Embedded Files
20.12.2019
2019 IFIMUP talks in review
2019 IFIMUP talks in review
Thank you to all the IFIMUP talks presenters and audience. We all hope that these sessions haven been fruitful for the different groups work.
By Catarina Dias
18.12.2019
IFIMUP's research on TV
IFIMUP's research on TV
ExameInformatica_JOV.mp4João Ventura was interviewed by the program "Exame Informática" broadcasted on the channel SIC Notícias about his project on triboelectric generators. The video is in Portuguese and explains how this new and clean technology for energy generation can be used to power sensors for the IoT.
By Catarina Dias
11.12.2019
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 7 presented by Post-doc Artem Bondarenko
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 7 presented by Post-doc Artem Bondarenko
Next Tuesday, 17th of December at 11h30 on room 026 (DFA), Artem Bondarenko will give the 7th session of the 2019 IFIMUP Talks series. IFIMUP Talks consists on periodic meetings where IFIMUP researchers present their current state of work, focusing on the open questions and difficulties. The presentation is followed by an open discussion with possible suggestions presented by the audience. Artem Bondarenko is a Post-doc that recently started to work with us and his talk will be on “Detecting a shadow of the magnetic vortex core".
By Catarina Dias
28.11.2019
IFIMUP's research on TV
IFIMUP's research on TV
João Horta Belo was on the television program "Mentes Que Brilham" of the national channel Porto Canal talking about his work on "green" materials showing negative thermal expansion. The video is in Portuguese and the interview starts at 13:20. For further information in English please see the publication in Physical Review B.
By Catarina Dias
27.11.2019
Talk on the Magnetocaloric Effect by Professor Victorino Franco
Talk on the Magnetocaloric Effect by Professor Victorino Franco
Last Friday, 22nd November at 14h30 on Auditorium FC5 003 (FCUP), Professor Victorino Franco gave a very interesting and motivating talk entitled "Magnetocaloric effect: From energy efficient refrigeration to fundamental studies of phase transitions". The presentation was followed by several questions from the audience which Professor Franco promptly replied, based on his broad knowledge and experience on this topic. Afterwards, Professor Franco visited IFIMUP labs and discussed new collaborative ideas with different IFIMUP researchers.
Besides being one of the IEEE distinguished lecturers of 2019, Victorino Franco is a professor in the Condensed Matter Physics Department of the University of Seville, Spain. His main research interests cover magnetic materials for energy applications, including soft-magnetic and magnetocaloric materials. He has published more than 165 peer-reviewed technical articles. In 2000, he received the Young Scientist Award from the Royal Physical Society of Spain. He served as chair of the Spain Chapter of the IEEE Magnetics Society and chair of the Magnetic Materials Committee of the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS).He has been editor and publications chair of several Magnetism and Magnetic Materials (MMM) conferences and will be the general chair of the 2022 Joint MMM-Intermag Conference.
By João Horta Belo
25.11.2019
WIPTherm FET project
WIPTherm FET project
CubeSat technology is revolutionizing the paradigm of engineering and space exploration facing new challenges related to energy consumption. Currently, this energy is obtained by solar panels to power supply the CubeSat electronic components. Researchers from the IFIMUP, Porto University (lead by Dr. André Pereira), together with colleagues from Spain (University of Vigo), France (University of Limoges), and other Portuguese recognized research institutions such as CENTI and INESC-TEC, may have found a promising solution to address these challenges using a wireless technology combined with lasers. They have been awarded with 2.3 million euro financial contribution from the EU’s Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) program to develop in the next 3 years the WIPTherm project.
The kick-off meeting occurred on November 21st at the facilities of Faculty of Sciences of Porto University.
By André Pereira
22.11.2019
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 6 presented by MSc Student Tiago Leal
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 6 presented by MSc Student Tiago Leal
Next Tuesday, 26th of November at 11h30 on room -117 (DFA), Tiago Leal will give the 6th session of the 2019 IFIMUP Talks series. IFIMUP Talks consists on periodic meetings where IFIMUP researchers present their current state of work, focusing on the open questions and difficulties. The presentation is followed by an open discussion with possible suggestions presented by the audience. Tiago Leal is a Master student about to defend his thesis on “Synthesis and Characterization of Ruddlesden Popper Ferroic Materials".
By Catarina Dias
05.11.2019
MAGNAMED new logo and video
MAGNAMED new logo and video
MAGNAMED has new a logo and a promotional video in several languages. MAGNAMED is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie project whose major goal is the development of novel magnetic nanostructures for cancer diagnosis and treatment. IFIMUP is member of this on-going European Project H2020-MSCA-RISE-734801.
By Célia Sousa
25.10.2019
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 5 presented by Research Fellow Ludgero Peixoto
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 5 presented by Research Fellow Ludgero Peixoto
Next Thursday, 31st of October at 11h on room 023 (DFA), Ludgero Peixoto will give the 5th session of the 2019 IFIMUP Talks series. IFIMUP Talks consists on periodic meetings where IFIMUP researchers present their current state of work, focusing on the open questions and difficulties. The presentation is followed by an open discussion with possible suggestions presented by the audience. Ludgero Peixoto is a Research Fellow and his talk will be about “Magnetic Nanostructures for Biomedical Applications".
By Catarina Dias
15.10.2019
Eng. António de Almeida Award to IFIMUP's PhD thesis
Eng. António de Almeida Award to IFIMUP's PhD thesis
João Azevedo won the Eng. António de Almeida award for exceptional scientific novelty, positive impact on the scientific community and socio-economic added value. This best PhD thesis award stems from his research, entitled "Solar Photoelectrochemical Energy Storage: Materials and Devices”, at Porto University (Portugal), EPFL (Switzerland) and collaborations with Aarhus University (Denmark). João Azevedo completed his PhD on 2016 under the supervision of Prof. João Pedro Araújo and Dr. Célia Sousa from IFIMUP (FCUP), and Prof. Adélio Mendes from LEPABE (FEUP).
