related to the operation of the reactor. The reactor will operate 24 hours a day, in cycles of 25-28 days, in a way to achieve availability higher than 80% of the annual time (more than 300 days in full operation). The LNN can operate during all this time.

An important point is that the LNN will be operationally independent regarding the operation of the reactor, that is, the operation of the reactor offers the beam of neutrons and does not interfere in the operation of the LNN.

SBPMat Newsletter: – From the point of view of materials science and technology, which would be the advantages of the future RMB regarding the other reactors currently existing in Brazil?

José Perrotta: – Brazil has four research nuclear reactors in operation. The oldest one, and also the one with higher power (5 MW), is the IEA-R1 reactor from the Institute for Nuclear and Energy Research (IPEN) in São Paulo, which was unveiled in 1957. Other two low power research reactors, the IPR-R1 reactor of the Center for Nuclear Technology Development (CDTN) in Belo Horizonte (100 kW) and the Argonauta reactor of the Institute for Nuclear Engineering (IEN) in Rio de Janeiro (500 W) were built in the 1960s. These three reactors, of North-American designs, were built inside the university campuses of USP, UFMG and UFRJ, respectively, and originated the main nuclear research institutes of the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN), which developed themselves in proportion of the size of the reactors and their applications. These reactors and the CNEN institutes growing around them were essential in the development and use of nuclear technology that we have in the country today, and in the formation of the associated human resources. The fourth research nuclear reactor, the IPEN/MB-01 at IPEN, is an installation of the critical unit type (100 W) and was built in the 1980s, already with national technology, aiming towards the autonomous development of technology for power nuclear reactors.

The RMB reactor´s power is 30 MW and has modern design and conception. The reactors existing today in the country do not have flow of neutrons to ensure commercial operation or adequate characteristics for a high level research. In addition to being a more modern installation, the flow of neutrons of the RMB is one order of magnitude higher than the IEA-R1, and has functions that are not met by this reactor today.  The other three reactors have really low flow of neutrons.

SBPMat Newsletter: – Could you estimate when the RMB and its research laboratories would be launched?

The RMB enterprise can be carried out in a period of 6 to 7 years. In the current stage of development, this would occur in 2022, if the full resources for the project are made available. It is important to highlight that, besides the need for intensive financial resources for its execution, the enterprise requires environmental and nuclear licenses for its construction and operation, since it has nuclear and radioactive facilities. This implies additional times for its implementation.

Funders and partners in the development of the RMB

The execution of the RMB project occurs under the responsibility of the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN).

The enterprise is coordinated by the Research and Development Directory of CNEN and developed by its research institutes: Nuclear Energy Research Institute (IPEN), Nuclear Engineering Institute (IEN), Nuclear Technology Development Center (CDTN), Northeast Regional Center of Nuclear Sciences (CRCN-NE) and Radiological Protection and Dosimetry Institute (IRD).

Throughout the stages of development of the RMB, CNEN counts and will count on partnerships, as well as contracts of national and foreign companies. Some of the partners participating so far: Brazilian Navy and the São Paulo State government, in the concession of the land where the RMB will be placed; the Brazilian Navy Technology Center in São Paulo (CTMSP); the cooperation of CNEN with the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) from Argentina, which develops in Argentina the research nuclear reactor RA-10, similar to RMB. Contracted companies: Argentine company INVAP, which designed the Australian OPAL research reactor, and Brazilian company Intertechne have developed the basic engineering design of the enterprise.

With an estimated cost of US$500 million, the RMB is sponsored by the Brazilian Federal Government through the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).

SBPMat´s community people: interview with Roberto Mendonça Faria.

Posted on Friday 26 de February de 2016

The interviewee of this edition of the newsletter of the Brazilian Materials Research Society Newsletter (SBPMat) is Professor Roberto Mendonça Faria, who has just handed over the SBPMat Presidency after four years in office (although he promises to remain active in the society).

