Materials Science

The external components of spacecraft and satellites endure extreme environmental conditions, including ultra-vacuum, UV radiation, temperature fluctuations, and atomic oxygen, leading to material degradation over time. Among the most vulnerable parts are the solar panels and their supporting base structures, which lack the protection of multi-layer insulation. This research aims to enhance the resilience of these components through innovative material solutions, contributing to sustainability by addressing space debris and minimizing the depletion of critical Earth resources.

Two-dimensional materials and their van der Waals heterostructures have demonstrated enormous potential for advancing technological innovations in electronics, optoelectronics, catalysis, and energy storage. The methods used to synthesize these heterostructures play a crucial role in determining their final applications [4]. In this context, atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) has been widely used to synthesize MoS₂ monolayers with tunable optoelectronic properties.

Ice formation remains a critical challenge across multiple industries, posing safety risks, economic burdens, and, in extreme cases, fatalities. Effective anti-icing strategies are essential to mitigate these issues, yet the demand for environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and efficient solutions persists. Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) have emerged as a promising low-toxicity alternative for addressing ice formation.

Phosphorus (P) is a crucial, limited resource responsible for sustaining food supply globally. However, P-discharge from agricultural runoff and wastewater treatment plant into water bodies contributes to eutrophication and the proliferation of harmful algal blooms, substantially threatening aquatic ecosystems. Several studies have demonstrated that metal-cation-containing materials like metal oxides, hydroxides and carbonates show great potential for P-capture and are emerging as a noteworthy category suitable for commercial and industrial applications in P-recovery.

Amine-based adsorbents are widely used for CO2 capture. However, one of the biggest hurdles for their further development is their limited oxidation stability. Moreover, methods developed to improve the oxidation stability often lead to significant decrease in their CO2 (HES) on the CO2 uptake. Here, we investigated the effect of hydroxyethyl starch uptake and oxidation stability of impregnated polyethylenimine (PEI) adsorbents. Performance of HES-PEI co-impregnated materials was evaluated under different oxidation conditions using CO2 uptake measurements, and mass spectrometry.

This project aims to combine the Brazilian group’s expertise in nanomaterials’ surface engineering and polymer-based nanocomposite with the Spanish group’s expertise in transforming agricultural and industrial waste (which is abundant in both Spain and Brazil) into valued natural source polymers, to incorporate the intrinsic properties of sustainable materials into nanocomposites for advanced applications.

The efficient design and synthesis of emitters for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is a critical area of research, driven by the demand for cost-effective, sustainable, and high-performance blue emitters. This study presents the design and synthesis of 3,3’-bicarbazole-triazine derivatives as potential thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters. Using computational modeling, donor-acceptor (D-A) structures were rationally designed to exhibit blue emission and low singlet-triplet energy gaps.

Infections associated with medical devices are a serious global issue, affecting millions of patients and increasing healthcare costs . These infections are primarily due to the formation of biofilms on the surfaces of devices such as catheters and implants, which act as protective barriers against antimicrobial treatments and compromise device functionality. Additionally, infections in indwelling devices contribute to environmental pollution due to the frequent need for replacements, further increasing the burden on healthcare system.

The presented work on the synthesis and functionalization of mesoporous carbon, as well as the preparation of anodic catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells, has an essential connection with the principles of green chemistry. The synthesis of mesoporous carbon from a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin represents a sustainable approach, as it enables the design of materials with specific properties through controlled processes that maximize the use of available resources.

Graphitic carbon nitride is a semiconducting material of a graphite-like 2D layered structure. It is well known for its photocatalytic properties, which can be exploited for solar-light-driven water splitting and degradation of organic pollutants. Here, we report its capabilities of catalyzing the reduction of the azo bond by hydrazine to two amines under visible light. This photocatalytic reaction provides a novel, appealing way to reduce azo dye wastes as pollutants other than degradation.