By Catarina Dias
11.10.2019
IFIMUP’s Research highlighted in Nanowerk
IFIMUP’s Research highlighted in Nanowerk
João Horta and colleagues found that size-confinement - going from macroscopic bulk samples towards nanoparticles - leads to drastic changes in the atomic structure of certain magnetocaloric materials: The change from positive thermal expansion at the macroscale towards a negative thermal expansion (NTE) at the nanoscale. NTE materials are of increasing technological interest mostly because of the idea of mixing them with a symmetric negative. This surprising size-confinement effect of magnetocaloric materials was recently highlighted in Nanowerk and the work published in Physical Review B.
By Catarina Dias
02.10.2019
3rd BioBrillouin Conference
3rd BioBrillouin Conference
IFIMUP received the 3rd BioBrillouin Conference from 25th to 27th April 2018 at the Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto.
The conference provided a range of oral and poster presentations reviewing the latest developments in the field of Brillouin Light Scattering Microspectroscopy for Biological and Biomedical Research and Applications. The event hosted the leading researchers in the field offering wide range of networking opportunities. Topics covered include (but are not limited to): medical & clinical applications; phenotyping & novel applications in the life sciences; instrument/technique design and development & data analysis; complementary & comparative studies and techniques.
BioBrillouin is a pan-European network established to advance the field of Brillouin Light Scattering as applied for life science and biomedical research and applications. Networking activities are funded largely by an EU COST grant (CA16124).
By Célia Sousa
20.09.2019
IFIMUP at 37th DyProSo Conference
IFIMUP at 37th DyProSo Conference
Several IFIMUP MSc and PhD students, and researchers presented their works as oral communications at the 37th International Symposium on Dynamical Properties of Solids (DyProSo 2019), held in Ferrara, Italy, from 8 to 12 of September of 2019. DyProSo is an international biannual research meeting on functional properties of condensed matter resulting from elementary excitations, molecular motions, transport processes and other dynamic phenomena occurring in many body systems. IFIMUP has a tradition of being present in this meeting, having organized it in 2007, with Joaquim Agostinho Moreira being currently on the Advisory Board. The next DyProSo, in 2021, will be organized by our long-term collaborator Mael Guennou from the University of Luxembourg, where IFIMUP will surely be again well represented.
By Rui Vilarinho
10.09.2019
The 15th Physics Summer School at FCUP
The 15th Physics Summer School at FCUP
Since 2005, the Physics Summer School allows selected high school students to spend one week taking advanced physics classes and developing a scientific project under the supervision of young researchers. Students not only from Portugal, but also from Portuguese-speaking African countries, Macau, Galicia, Brazil and Portuguese foreign communities are all welcome.
This year the school took place from 1st to 6th of September and welcomed 85 participants. IFIMUP’s Master and PhD students were responsible for 7 of the projects:
- “Light as a probe of matter” – André Maia;
- “Superconductivity” – Joana Silva and Margarida Maia;
- “Dye-cells with nanomaterials using nanowires” – Paula Quitério and Pedro Rodrigues;
- “Study of the electrical properties of a semiconductor” – Mariana Gomes;
- “Production and use of hydrogen in fuel cells” – Rui Costa;
- “Dual exposure holographic interferometry: a ruler of light” – Rodrigo Ferreira;
- “Holography and light waves” – Fernando Maia.
By Catarina Dias
10.09.2019
Symposium on Ultrafast Sources for Bioimaging
Symposium on Ultrafast Sources for Bioimaging
INL and Sphere Photonics are organising a Symposium on Ultrafast Sources for Bioimaging. The symposium is focused on a public demo to show how extremely short femtosecond lasers (under 10 fs) can be used for nonlinear microscopy, also it includes a tour of INL facilities to celebrate that INL has joined the Portuguese Platform for BioImaging (PPBI).
The date for this event is September 17, 2019 and you can find the registration link below:
https://inl.eventkey.pt/geral/inseririnscricao.aspx?evento=33&formulario=64&lingua=en-GB
Detailed program and information on speakers will be posted soon.
We hope to see you soon at INL.
By Helder Crespo
30.08.2019
Best Oral Presentation at the III International Baltic Conference on Magnetism
Best Oral Presentation at the III International Baltic Conference on Magnetism
João Belo, Junior Researcher from the IFIMUP Multifunctional Magnetic Materials and Nanostructures group and André Horta, master student from the University of Aveiro, were in Svetlogorsk (Kaliningrad, Russia) from 18th to 22th of August, attending III International Baltic Conference on Magnetism 2019 (IBCM19).
In Svetlogorsk, the two researchers met with Dr. Abdulkarim Amirov, with whom there is already an ongoing collaboration towards the fabrication and synthesis of multifunctional composites.
At IBCM19, João Belo presented the work entitled “Transport properties of multifunctional Gd5(Si,Ge)4 granular thin film”, which was received with interest and by many researchers, opening the possibility to create new collaborations. During the closing ceremony, João´s presentation was awarded with the “Best Oral Presentation Award” by the conference chair Associated Professor Valeria Rodionova and by the Chair of Program Committee, Professor Dino Fiorani.
In resume, the two researchers had opportunity to listen to several interesting talks, including from two IEEE distinguished lecturers, Professor Hariharan Srikanth and Professor Vitorino Franco, entitled “Tuning Magnetic Anisotropy in Nanostructures For Biomedical Applications” and “Magnetocaloric Effect: From Energy Efficient Refrigeration to Fundamental Studies of Phase Transitions”. Other interesting presentations worth highlighting were “Magneto-thermoelectricity in ferrofluids” by Professor Sawako Nakamae and “Magneto-polymer coatings with a magneto-tunable surface relief” by Professor Elena Kramarenko.
