Since its creation in 2006, UFABC has invested in research and graduate studies based on the spirit of knowledge construction beyond Brazilian borders. Numerous research groups have gained international projection, reflected in high-impact academic-scientific production and the establishment of UFABC as a target for foreign partners. The Institutional Internationalization Project will allow UFABC to expand its network of international contacts and partnerships. We expect to establish a culture of internationalization at UFABC, which will make the faculty and students converge towards the goal of making our university a global leader in the construction and dissemination of cutting-edge knowledge in the follwing priority research themes:
Main goals
– Foster the construction, implementation and consolidation of strategic plans for internationalization of the institutions contemplated in the areas of knowledge they prioritize;
– Stimulate the formation of international research networks with a view to improving the quality of academic production;
– Expand the actions to support internationalization in graduate courses;
– Promote the mobility of lecturers and students, with emphasis on doctoral students, postdoctoral students, Brazilian lecturers abroad and foreign lecturers in Brazil;
– Foster the transformation of participating institutions into an international environment.
Funding available
– Allowance for overseas work missions, in the context of international cooperation research projects or individual missions;
– Funding for project maintenance for specific actions of research projects;
– Scholarships abroad: Sandwich Doctorate, Senior Visiting Professor, Junior Visiting Professor, Training in short courses or summer/winter schools.
– Scholarships in Brazil: Visiting professor (applicant must be living and working abroad), Young talent with experience abroad (applicant must be living abroad), Postdoctoral researcher with experience abroad (applicant must be living abroad).
Main Challenges
(1) Advances in Nanosciences, Structure of Matter, Quantum Physics and Advanced Materials;
(2) Challenges of sustainability for the 21st century: energy, technology, development and fight against inequality;
Advanced materials: fundamental and applied studies
The main aim of this research project is the strengthening of international collaborations related to nanoscience and nanotechnology. As an interdisciplinary area, research will be carried out involving synthesis, characterization of physical/chemical properties and computational simulation of several materials with strong scientific and technological interest. The materials to be studied – both at the nanometric and bulk scale – will be perovskites; biocomposites; topological insulators; super/semiconductor, thermoelectric and magnetic materials; self-assembled biomimetic compounds; mono-, poly- and nanocrystalline compounds and alloys; nanocomposites; ceramic, glassy and polymeric materials. We highlight the interest in the so-called “smart materials”, which present electrical properties such as conductivity, electromagnetic shielding, electromechanical actuation, besides the typical properties of polymeric materials, such as flexibility and low density. The project covers a broad spectrum of technological applications related to clean energy, spintronics, storage and display of information, pharmaceuticals, electronic devices, solar and photoelectrochemical cells, biosensors, hydrogen storage, among others. The synthesized materials will be studied with experimental and theoretical tools such as X-ray techniques, vibrational spectroscopy, ultrafast spectroscopy, electron microscopy, magnetization, photonics, electrical and thermal transport; and classical and quantum computational simulation methods of materials. Intrinsically, this project will stimulate interaction between students and advisors of the groups involved through exchanges with international institutions. The issue of synthesis, characterization, and simulation of materials is interdisciplinary and acts at the interfaces between physics, chemistry, and biology. The groups with which researchers interact abroad are leaders in the proposed techniques. The specific proposals are connected to the projects approved by FAPESP and CNPq for the research productivity grants of all project members. Using local and international interactions, we will contribute to the formation of highly qualified human resources (masters and doctors), and the advancement of scientific knowledge and technological innovation.
Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Fabio Furlan Ferreira
E-mail: fabio.furlan@ufabc.edu.br
Synthesis, characterization and simulation of advanced materials
This research project aims to strengthen the internationalization of the area of Condensed Matter Physics of UFABC, from the perspective of synthesis, characterization, and simulation of materials. This area has advanced very rapidly in recent years; one of its main characteristics is interaction with other areas, mainly Chemistry and Materials Science, focusing on the development of interdisciplinary research. This advance is addressed in this project through a collaborative process between researchers of the Graduate programs in Physics, Chemistry, and Nanosciences and Advanced Materials. This collaborative interaction, along with existing international collaborations as well as possible new collaborations, will serve as a catalyst for the development of bolder and broader projects as well as for training of the graduate students involved. The area of Condensed Matter Physics at UFABC counts on researchers specialized in the growth of materials, by physical and chemical routes, focusing on ceramic, magnetic and semiconductor materials; in the characterization of materials, through techniques such as X-ray, Rietvelt, magnetization, electrical conductivity, and magnetoresistance; and in the computational modelling of materials using classical and quantum methods. It is important to highlight the enormous importance of these collaborations for the development of new technologies and innovation in a broader context. The development of new materials gave us access to fast superconductors (semiconductors), potent lasers and more efficient drugs. The interaction with foreign research groups will allow the advance of Condensed Matter Physics studies and the training of highly qualified students at UFABC.
Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Gustavo Martini Dalpian
E-mail: gustavo.dalpian@ufabc.edu.br
Sustainable Energy Storage and Production
The present proposal aims to study and develop new materials (mostly in nanometer scale) that allow the production and storage of clean and sustainable energy. It aims to investigate and develop a wide range of new materials and devices for sustainable energy generation free the most part emission of pollutant. Among them, we can exemplify materials with the potential to develop photovoltaic systems, solar cells, photo (catalysts), fuel cells with different operating temperatures, batteries, biofuels, bio-batteries, biodevices and others. The success of this proposal could have a positive impact on reducing dependence on fossil fuels, since the use of these new materials or technologies may provide an alternative, sustainable and clean energy, decreasing the environmental impacts and providing a higher quality of life for society. Finally, from an academic / scientific point of view, the multidisciplinary nature of the project can not only contribute to a greater understanding / development of these new materials / new technologies, but also to the formation of more qualified human resources on topics that are at the frontier of scientific knowledge and are considered as strategic themes in the government plans in developed and developing countries.
Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Flavio Leandro de Souza
E-mail: flavio.souza@ufabc.edu.br
Nanoscience for Environmental Preservation and Recovery
The disposal of millions of tons of short-lived products, such as packaging and disposable plastic items, has generated a significant amount of solid wastes. It results in a wide variety of environmental and economic problems for society. Also, toxic industrial wastes are also a significant challenge to be overcome in scientific and technological terms. Many synthetic routes of chemical industries, whenever possible, should be replaced by green methods, which is the challenge of the economic viability of these processes a related concern. In this sense, science, and particularly nanoscience, has contributed both to the development of new sustainable products involving green routes and advances in methods for treatment of solid wastes and effluents. Another major challenge is the distribution of potable water, free of microorganisms and emerging contaminants, to residents of regions without access to treated water. In the present research project, researchers will focus on the development of advanced materials and new processes, involving nanoparticles (metallic, magnetic, and biopolymeric) linked to functionalized organic compounds. These nanoparticles will be associated with essential oils (oxidizing agents, among others), promoting the elimination of different contaminants, such as microorganisms or chemical compounds (heavy metals, organic, dyes, etc.). These developed materials will be intended for application in filtration systems, gels, polymer membranes, active agents in bioremediation / bioaugimentation processes and other applications with environmentally friendly characteristics. The members of the research group and its foreign collaborators have expertise in using a high diversity of advanced techniques in the preparation, characterization, and application of the systems to be studied. The project presented here is focused on environmental studies with strong interrelationship with the research areas of materials, biopolymer membranes with nanocellulose and other oxidants, photochemistry, ionizing radiation, chemistry, biology, and health. We expect the proposal will directly contribute to Brazil’s technological advance and social development, and to the formation of human resources.
Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Derval dos Santos Rosa
E-mail: derval.rosa@ufabc.edu.br
Advanced materials for structural and functional applications
The main objective of this research project is the development of advanced materials for structural and functional applications. The targeted materials have possibilities for future industrial applications, in different time scales, allowing synergistic interaction between the academy and local and national industries. Moreover, this interaction will promote training of high-quality professionals capable of developing their careers in both public, academic institutions, and private sector, contributing to improve the competitiveness of national industries. The development of these materials is an intrinsic multidisciplinary activity. Hence, the wide range of competencies and complementary research lines of the professors of UFABC is an advantage. The project includes research on computational modelling of structures and properties of materials (DFT, molecular dynamics, Kinetic Monte Carlo approaches, and so on), conventional and advanced characterization techniques (AFM, SEM, HR-TEM, Light and X-ray spectroscopy techniques, etc.) for in-situ and ex-situ investigations, several synthesis routes (CVD, PVD, electrospinning, hydrothermal, microwave assisted techniques, etc.), investigations of processing routes (3D manufacturing, casting, sintering, severe plastic deformation, thermomechanical processing, etc.), and property measurements and performance evaluations (optical, electrical, mechanical, thermal and magnetic properties, corrosion resistance, fatigue life assessment, etc.). Industrial sectors with potential interest in the lines of research encompassed in this project are automotive, aerospace, fine chemicals, metallurgy, steelmaking, semi-finished products, sensors and actuators, energy, glass products, and microelectronics. In recent years, It is noticeable the increase of the collaboration between UFABC and renowned foreign researchers from France, Canada, Germany, Sweden, England, among others. Therefore, the granting of this project will increase and strength these collaborations through the scientific interaction between Brazilian researchers and Ph.D. students with foreign partners.
Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Sydney Ferreira Santos
E-mail: sydney.ferreira@ufabc.edu.br