Roberto Mendonça Faria was born in Adamantina, a small town on the west side of the State of São Paulo (Brazil), on May 1952. At the beginning of his secondary studies, already oriented towards “hard sciences” and stimulated by a great physics teacher, he started to look at science as a potential profession. In 1976, Faria concluded his bachelor’s degree in physics at the São Paulo University (USP).

In the same year, still passionate about physics, in which humanity was taking great steps towards knowledge, Faria began his academic career. He started teaching in undergraduate courses at USP and began his master´s course in physics at the same university. There, supervised by Professor Bernhard Gross, a pioneer in Materials research in Brazil, Faria learnt the pillars of scientific activity and developed a fascination for uncovering mysteries of materials (in this case, the conductivity induced via radiation in a polymer known as Teflon). Right after obtaining the master’s degree, in 1980, Faria began the doctorate course in physics at USP, once again having Professor Gross as supervisor. In 1984, Faria defended his dissertation about dielectric absorption and induced conductivity via radiation in the polymer PVDF.

In 1985, Faria started lecturing in postgraduate courses at USP. Between 1987 and 1989, he stayed in France on a post-doctorate internship at Université Montpellier 2. In 1990, he obtained the Associate Professor title at USP after defending a thesis about phase transitions in ferroelectric copolymers. In 1999, he became Full Professor of the São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC) at USP, where he occupied several management positions throughout the years, such as the head of the Department of Physics and Materials Science (1994-1996), the coordination of the postgraduate program in physics (1997-1998) and the IFSC general direction (2002-2006).

Roberto Faria also was the coordinator of two large scale projects at a national level. The first project was the “Multidisciplinary Millennium Institute of Polymeric Materials”, one of 17 projects selected within the program “Institutes of the Millennium” of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCT). This institute gathered around 140 researchers from 17 institutions from Brazil’s five regions, and existed between 2002 and 2008. The second project continued one of the research focuses of the first one – the study of electronic polymers and their applications. Starting in 2009, the Brazilian National Institute for Organic Electronics was approved and established in the context of the Brazilian National Institutes of Science and Technology (INCTs) from the MCT.

Going beyond the frontiers of his scientific area, Faria was the coordinator, between 2010 and 2014, of the São Carlos pole of the Institute of Advanced Studies (IEA) at USP, an organization intended for broad and interdisciplinary research and discussion of fundamental issues on science and culture. In addition, in the context of his interest in contributing with the economical development of his country through research, Faria coordinated the making of the book “Science, technology and innovation for a competitive Brazil”, published in 2012.

In the last few years, Faria has been having an active participation in international scientific entities in the Materials area. In 2014, he was one of the general coordinators of the “Spring Meeting of the European Material Research Society – 2014”, which took place in the French city of Lille.  In 2015, he was elected second vice-president of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS).

Faria is a member of the Academy of Sciences of the State of São Paulo and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and belongs to the editorial board of the journal “Materials Science – Poland”. In 40 years of scientific research on polymeric materials, particularly those with electronic activity and their applications in devices, Professor Faria has produced around 180 articles published in indexed journals, having about 2,000 references, and has supervised 47 master´ss and doctorate thesis.

An interview with the researcher follows below.

SBPMat Newsletter: – Tell us what made you become a scientist and work in the field of Materials.

Roberto Mendonça Faria: – Before High School, I imagined I was going to follow my studies in the “hard sciences” area (engineering, physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc.). But I didn’t have any intention to follow a scientific career, even less so to be a scientist. However, in the first year of High School I started to change my mind, stimulated by an excellent physics teacher, Roberto Stark. I graduated in Physics and soon after I was lucky to be supervised by two great masters: Professor Bernhard Gross and Professor Guilherme Fontes Leal Ferreira. As any newly-graduated person in physics at the time, I was passionate about the extraordinary experimental and theoretical advances of the 20th century physics.  However, my first research study was about an apparently modest theme: the interaction of ionizing radiation with thin films of insulating polymers. Under the supervision of Professor Gross, I definitely learnt how to approach a scientific issue and also how to handle the methodological strictness needed to discover the effects and the phenomena arising from the experiments performed. Those first years of research were crucially important to my career. I never again lost the fascination in discovering the properties and the enigmas of the condensed matter, and I’m happy because materials science and engineering is extremely important for the development of Brazil.