By João Belo
Baltic Sea shore at Svetlogorsk, Russia.
26.07.2019
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 4 presented by PhD student Francisco Nobre
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 4 presented by PhD student Francisco Nobre
Next Wednesday, 31st of July at 11h30 on room 106 (DFA), Francisco Nobre will give the 4th session of the 2019 IFIMUP Talks series. IFIMUP Talks consists on periodic meetings where IFIMUP researchers present their current state of work, focusing on the open questions and difficulties. The presentation is followed by an open discussion with possible suggestions presented by the audience. Francisco Nobre is a visiting PhD student from the Federal Institute of Amazon, Coari, Amazon, Brazil and his talk will be about “Study of lithium ion doped sodium titanates using structural characterization and impedance spectroscopy".
By Catarina Dias
24.07.2019
IFIMUP at "ILL synergies with Portugal"
IFIMUP at "ILL synergies with Portugal"
The Institut Laue Langevin (ILL) is a world leading facility in neutron science and technology. Joaquim Agostinho Moreira and Rui Vilarinho from IFIMUP were invited to attend the “ILL synergies with Portugal” meeting, at CTN, Lisbon on the 18th and 19th of July. In this meeting, Rui Vilarinho presented the recent works of his group within IFIMUP at Isis and PSI neutron and muon sources, using neutron magnetic diffraction and muon spin spectroscopy. Furthermore, several staff scientists from ILL, including the head of science division Mark Johnson, presented the new opportunities for Portuguese users at this large facility.
By Rui Vilarinho
12.07.2019
IFIMUP at MEMRISYS 2019 in Dresden, Germany
IFIMUP at MEMRISYS 2019 in Dresden, Germany
The International Conference on Memristive Materials, Devices & Systems (MEMRISYS) took place in Dresden, Germany, from 8 to 11 July 2019. Memristor technology will play a leading role in the design and fabrication of new circuits to overcome the limits posed by conventional CMOS technology. MEMRISYS 2019 provided a forum for the presentation and discussion of the latest results and the exploration of future directions across a wide range of fields: from materials to devices, circuits, systems, and applications. This conference addressed the need to consolidate the underlying research communities in materials science, memristor theory, electronic devices, circuits, and systems, computation, and neuromorphic engineering in a single international conference that brought a new holistic view on developments in the field.
João Ventura and Catarina Dias, were present once more at this event. They had the opportunity to share ideas with international researchers in the area and gave an oral presentation on “Resistive Switching of Si/Ag on Rigid and Flexible Substrates”.
By Catarina Dias
05.07.2019
Equipment and Safety course for IFIMUP Labs
Equipment and Safety course for IFIMUP Labs
The “Equipment and Safety course for IFIMUP Labs” occurred on July 3rd. This course was dedicated to critical issues related with safety and correct usage of the equipments at IFIMUP Labs, in particular the Bottom-up Nanofabrication Laboratory, the Materials Lab and the Transport Properties Lab I & II. This course was given by the Researchers responsible for these labs, Célia Sousa, Arlete Apolinário, Gonçalo Oliveira and João Horta. More than 30 people attended (Master, PhD and Researchers) which are regular users of these labs.
This course was given in the context of the re-structuring of these labs in order to promote the correct, safe and most efficient use of equipment by all members. It focused on the general safety rules of each lab and equipment, namely: 1) the risks and safety procedure associated with any chemical reaction, procedure in the case of a fire accident, technical details on vacuum pumps, safety rules for the use of gases and furnaces. Finally, the general rules of each lab were presented.
At the end of this course, the attendees were given the presentation slides and were requested to fill a form in order to evaluate their understanding of the rules and procedures presented.
The next edition of the “Equipment and Safety course for IFIMUP Labs” will occur in October 2019.
By João Horta Belo
01.07.2019
ENURS 2019 organized at IFIMUP with synchrotron scientists
ENURS 2019 organized at IFIMUP with synchrotron scientists
The 8th Meeting of Portuguese Synchrotron Radiation Users was organized at IFIMUP. Besides the attendance and contributions of about 50 portuguese users from all over the country, we also had the pleasure to receive 5 directors and scientists from the ESRF (Jean Susini, Jaime Segura-Ruiz and Gaston Garbarino), Diamond (Diego Gianolio) and DESY (Isabel Bento) european synchrotrons, who presented to our community the latest opportunities available at these large infrastructures.
By Rui Vilarinho
01.07.2019
IFIMUP students awarded at the Doctoral Congress in Engineering 2019
IFIMUP students awarded at the Doctoral Congress in Engineering 2019
IFIMUP was highly represented at the 3rd Doctoral Congress in Engineering, held at FEUP from 27th to 28th of June, 2019. PhD and MSc students presented a total of 11 oral communications and 3 poster presentations and won 2 awards. DCE19 was an opportunity for doctoral and master students, of the several areas of engineering, to discuss their on-going research with peers, professors and industry and also for potential industry partners to contact a broad audience of engineers which will soon be looking to move on to the industry.
Best oral communication, Symposium on Engineering Physics – Margarida Maia: Thermoelectric Materials for new innovative devices: from nanoparticles to composites.
Best poster presentation, Symposium on Materials Science and Engineering – Mariana Gomes: Piezoelectric Response of K0.5Na0.5NbO3 Designed by Sintering Engineering.
