Nanoscience & Nanotechnology (N & N) and Advanced Functional Materials (MFAs) form a stimulating and fruitful foundation not only for technological innovations, but also for advancing the frontier of knowledge. N & N together with MFAs are considered the 21st century technological platform which will play an important role in modern society. The continuous evolution of each area of knowledge in order to investigate matter in smaller scales led to the emergence of the theme known as Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. This new perspective is based primarily on the fabrication of material structures where at least one of the three dimensions is on the nanometer scale. The effect of nanometric size gives the materials very different properties and functions compared to their macroscopic form. On the other hand, MFAs comprise both new and existing materials, but with changes that provide superior performance in their functionalities for technological applications. A better understanding, development, manipulation and application of this knowledge / technology almost always requires the involvement of an interdisciplinary knowledge.
Actually, many advances in engineering, medicine, energy generation and transmission and even computing only materialize with the development of N & N applied to MFAs that present the properties and functionalities necessary for a given purpose. For example, a new jet engine developed by aerospace engineering may require the development of superalloys or nanocomposites with flame retardants capable of withstanding excessive heat and stress; A faster processor for computing, may require new semiconductor materials, a prosthesis that ensures mobility to a patient may require polymers, composites and differentiated metal alloys.
Today, thinking about the N & N and MFAs applied in various sectors of society such as health, energy, computing and the environment, the best Universities and Research Institutes in the world develop intense studies seeking solutions for economic, social and environmental sustainability. In this way, this technology relates to several areas of knowledge such as chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, medicine, information technology and part of the humanities.
The lines of research in Nanoscience & Nanotechnology and Advanced Functional Materials can be considered as genuinely interdisciplinary, leading to collaboration between researchers in previously disparate areas for the exchange of knowledge, models, tools and techniques. Indeed, understanding the knowledge at the interface between physics, chemistry, science and materials engineering, microelectronics, biochemistry and biotechnology requires a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary academic scientific education.
Line: Advanced Functional Materials
MFAs form a solid foundation for a wide variety of applications related to energy, computing, communication, storage and display of information, among others. The functional materials cover different classes including polymeric materials, biocomposites, biodegradable materials, super / semiconductors, insulators, ceramic, magnetic, biocompatible, presenting the most diverse functionalities and mechanical, electrical, chemical, biochemical and physical properties. The aim of this line of research is to obtain a better understanding of both the new and existing MFAs. This advance in the knowledge, development, manufacture and application of the various functionalities almost always requires the involvement of an interdisciplinary knowledge.
Line: Nanosciences & Nanotechnology
Nanoscience is the study, manipulation and characterization of phenomena and materials at atomic or molecular scales, where properties differ significantly from those at micro and macroscopic scales. Important properties of materials, such as electrical, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties, are determined by the way molecules and atoms arrange to form larger structures. Nanotechnology is the application of nanoscience that leads to the use of new nanomaterials and nanometric components in useful and eventually environmentally friendly technological products. The goal of this line is to provide a strong link between education, scientific research and technological development in an interdisciplinary approach.