SBPMat Newsletter: – In your assessment, which are your main contributions to the field of Materials?

Roberto Mendonça Faria: – There are different ways to measure the contributions made to the advance of scientific and technological knowledge. The most objective and internationally followed view is the bibliometric, conduced by the Journal of Citation Reports (JCR) from Thomson Reuters. This metric has many merits, but it’s too much focused on numbers. Another fact influencing scientific assessments comes from the pragmatism of the present world. Today, it is required that scientific works aim at specific applications. In this context, researches involving more fundamental studies tend to lose the visibility they deserve. That is, many times scientific works of great value have little mentions. An analysis of my production from JCR may lead to the conclusion that my most relevant contributions are connected to applications, but I particularly believe that my greatest contributions are more related to fundamental works in the areas of phase transitions of ferroelectric polymers and electrical transportation mechanisms in electronic polymers.

One of the interesting areas I have been working on in the last few years is the organic solar cells. I believe that, with my research group, we gave a significant contribution to the understanding of phenomena involving the transportation of electrical carriers inside the cell. Since 2013 we published two works where we developed an analytical equation which rules the electrical current curve in function of the voltage of a solar cell when under lighting. This analytical equation works very well in special cases and has explained many of the optoelectronic effects of the devices we built and measured in our laboratories. One of the works was published in the Applied Physics Letters journal in 2013, and the other was published on Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells in 2015.

On the other hand, I always dedicated myself to assembling research laboratories and forming human resources. I also have been contributing with several post-graduation programs, directly and indirectly, and for more than 20 years I have been dedicating myself to strengthening the area of Organic Electronics in the country, especially in the formation of a research network in this area: the National Institute of Science and Technology of Organic Electronics. Whenever possible, I try to encourage projects in partnership with private enterprises and research institutes that aim towards applied projects. In the public policies area, I believe my greatest participation was coordinating a document from CAPES (the Brazilian agency in charge of post-graduate programs) and SBPC (Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science), called “Science, technology and innovation for a competitive Brazil”, which has contributed to the creation of the Brazilian Company of Industrial Research and Innovation (EMBRAPII).

SBPMat Newsletter: – You have just finished your tenure as President of SBPMat. Share with our readers an analysis of the results achieved by the boards you have headed during the last four years.

Roberto Mendonça Faria: – SBPMat is a relatively new society, but it has an important mission to fulfill for the development of the country. Brazil has an extraordinary richness offered to it by nature. However, the country does not take advantage of this richness because it places little knowledge over its natural resources. There was a revolution in agriculture after the country decided to put knowledge over this blessing that nature has offered to it. Today, agribusiness is one of the pillars, perhaps the strongest one, of our economy. We have to do the same with the raw matters that abound in our territory. The publication “Science Impact – A special report on materials science in Brazil”, in partnership with the Institute of Physics (IOP), was one of the projects that worked and gratified me very much. This type of initiative helps raising awareness that Brazil has a natural gift to be a leader in several materials-related segments and to generate a lot more richness than it currently does.

Another valuable contribution that the two previous SBPMat administrations gave to materials science and engineering in Brazil was the definite consolidation and internationalization of the annual meeting, which always take place at the end of September.

I must highlight that the creation of the bilingual electronic newsletter was a realization that worked, especially because of the capability it has been produced with.

SBPMat Newsletter: – You just took over, for two years, the second vice-presidency of IUMRS. Talk about your plans, expectations…

Roberto Mendonça Faria: – I’m starting this activity. My plans are, first of all, to increasingly insert the Brazilian Materials Science in the international scenario. At the same time, I intend to use the IUMRS support to stimulate materials research in other Latin American countries. Brazil and Latin America have many problems that come from their still deficient economies. I have conviction that research studies in the materials area are valuable instruments to improve the living conditions of these populations. Today, as a member of the SBPMat council, I want to take this discussion not only in Brazil, but in several Latin American countries with the help from IUMRS.