By Catarina Dias
27.06.2019
IFIMUP evaluated as Excellent in the national FCT Evaluation of R&D Units
IFIMUP evaluated as Excellent in the national FCT Evaluation of R&D Units
FCT published on Monday the 24th of June, the preliminary results of the national evaluation of R&D Units for the period of 2020-2023. IFIMUP was evaluated as an Excellent R&D unit by the Exact Sciences – Physics panel. IFIMUP was, thus, one of the five units from this panel (within a total of 15 units) with this grade. The panel proposed the allocation of a total funding of 872 k€ for the 2020-2023 period, including a New PhD (junior) Researcher Contract. Additionally, the panel attributed 5 four-year-PhD-Fellowships, to be financed directly by FCT to MAP-Fis students developing research work at IFIMUP.
The International panel, that visited IFIMUP, was constituted by researchers from the University of York, IBM Switzerland, Max Planck Institute, Stuttgart, Aalto University and Paul Scherrer Institute. This panel highlighted that “the topics are carefully chosen”, “the scientific work in the reporting period is on a high level”, “the level of international collaboration is high”, “the key researchers are relatively young (all in their forties), but nevertheless respected figures in their respective areas of expertise”, among others. Also, the good scientific output (320 articles in the last 5 years for 17-25 researchers) and many collaborations are mentioned. They further acknowledge IFIMUP’s 9 patents and 2 spin-offs. Finally, the panel mentioned that IFIMUP’s “plan to go forward is very well thought, thorough and describes the direction and methodology of the research” and that on their visit the panel-members noticed that “the small team of Integrated Researchers is a dynamic group developing innovative ideas and novel approaches to material science, exploiting their strengths in this area”. The complete report is available here.
IFIMUP’s members are very proud of this recognition for their work and appreciate all these nice words.
By Catarina Dias & João Pedro Araújo
25.06.2019
António Moreira dos Santos, instrument scientist at the ORNL, visited IFIMUP
António Moreira dos Santos, instrument scientist at the ORNL, visited IFIMUP
IFIMUP recently welcomed Dr. António Moreira dos Santos, a Instrument Scientist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Dr. António Santos holds a degree in Materials Engineering by the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and a PhD in Experimental Condensed Matter Physics from the University of California Santa Barbara. Currently, he is one of the instrument scientists responsible for several diffraction techniques at ORNL, including, for instance, the Spallation Neutrons and Pressure diffractometer, dedicated to perform neutron scattering studies under high pressure conditions at the ORNL Spallation Neutron Source facility. His visit to IFIMUP was carried out within the framework of his participation in the research project “Functional Lattice Instabilities in naturally layered Perovskites” (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029454), which is led by Dr. Armandina Maria Lima Lopes, a Senior Researcher at IFIMUP. During his visit, Dr. Antonio Santos also gave a seminar entitled "Condensed Matter Research at the ORNL's Neutron Sources", in which he discussed the type of scientific research that is carried out at the ORNL by using distinct characterization techniques based on neutron scattering and how one can apply for beam time.
Seminar abstract:
“Neutron scattering is a unique tool in materials sciences. It allows studies on problems mostly inaccessible through other techniques, such as direct interrogation on the location of light elements, unveiling complex magnetic structures, or the non-destructive testing of large engineering parts. Unlike visible light (Lasers) and X-rays, neutrons beams for materials research can only be produced in dedicated facilities, such as nuclear reactors or spallation sources. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is unique in that it houses both neutron sources, the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), making it arguably the leading laboratory in the world for neutron scattering research. These facilities enable investigations over a broad range of materials, in the form of powders, glasses and single crystals. Here we will illustrate the promise of neutron diffraction to physics and chemistry research. We will show examples comprising, for example, magnetic phase diagrams in lanthanides, phase competition in manganites and structural studies of clathrate hydrates. These examples will highlight how the use of the neutron scattering can assist in pursuing exciting science. Finally, ongoing improvements and additions to the SNS capabilities will be discussed: facility capabilities, instrument improvements and new sample environment devices that open a new frontier in neutron scattering.”
By Pedro Rodrigues
17.06.2019
Evaluation Panel of Exact Sciences-Physics visits IFIMUP
Evaluation Panel of Exact Sciences-Physics visits IFIMUP
FCT_evaluation.MOVOn June 13th, IFIMUP was visited by FCT Evaluation Panel of Exact Sciences - Physics as part of the ongoing FCT evaluation of the research units. IFIMUP's Directive Board thanks all the members who contributed to the organization of this event.
By João Pedro Araújo
05.06.2019
2019 E-MRS Spring Meeting in Nice, France
2019 E-MRS Spring Meeting in Nice, France
The 2019 Spring Meeting of the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) was recently held in Nice on 27-31 May. Researchers from all over the world gathered in this beautiful city in the French Riviera to discuss the latest advances in materials science and engineering, with Materials in Energy, Bio- and Soft Materials and Nano-functional and 2D Materials as some of the main subjects discussed throughout the week.
Researchers of IFIMUP had the opportunity to present their work on 6 different symposia, with an impressive output of 2 posters, 5 oral presentations and 1 invited talk. Topics included magnetostrictive inks (Joana Silva), magnetic biomaterials (Francisca Gomes), thermoelectric devices (Margarida Maia), triboelectric materials (Cátia Rodrigues), wearable supercapacitors (Rui Costa, Joana Teixeira (REQUIMTE) and André Pereira), ionic thermoelectric supercapacitors (Ana Pires) and protective coatings (Bogdan Postolnyi). Notable talks included Nobel laureate in Physics Professor Klaus von Klitzing and triboelectrics expert Professor Zhong Lin Wang.
