Issue 17 – June 23, 2022

RESEARCH

A theoretical-experimental study carried out at CINE showed that the addition of an ionic liquid crystal to a solvent widely used as an electrolyte in lithium-metal batteries makes the compound more chemically stable, besides improving its ionic conductivity. The work was made possible by the collaboration of teams from the divisions of Computational Materials Science and Advanced Energy Storage.

• Go to the paper in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A.
• Read the news on the CINE website.

REVIEWS

A work led by researchers from CINE and RCGI advances the knowledge about the techniques capable of elucidating the carbon dioxide reduction reaction – a process that transforms this greenhouse gas into compounds of industrial utility and high added value. In a review article, the authors discuss the development of electrochemical cells integrated into mass spectrometers to study this reaction in its particularities.

• Go to the review in ChemElectroChem.
• Read the news on the CINE website.

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Prof. Ana Flavia Nogueira (UNICAMP), director of CINE and coordinator of the Dense Energy Carriers division, was at the Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), on the outskirts of Barcelona, to develop a collaboration with scientist Monica Lira-Cantu, an expert in the stability of perovskite solar cells. The director of CINE gave a presentation about in situ experiments for perovskites investigation and visited the institute’s laboratories, as well as an outdoor system for stability measurements and tests.

Members of CINE’s Advanced Energy Storage (AES) division were among the winners of the 15th UNICAMP Inventors Award, granted by the Innovation Agency Inova UNICAMP, in the “licensed intellectual property” category. The award for CINE members highlighted the licensing to Shell of a patent on lithium-oxygen batteries whose electrolyte is enriched with a compound from the ionic liquid crystal family. The invention was developed at UNICAMP in the context of CINE. Honored were Prof. Gustavo Doubek (researcher at AES), Prof. Rubens Maciel Filho (principal investigator of the division), collaborating researcher Chayane Gonçalves Anchieta, postdoctoral fellow Thayane Carpanedo de Morais Nepel and master’s student Letícia Maria Sampaio Barros.

RESEARCH

Article by researchers from CINE’s Dense Energy Carriers division and collaborators discusses the development of a photoreactor for water decontamination formed by electrodes connected to a solar cell. The main innovation is the photoactive electrode that produces H2O2 from O2 reduction. The work involves harnessing and converting solar energy for an environmental application and can inspire the development of sustainable systems for on-site effluent remediation.

• Go to the paper in ACS Environmental Science & Technology Water.

RESEARCH

Research by CINE’s Computational Materials Science division identified stable two-dimensional chalcogenides based on copper and silver, analyzed their electronic properties and related them to their composition and structure. The study contributes to the search for new stable monolayers of chalcogenides – materials considered very promising for application in photovoltaic devices.

• Go to the paper in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter.

REVIEW

This review article with the participation of CINE members addresses photoelectrochemical systems used to treat water contaminated by pharmaceutical compounds. These systems can also be used for power generation when used with electron-directing electrodes. The review highlights the main semiconductor materials used in photoelectrocatalysis processes to degrade contaminating drugs.

• Go to the paper in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering.

The coordinator of CINE’s Methane to Products division, Fabio Coral Fonseca (IPEN) gave a lecture on new energies and clean hydrogen in Brazil at the second meeting of the Fédération Hydrogène (FRH2), within the international plenary session. The event was held from May 30th to June 3rd in Aussois (France).

Fabio Fonseca also participated, on April 28th, in a panel at the symposium on the electric – ethanol challenge organized by SAE – Brazil. He talked about solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), which allow, for example, to use ethanol to generate hydrogen and, from it, electricity – all in the same device.

Prof. Claudia Longo (UNICAMP), researcher at CINE’s Dense Energy Carriers division, presented a webinar on photoelectrodes for solar energy conversion at the Graduate Program in Physics and Chemistry of Materials at the Brazilian Federal University of São João Del Rei. Recording is available on YouTube.

Meet the CINE’s great research team: from scientific initiation grantees to the principal investigators of the Center’s four research divisions. See here.