SBPMat Newsletter: – Leave a message for the readers that are starting their scientific careers.

Roberto Mendonça Faria: – I decided to register here that one of the fulfillments (still in progress) that makes our administration proud was the creation of the University Chapters program. I’m going to ask the council to allow me to work with Professor Rodrigo F. Bianchi within this program. I have no doubts that the more researchers we form, the more Brazil will gain with this.

I believe that the work with young people starting scientific activity is one of the most valuable works for a senior researcher. It is our duty to show young people how important the work of “manufacturing knowledge” is for the country, especially in scientific and technological areas. There isn’t one example of a country that has eradicated poverty without the development of strong education and competitive science and technology. Therefore, the message to young people is: believe in your work and always try to make it in the most competent way possible.

SBPMat newsletter. English edition. Year 3, issue 1.

Posted on Tuesday 2 de February de 2016

 

Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat) newsletter
News update from Brazil for the Materials community
English edition. Year 3, issue 1. 

 
SBPMat news: XV Meeting - Campinas (SP), Sept 25-29, 2016

Simposia: Symposia proposals on subjects of Materials Science and Technology can be submitted up to February 11 (extended deadline).  The submission is open to the international scientific community. Read more.

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.

 
Featured paper

The performance of organic solar cells, devices that are able to produce electricity from sunlight, can now be assessed more accurately thanks to research entirely conducted at the São Carlos Institute of Physics of the University of São Paulo (IFSC-USP). The study included a series of experiments and the development of an analytical model, and led to the publication of a paper on the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. Read our story about the study. 

 

 
People in the Materials community
We interviewed Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior, Professor at the São Carlos Institute of Physics (USP), who took office as SBPMat’s president on last Friday. We discussed his life history, career and plans for SBPMat. Osvaldo Novais does not belong to the group of people who discover early a professional vocation, but this has not impede the developing a scientific career with great results, such as an H index of 53. Passionate about knowledge, he made important contributions to the field of Materials, particularly for the study and application of Langmuir films and the development of electronic tongues, in addition to participating in the creation of the first software for grammar revision in Portuguese, as well as studying and promoting how to write good papers in English. In his message to the youth, the scientist stressed the importance of language proficiency (Portuguese, English, Mathematics) as base for lifelong learning. Read our interview. 

Edgar D. Zanotto and Victor C. Pandolfelli, both Full Professors of the Materials Engineering Department at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), received special honors from the Rector, Professor Targino de Araújo Filho, at the closing ceremony of UFSCar’s 45th anniversary celebrations. 

 

 
Reading tips

  • Borophene, a two-dimensional metallic, conductive material made of boron atoms (based on Science paper). Here.

  • Strange, but real: structures that expand volumetrically, both when streched and compressed (based on paper on Nature Materials, section “News and Views”). Here.
  • Healthcare materials: responding to UV light stimulus, hydrogel capsules can release RNA “on demand” (based on Advance Healthcare Materials paper). Here.
 
Opportunities
  • Postdoctoral fellowship in confocal microscopy and cell membrane models. Here. 

Events
  • 5th International Conference on Surface Metrology. Póznan (Poland). April, 4 to 7, 2016.  Site.
  • 43rd International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (ICMCTF). San Diego (USA). April, 25 to 29, 2016. Site.
  • 9th Brazilian-German Workshop on Applied Surface Science. Maresias, SP (Brazil). April, 10 to 15, 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.
  • 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.

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SBPMat´s community people: interview with Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior.

Posted on Friday 29 de January de 2016

On January 29, 2016, in the city of Campinas (São Paulo State, Brazil), Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior took office in the new executive board of the Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat), acting as president. Novais is a professor of the São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC) at the University of São Paulo (USP). He has been a researcher in the field of Materials for 35 years, during which time he has published over 460 articles in indexed journals, 7 patents and 16 book chapters, among other publications. In total, the scientific production of professor Osvaldo has received, so far, over 8,500 citations according to Web of Science (index h=46) and 12,100 (h = 53) according to Google Scholar.

Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Jr. was born on August 13, 1960 in Barretos, a city of the northern part of the State of São Paulo that, at that time, had approximately 60,000 inhabitants. When he was a teenager, he received the nickname of Chu, which accompanies him to this day, being also part of his professional electronic address.

He began his university studies in the Educational Foundation of Barretos. In 1980, while he was attending courses to obtain a teaching degree in Physics, he transferred to IFSC/USP to pursue a Bachelor degree in Physics, and started to work in research projects in the Electrets Group, nowadays referred to as Polymers Group “Bernhard Gross”. Within such group he began his master’s degree in 1983, supervised by professor Guilherme Fontes Leal Ferreira, obtaining in 1984 the title of Master in Applied Physics. In the following year he began to teach courses in the Bachelor Degree in Physics at USP São Carlos and continued developing research activities in the Polymers Group.

In 1986, he moved from São Carlos to the Welsh city of Bangor, United Kingdom, for doctoral degree studies in the University of Wales – nowadays Bangor University. In 1990, he obtained the title of Doctor in Electronic Engineering by defending his doctoral dissertation concerning electrical properties of Langmuir films, supervised by professor David Martin Taylor.

Back to Brazil in 1991, he added to his teaching activities at USP São Carlos, some classes in the graduation courses in Applied Physics. In 1993, he was named associate professor in that university.

In the same year, he conducted his first academic research works in natural language processing, an area that basically deals with problems related to automatic generation and understanding of texts by means of computers. Professor Osvaldo Novais was part of the team that founded the Interinstitutional Center for Computational Linguistics (NILC) and participated in the development of the first software for grammar revision of Brazilian Portuguese, which was named “ReGra”. The grammar checker was part of several versions of Microsoft Word processor as from 1999. From the work in NILC and scientific writing courses, he produced a book, together with more 7 authors, on scientific writing in English (“Writing Scientific Papers in English Successfully: Your Complete Roadmap”).

Osvaldo Novais was a visiting researcher in the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell), in the United States, between 2000 and 2001, and a visiting professor of University of Aveiro (Portugal) in 2006. Also in such year, he received Scopus Award, granted by Elsevier do Brasil and Capes (the Brazilian agency in charge of post-graduate programs), as one of the 16 Brazilian researchers with greatest scientific production, based on the number of publications, citations and supervisions (nowadays, there are 40 completed master theses and doctoral dissertations).

In 2008, he became a full professor of USP.

Nowadays, in addition to his activities as professor and researcher in IFSC-USP, Prof. Osvaldo Novais is a member of the coordination in Physics at FAPESP (the São Paulo research foundation), regional editor for South America of “Display and Imaging” scientific journal and associate editor of “Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology”.

Here you find an interview with the researcher.

SBPMat Newsletter: – Tell us what made you become a researcher and work in the field of Materials.

Osvaldo Novais: – My professional choices almost always occurred without planning or specific motivation. I began the course for obtaining a teaching degree in Sciences in the Educational Foundation of Barretos, since I did not pass the entrance examination for being admitted in the Electronic Engineering graduation course, which I thought was the career I would like to have. After having decided to change area at the end of the first year and to do the entrance examinations for Philosophy and Psychology courses, for financial and personal reasons, I ended up continuing in the Sciences course and chose a teaching degree in Physics in the third year. There was a major transformation when I transferred to the Bachelor degree in Physics in USP São Carlos, and started participating in research projects. There I decided to become a teacher and researcher. My choice for the area of polymers was the result of a suggestion from a friend, who had great admiration for the faculty members of the Electrets Group at that time. Thus, I began doing research activities in such group, nowadays called Polymers Group “Bernhard Gross”, where I have been for 35 years.

Although I have not chosen a career or a research area due to a vocation or conviction, I was very fortunate because I consider the study of materials both fascinating and essential for society. Researchers in materials may amuse themselves with challenges and contribute to make this world a better place. Research training also allowed me to act in different areas, which is an important factor for those passionate for knowledge, as it is my case.

SBPMat Newsletter: – What are, in your own assessment, your main contributions to the field of Materials?