By Francisca Gomes
04.06.2019
IFIMUP's Researchers present at ICFPM 2019
IFIMUP's Researchers present at ICFPM 2019
Arlete Apolinário and João Belo, Junior Researchers from the IFIMUP Multifunctional Magnetic Materials and Nanostructures group, were in Gijón (Asturias, Spain) from 26th to 31th of May, attending the International Conference on Fine Particle Magnetism 2019 (ICFPM19). In Gijón, the two researchers met with Maria Paz Fernández García, former researcher at IFIMUP and forever collaborator and friend of our group. At ICFPM19, Arlete Apolinário presented orally the work entitled “Unraveling the interplay between structural and magnetic properties of anodic iron oxide nanotubes” very successfully generating great interest among the audience. João Belo presented the work entitled “Size-induced negative thermal expansion in Gd 5 (Si,Ge) 4 multifunctional material” which also created interest and potential new collaborations.
In addition, the two researchers had opportunity to listen to several interesting talks, including from T. Pellegrino, with the title Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles to tackle cancer, from Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy; where in-vivo hyperthermia studies were described with promising and encouraging cancer combat results and the talk by H. Srikanth, this year lecture of the year for IEEE, entitled “Tuning Magnetic Anisotropy in Nanostructures for Biomedical and Electromagnetic Applications”.
By Arlete Apolinário & João Horta
31.05.2019
IFIMUP’s research on the national news
IFIMUP’s research on the national news
Last week Exame Informática, the television segment from the national cable channel SIC Notícias, featured the research being made on the project “MindTheGap - Decoding and bridging somatosensory information in the spinal cord”, a collaboration between i3S, IFIMUP and INESC-MN. Paulo Aguiar, i3S researcher and project leader, revealed a new meaning for the expression "mind the gap". The ambitious goal of the project is to try to better understand how the sensory information is coded and decoded by the neurons in the spinal cord, which is one of nature's best kept secrets. One of the objectives is to reverse pathologies, such as chronic pain and spinal cord injuries, without using drugs. For that they use microelectrode arrays to electrically induce controlled activity in neurons. Furthermore, they are considering flexible devices that facilitates the development of prostheses able to communicate with neurons. The complete video (in Portuguese) can be seen below.
By Catarina Dias
ON THE NEWS.mp421.05.2019
Dr. Ana Pires defended her PhD Thesis
Dr. Ana Pires defended her PhD Thesis
Dr. Ana Pires defended her PhD Thesis entitled “New Nanogenerators for Thermal Energy Harvesting” on May, 17th. Our warmest congratulations to her and to her supervisor, Prof. André Pereira and her co-supervisors Dr. Armandina Lopes and Dra. Clara Pereira, from the Faculty of Sciences of Porto University. The work focused on the development of micro and nanogenerators based on thermoelectric materials for thermal energy harvesting. Nowadays, a large fraction of the total energy consumed is lost to thermal losses due to devices inefficiency – part of this energy can be recovered by thermal generators. Ana's work on the optimization of thermoelectric materials and their incorporation on flexible polymers was published in high-impact journals such as ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Moreover, her innovative work opened a new area of research so-called interdigital planar thermally chargeable supercapacitor.
“Printed Flexible μ-Thermoelectric Device Based on Hybrid Bi2Te3/PVA Composites”, Ana L. Pires, Inês F. Cruz, Joana Silva, Gonçalo N. P. Oliveira, Sofia Ferreira-Teixeira, Armandina M. L. Lopes, João P. Araújo, Joana Fonseca, Clara Pereira, André M. Pereira, 11, 9, 8969-8981 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b18081
“Innovative Planar All-Solid-State Ionic Thermoelectric Supercapacitor” A. L. Pires, R. S. Costa, C. Pereira, and A. M. Pereira E-MRS 2019 Spring Meeting, 27 31 May (2019) https://www.european-mrs.com/advanced-materials-components-processes-integrated-autonomous-micro-power-sources-emrs (Invited Oral presentation).
Patente: Ref. P649. PP – NPAT309’17: “Thermionic capacitor chargeable by Soret-effect using gradient temperature”, under evaluation, inventors Clara Pereira, André Pereira, Rui Costa and Ana Pires.
By João Horta
13.05.2019
Condensed Matter Physics National Conference at Porto
Condensed Matter Physics National Conference at Porto
From 8th to 10th of May, IFIMUP’s researchers had the opportunity to participate in the 2nd Portuguese Condensed Matter Physics Meeting that took place at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. The conference was organized by the Portuguese Physical Society, namely Prof. Joaquim Agostinho Moreira (IFIMUP and FCUP) and Prof. Bernardo Almeida (University of Minho). The main objective of the meeting was to promote contact between scientists working in Condensed Matter Physics, in order to share experiences, to spread the latest information on progress in their specialties, to gain visibility for their research, and to put young researchers interacting with their peers and seniors. 65 MSc and PhD students have attended the conference, as well as 50 senior researchers from different Portuguese universities and laboratories. IFIMUP’s research was presented in 10 oral presentations (1 invited) and 10 poster presentations. The Proceedings of the 2nd Portuguese Condensed Matter Physics Meeting will be published in EPJ Web of Conferences.
The Scientific Program also hosted a special session for the young researchers and students: the EPS Young Mind Project introduced by Dr. Roberta Caruso (Naples University) and Dr. Teresa Coimbra (University of Aveiro). They have presented the project to the Physics Students' Nuclei in order to spread and strength the project in Portugal, enabling a broader participation of our students in EPS activities.
By Catarina Dias & Joaquim Agostinho Moreira
07.05.2019
Prof. Dr. Abílio Almeida’s jubilation
Prof. Dr. Abílio Almeida’s jubilation
This Monday we had the pleasure to celebrate Prof. Dr. Abílio Almeida’s jubilation, after having completed 70 years old. The afternoon started with two invited talks from Dr. Paula Vilarinho from the University of Aveiro (“Why do we keep investigating titanates and niobates based ferroics?”) and Dr. José Luís Ribeiro from the University of Minho (“Symmetry, constitutive relations and magnetoelectric effects in multiferroic materials”). Afterwards, many colleagues and former students had the opportunity to pay tribute to his work and personality.
