Seminar: June 25 | 11.00 a.m.-12.00 p.m. | Room 8.2.38
Virgínia Ferreira, Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences (CQE-IMS), Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon
A Researcher’s Journey through the World of (Nano)materials and Composites
Materials science is a field that stands at the forefront of technological innovation, influencing numerous industries including electronics, healthcare and energy. Surface modification and nanostructures, play pivotal roles in enhancing material properties, to meet specific needs. The first, allows to control the properties of a material’s surface optimizing its functionality for specific applications, which can be achieved, for example, through organic and inorganic coatings. The main advantage lies on the ability to tune properties, such as corrosion resistance, (electro)chemical reactivity and photo-response. The unique physical and chemical properties of the second, materials structured at the nanometer scale, compared to their bulk counterparts, also allow tuning the properties of surfaces and composites. Its relevance is clearly evidenced by the Noble Prize of Chemistry awarded in 2023. Nowadays, noble metal, semiconductor and organic nanostructures, quantum dots, etc, are crucial in fields such as drug delivery, electronics and catalysis. Their high surface area to volume ratio, leading to great reactivity is one of their key properties. The individual characteristics of the materials can also be combined in hybrids and composites. While offering immense potential, the surface modification and nanomaterials successful integration into practical applications, demands overcoming significant scientific and technological hurdles. Addressing these challenges requires ongoing research and innovation.
To address those challenges, my research has been focused on exploring the properties of thin conducting polymer films as coatings and as platforms for nanomaterials immobilization, for the development of electrochemical transducers. Additionally, I have also been dedicated my work to leveraging the use of nanomaterials for sensing and photocatalysis.
In this seminar, I will drive you though several opportunities of surface modification and (nano)materials synthesis and applications, that I have been using to attempt to tailor, by design, the materials properties. My research envisions the use of such materials for photo(electro)chemical sensing and environmental remediation applications.