Osvaldo Novais: – I believe my greatest contribution was to have participated in the construction of a network of research in materials, mainly in nanostructured organic films. Such network nowadays comprehends researchers in many regions of Brazil,  and also includes international connections. Concerning specific scientific contributions, I could possibly point out the study of electrical properties of Langmuir films, as well as the use of such films as cell membrane models. It could also be worth to point out sensors (such as electronic languages) and biosensors produced with nanostructured films, noting that the main actors of such contributions have been students and doctoral candidates of my research group.

SBPMat Newsletter: – In parallel to your performance in Materials research, you develop studies concerning natural language processing within NILC, center of which you are founding member. Tell us a little bit about this activity.

Osvaldo Novais: – Out of need, I ended up becoming interested in scientific writing in English, in a work that was, at first, informal and that resulted in projects of software tools for writing aid. Being invited to participate in the team that developed the first grammar checker for Portuguese in the 1990s, NILC was created, which to this date is a reference worldwide for Portuguese language automatic processing. I say that without any embarrassment whatsoever, since all merits for this achievement go to a team of computer scientists and linguists, of several universities of Brazil, who have been conducting research and development of the highest level for years. My participation was merely important in the beginning.

For two decades, my research in natural language processing with NILC was fully disconnected from Physics, but in the last years we have used statistical physics methodologies for text treatment. With the new research paradigm based on intensive use of data (called “Big Data”), now there is the possibility of combining nanotechnology – an area that is predominantly of materials – with natural language processing and artificial intelligence, for example, in the diagnosis systems supported by computer. This is a fascinating topic that allows exercising technological convergence, which will boost research and development in the 21st century.

SBPMat Newsletter: – Briefly tell us what are your plans for SBPMat while president of the society within 2016-2018.

Osvaldo Novais: – I believe that the most relevant plan is to continue the excellent work that the previous executive boards have carried out, which made SBPMat be one of the most powerful scientific societies in Brazil. That includes keeping the excellent level of our annual meetings and strengthening the international insertion that it has achieved. Other goals of the new executive board are: to increase the interaction of materials researchers with the industries installed in Brazil, to encourage the participation of young researchers in the society and to promote scientific and technological popularization programs, emphasizing the key role of research in materials for technological and social development.

SBPMat Newsletter: – We always invite the interviewees of this newsletter section to leave a message for the readers who are beginning their scientific careers. Would you like to say something in particular for the future/ junior scientists?

Osvaldo Novais: – My message is: apply yourself and strive towards obtaining strong scientific training, focusing on languages of knowledge, whatever the natural languages (in our case, Portuguese and English) and languages of mathematical formalisms. Such strong training will allow you to continuously learn, which is essential in an ever-changing society. May you follow your dreams by solving scientific and technological problems, which is one of the most amusing and refreshing activities.

Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat) invites the scientific community to submit symposia proposals for the XV SBPMat Meeting.

Posted on Friday 15 de January de 2016

The call for symposia proposals for the XV SBPMat Meeting is open until February 11th. The event will be held from September 25 to 29, 2016 in the city of Campinas (SP), in the convention center Expo D. Pedro.

Any researcher with doctoral degree, working in educational/research institution or company in Brazil or abroad, may submit a symposium proposal on any issues in the field of Materials Science and Technology.

Proposals must be filled online and must contain the title and scope of the symposium, the list of subjects covered, the contact data of the organizers and the preliminary list of invited speakers.

After submission, proposals will be evaluated by the commission of events at SBPMat and by the organizers of the meeting, and then they will be submitted to the SBPMat board.

The thematic symposia are the main axis in the program of SBPMat annual events. At the meeting held in Rio de Janeiro in 2015, more than 2,300 papers were presented in 26 symposia, covering a wide range of topics, such as carbon nanostructures, biomaterials, materials for sustainable development, materials for electronics and photonics, characterization techniques, computer simulation, safe use of nanomaterials, among others.

Event website: http://sbpmat.org.br/15encontro/home/

Form for symposia proposals submission: http://www.sbpmat.org.br/proposed_symposium/

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