We wish Dr. Abílio all the best for his jubilee stage and hope to see him working with IFIMUP for many more years.
By Catarina Dias
01.05.2019
Dr. Vivian Andrade defended her PhD Thesis
Dr. Vivian Andrade defended her PhD Thesis
Dr. Vivian Andrade defended her PhD Thesis entitled “Studies on the multifunctional Gd5(Si,Ge)4 compounds: from the bulk to the micro and nano scales” on April, 26th. Our warmest congratulations to her and to her supervisor, Prof. João Pedro Araújo and her co-supervisor Professor Mário Reis, from the Universidade Federal Fluminense - Instituto de Física. Vivian´s work started with the understanding and optimization of Gd5(Si,Ge)4 bulk compounds. Then her work focused on the study of size-reduction effects on the atomic and magnetic structures of the multifunctional Gd5(Si,Ge)4 compounds. At the microscale, she has embedded Gd5(Si,Ge)4 microparticles in a flexible piezoelectric PVDF matrix unveiling new multiferroic applications for these composites. At the nanoscale, she was a pioneer on the synthesis of Gd5(Si,Ge)4 nanoparticles by nano and femtosecond ablation, both in high-vacuum chambers and by liquid ablation.
Major publications:
“Lanthanum Dilution Effects on the Giant Magnetocaloric Gd5Si1.8Ge2.2 Compound”, Vivian M. Andrade, Joao H. Belo, Mario S. Reis, Rui M. Costa, Andre M. Pereira and Joao P. Araujo*, Phys. Status Solidi B 2018, 1800101. https://doi.org/10.1002/pssb.201800101
“Multiferroic composite as a multicaloric material: Gd5Si2:4Ge1:6 microparticles embedded into a ferroelectric PVDF matrix” V. M. Andrade, A. Amirov, D. Yusupov, B. Pimentel, N. Barroca, A. L. Pires, J. H. Belo, A. M. Pereira, M. A. Valente, J. P. Araujo, and M. S. Reis. In preparation
Major presentations:
“Gd5(Si,Ge)4 nanoparticles produced by pulsed laser deposition”, INTERMAG, 2018, Singapore.
By João Horta
30.04.2019
Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 visited IFIMUP
Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 visited IFIMUP
Last Friday, April 26, Prof. Gérard Mourou, one of the laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018, visited the Ultrafast Lasers and Magnetodynamics Spectroscopies IFIMUP’s research group and laboratories at the Department of Physics and Astronomy (FCUP), as well as Sphere Ultrafast Photonics, IFIMUP’s deep-tech spin-off company. His talk on the present and future role of ultra-intense lasers was truly inspiring (the conference hall was packed) - "The best is yet to come!". A truly great and memorable day for everyone: young students, researchers, professors, and the general public.
By Helder Crespo
23.04.2019
IFIMUP's Researchers present at IWAMO 2019
IFIMUP's Researchers present at IWAMO 2019
From 15th to 17th of April, four IFIMUP researchers presented their latest research at IWAMO 2019. Oral presentations were made by Ricardo Moreira, master’s student, Pedro Rodrigues, PhD student and two post-docs Gonçalo Oliveira and Samuel Silva. Hosted this year by the University of Aveiro, IWAMO is an international Workshop on Advanced Magnetic Oxides. The workshop was a great opportunity to acquire new knowledge and exchange ideas on state‐of‐the‐art research and the latest advancements regarding magnetic oxides.
By Tiago Leal
17.04.2019
BETSA® high-pressure cell acquisition and training
BETSA® high-pressure cell acquisition and training
Joaquim Agostinho Moreira and Rui Vilarinho were at BETSA® site France from 11 to 12 April, a company dedicated in design and manufacture products for high-pressure experiments, for a 2-day training on the recently acquired high-pressure membrane diamond anvil cell (MDAC), making IFIMUP and NECL the first laboratory in Portugal with the capability to achieve very high hydrostatic pressures, up to 100 GPa (1 million atmospheres).
By Rui Vilarinho
12.04.2019
IFIMUP’s research in the news
IFIMUP’s research in the news
Dr. João Ventura talked with the Portuguese Lusa News Agency about the work developed on a more efficient and fluid free magnetic refrigerator. He told that the prototype aims to transfer heat and cold more efficiently and without fluids, using a thermal switch. This research is within the FCT project “Magnetocaloric refrigerators based on highly efficient thermal switches”, which started six months ago following a previous work, involving researchers from FCUP and the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), which resulted in a provisional national and European patent. He further explained that in magnetic refrigerators (fridges) a fluid is needed to carry the cold to the food and transports the heat from the food to the outside. It is this fluid that they want to remove from the magnetic refrigerator, since it greatly decreases efficiency. The solution is the use of a solid material as a thermal switch. While the use of fluids in magnetic refrigeration implies that the frequency (the number of cooling cycles) of operation of these refrigerators is low, and this low frequency decreases efficiency, the thermal switches allow to increase the frequency and thus, to increase the efficiency of the equipment. Magnetic cooling can reduce energy consumption by up to 35%, which benefits the environment and the citizen, since the refrigeration sector accounts for about 17% of the world's total electricity consumption. They further have the collaboration of the English company Camfridge, that has accepted to be their consultant because it is interested in the technology to change its prototypes and incorporate the technology into new magnetic refrigerators. The “Thermal Switch” project was one of the 17 European patent applications with a "seal" of the University of Porto, in the context of which the video below was made. The complete text in Portuguese from the national newspaper Diário de Notícias can be seen here.
By Catarina Dias
08.04.2019
IFIMUP at 17th Mostra of University of Porto
IFIMUP at 17th Mostra of University of Porto
IFIMUP was once again present at the annual MOSTRA of the University of Porto, from 4 to 7 of April at Largo Amor de Perdição. This event is headed to basic and high school students, presenting all possible bachelors and masters, and the research/work that is developed at the Faculties and Institutes. The students have the opportunity to talk directly with professors, researchers, students and technicians in order to take an informed decision regarding their future academic education. IFIMUP presented the fascinating superconductor levitation track, using liquid nitrogen, for the young students’ astonishment.
By Catarina Dias
29.03.2019
Two IFIMUP's Master students awarded at IJUP 2019
Two IFIMUP's Master students awarded at IJUP 2019
Tiago Leal and Rodrigo Ferreira won best oral presentations at IJUP 2019 in Physics and Engineering, respectively. Congratulations to them and their supervisors. Tiago’s presentation was entitled “Local Probing (Ca)n+1(Mn)n(O)3n+1 Naturally Layered Perovskite” and his work is supervised by Dr. Armandina Lopes and Dr. João Pedro Araújo. Rodrigo’s presentation “Few-cycle laser for real-time nanomedicine research: towards innovative anti-cancer therapy” focused on the work developed during his master thesis, under the supervision of Dr. Helder Crespo and Dr. Jana Neider (INL). IJUP is an annual scientific meeting for youth research, where students of the University of Porto have the opportunity to present and discuss the results of their work.
By Catarina Dias
29.03.2019
IFIMUP received the 3rd Core Group meeting in the framework of the BioBrillouin COST Action
IFIMUP received the 3rd Core Group meeting in the framework of the BioBrillouin COST Action
IFIMUP received the 3rd Core Group meeting in the framework of the BioBrillouin COST Action on 28th and 29th April 2019 at the Physics and Astronomy Department, FCUP. Dehoux, Thomas (ILM-CNRS, France); Elsayad, Kareem (VBCF, Austry), Hamann, Thorsten (NTSU, Norway; Malin, Stephen (Karolinska University, Sweden); Palombo, Francesca (Exeter, UK); Sousa, Célia (FCUP, Portugal) were the work group leaders that participated in this meeting where the main objective was the preparation of the 3rd BioBriollouin Conference that will take place at FCUP, Portugal next 25-27th September.
BioBrillouin is a pan-European network established to advance the field of Brillouin Light Scattering as applied for life science and biomedical research and applications. Networking activities are funded largely by an EU COST grant (CA16124).
By Célia Sousa
26.03.2019
Dr. Catarina Dias defended her PhD Thesis
Dr. Catarina Dias defended her PhD Thesis
Dr. Catarina Dias defended her PhD Thesis yesterday entitled “Resistive Switching in MgO and Si/Ag Metal-Insulator-Metal structures”. Our warmest congratulations to her and to her supervisors, Dr. João Ventura, Dr. Susana Cardoso and Dr. Paulo Aguiar. The work focused on the nanofabrication of different metal-insulator-metal thin film structures and on the characterization of their resistive switching properties towards memristors and neuromorphic computation. This work also included the numerical simulations to understand the resistive switching mechanisms.
C. Dias, L. M. Guerra, J. Ventura, P. Aguiar, Memristor-based Willshaw network: Capacity and robustness to noise in the presence of defects, Applied Physics Letters 106 (22) (2015) 223505. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4922148
C. Dias, H. Lv, R. Picos, P. Aguiar, S. Cardoso, P. Freitas, J. Ventura, Bipolar resistive switching in Si/Ag nanostructures, Applied Surface Science 424 (2017) 122–126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2017.01.140
C. Dias, L. M. Guerra, B. D. Bordalo, H. Lv, A. M. Ferraria, A. M. Botelho do Rego, S. Cardoso, P. P. Freitas, J. Ventura, Voltage-polarity dependent multi-mode resistive switching on sputtered MgO nanostructures, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 19 (17) (2017) 10898–10904. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C7CP00062F
By Rui Vilarinho
20.03.2019
2018/2019 IFIMUP Master students – 2nd session
2018/2019 IFIMUP Master students – 2nd session
Next Monday we will have the second group of this year IFIMUP’s Master students presenting their motivation and workplan to the whole group.
By Catarina Dias
14.03.2019
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 3 presented by Post-doc Daniel Silva
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 3 presented by Post-doc Daniel Silva
Next Monday, 18th of March at 11h30 on room 106 (DFA), Daniel Silva will give the 3rd session of the 2019 IFIMUP Talks series. IFIMUP Talks consists on periodic meetings where IFIMUP researchers present their current state of work, focusing on the open questions and difficulties. The presentation is followed by an open discussion with possible suggestions presented by the audience. Daniel Silva is a Post-doc with a background in magnetic refrigeration and thermodynamic simulations and his talk will be about “Modeling and computing solid state caloric systems".
By Catarina Dias
06.03.2019
Dr. Rui Vilarinho defended his PhD Thesis
Dr. Rui Vilarinho defended his PhD Thesis
Dr. Rui Vilarinho defended today his PhD Thesis on “From Structural Distortions to Physical Properties in Orthorhombic Rare-Earth Perovskites”. Our warmest congratulations to him and to his supervisors, Prof. Joaquim Agostinho Moreira and Prof. Abílio Almeida. The work focused on the systematic fundamental investigation of the effect of structural distortion and spin-lattice coupling on the spin-reorientations and on the stabilization of magnetically-induced ferroelectric phases in different types of systems.
Crossover in the pressure evolution of elementary distortions in RFeO3 perovskites and its impact on their phase transition, R. Vilarinho, P. Bouvier, M. Guennou, I. Peral, M. C. Weber, P. Tavares, M. Mihalik, Jr., M. Mihalik, G. Garbarino, M. Mezouar, J. Kreisel, A. Almeida, and J. Agostinho Moreira, Phys. Rev. B 99, 064109 (2019). https://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.99.064109
Suppression of the cooperative Jahn-Teller distortion and its effect on the Raman octahedra-rotation modes of TbMn1−xFexO3, R. Vilarinho, D. J. Passos, E. C. Queirós, P. B. Tavares, A. Almeida, M. C. Weber, M. Guennou, J. Kreisel, and J. Agostinho Moreira, Phys. Rev. B 97, 144110 (2018). https://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.97.144110
On the ferroelectric and magnetoelectric mechanisms in low Fe3+ doped TbMnO3, R. Vilarinho, E. Queirós, D. J.Passos, D. A.Mota, P. B. Tavares, M. Mihalik Jr., M. Zentkova, M. Mihalik, A. Almeida and J. Agostinho Moreira, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 439, 167-172 (2017). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304885316331559
By Catarina Dias
06.03.2019
IFIMUP Seminar presented by Dr. Stanislav Kamba
IFIMUP Seminar presented by Dr. Stanislav Kamba
Today at 11h30 in room -117 (DFA), Dr. Stanislav Kamba gave the IFIMUP seminar entitled “Infrared and Raman active phonons, magnons and electromagnons”. Dr. Stanislav Kamba is the head of the group of Dielectric and Phonon Spectroscopy at the Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
By Catarina Dias
27.02.2019
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 2 presented by PhD Student Andreia Granja
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 2 presented by PhD Student Andreia Granja
This Wedneday, 27th of February at 11h30 on room 023 (DFA), Andreia Granja will give the 2nd session of the 2019 IFIMUP Talks series. IFIMUP Talks consists on periodic meetings where IFIMUP researchers present their current state of work, focusing on the open questions and difficulties. The presentation is followed by an open discussion with possible suggestions presented by the audience. Andreia Granja is a PhD student of the Biotechealth doctoral program (FFUP-ICBAS) and her talk will be about “Multifunctional lipid nanocarriers for breast cancer therapy".
By Catarina Dias
18.02.2019
TUMIEE COST Action – 1st Working Group meeting, FCUP, March 4, 2019
TUMIEE COST Action – 1st Working Group meeting, FCUP, March 4, 2019
The 1st Working Group meeting of the CA17126 COST action (TUMIEE) will be organized by Prof. Helder Crespo and will take place at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, on the 4th of March. The theme of the TUMIEE (Towards Understanding and Modelling Intense Electronic Excitation) action is electronic excitation. The 1st WG meeting is intended to be a forum for detailed discussion on selected cases of interest and ways to tackle them by promoting collaborations among researchers from different fields. Progress on started collaborations, as well as detailed descriptions of cases relevant to electronic excitation will be presented during the meeting. In particular, in this event, a poster session is considered a good tool to enable face-to-face discussions with potential collaborators on unsolved problems that require multidisciplinary efforts.
By Catarina Dias
18.02.2019
IFIMUP Master students present at IJUP 2019
IFIMUP Master students present at IJUP 2019
Last Wednesday, five of IFIMUP’s Master students were present at IJUP 2019 after being selected for oral presentations within the Physics and Astronomy (Tiago Leal, Ricardo Moreira, André Maia and Mariana Gomes), and Engineering (Rodrigo Ferreira) sessions. IJUP is an annual scientific meeting for youth research, where students of the University of Porto have the opportunity to present and discuss the results of their work. The research initiation program intends to encourage the involvement of the students in R&D activities, as early as possible in their university training course.
By Catarina Dias
08.02.2019
2018/2019 IFIMUP Master students – 1st session
2018/2019 IFIMUP Master students – 1st session
Next Tuesday we will have the first group of this year IFIMUP’s Master students presenting their motivation and workplan to the whole group.
By Catarina Dias
25.01.2019
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 1 presented by Master Student Tiago Leal
Periodic meetings - 2019 IFIMUP Talks - # 1 presented by Master Student Tiago Leal
Next Thursday, 31st of January at 11h30 on room 106 (DFA), Tiago Leal will give the 1st session of the 2019 IFIMUP Talks series. IFIMUP Talks consists on periodic meetings where IFIMUP researchers present their current state of work, focusing on the open questions and difficulties. The presentation is followed by an open discussion with possible suggestions presented by the audience. Tiago Leal is a Master student working on the study of Ruddlesden-Popper Crystals using Perturbed Angular Correlations Spectroscopy and his talk will be about “Local Probing on Naturally Layered Perovskites".
By Catarina Dias
11.01.2019
Dr. Marcelo Barbosa defended his PhD Thesis
Dr. Marcelo Barbosa defended his PhD Thesis
Dr. Marcelo Barbosa defended his PhD Thesis on “Electronic structure, lattice location and stability of dopants in wide band gap semiconductors”. Our warmest congratulations to him and to his supervisors, Prof. João Pedro Araújo from University of Porto and Prof. Guilherme Correia from Instituto Superior Técnico of Lisboa. The work focused on a two way approach, bridging the experimental results of hyperfine interactions using the exotic techniques electron-gamma and gamma-gamma Perturbed Angular Correlation with theoretical simulations using ab-initio calculations in order to better understand the world of wide band gap semiconductors. Parallel to this work he developed a computacional tool PACme to fill a gap in the field of hyperfine interactions that will help other researchers fit their results.
By Gonçalo Oliveira
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