Filipe Vargas Ferreira is the only Brazilian among the 25 winners this year. Award selects young talents in sustainability research
The doctoral student in Chemical Engineering at Unicamp, Filipe Vargas Ferreira, was one of the winners of the Green Talents 2020 award. The only Brazilian among the 25 winners this year, Filipe competed with 589 other candidates from 87 countries. The focus of the young scientist's research is the development of biodegradable polymeric materials with the potential to be used as packaging and biomedical implants. Promoted by the German Ministry of Education and Research, the Green Talents program selects young science talents and provides visibility for innovative research in areas involving sustainability.
"The award is recognition of work that I have been developing for a few years. More important than that, the Green Talents award is global recognition of cutting-edge research developed at a Brazilian public university", celebrates Filipe. At Unicamp, the research is carried out under the guidance of professor Liliane Ferrareso Lona, from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering (FEQ) and is funded by the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp) and the European Research Council Fellowship. It also counts on the collaboration of researchers and partner laboratories from Unicamp itself and other educational institutions in Brazil, France and Finland.
"The judges of the Green Talents award highlighted the excellent research developed and its interdisciplinary approach, uniting natural sciences with social aspects. In fact, this interdisciplinarity was only possible by the collaborators who participated in this research. It is an honor for FEQ/Unicamp to see our doctoral student representing Brazil as one of the winners", comments the advisor, professor Liliane Ferrareso Lona.
Cellulose applied in packaging and implants
The research developed by Filipe has the distinction of contributing to the preservation of the environment through the possibility of reducing solid waste that pollutes the soil and rivers. It works on the development of biodegradable polymers with improved properties with the potential to replace conventional, non-biodegradable polymers, which are commonly called plastics. According to the doctoral student, due to their versatility, these plastics are present in several applications and, combined with their non-biodegradability, they become a major environmental problem when discarded. However, he explains that biodegradable plastics can be more fragile, in addition to having a higher cost, which makes their widespread use difficult.
"There is a great need for the development of biodegradable polymeric materials with improved performance and reduced price for different sectors. In our project, we use cellulose, the most abundant natural polymer on Earth, to develop high-performance, cheaper biodegradable polymeric materials , due to the raw material used, and with the potential to be used in different applications, such as in regenerative medicine and as biodegradable packaging", details Filipe.
To develop materials, research uses the crystalline portion of cellulose, known as nanocellulose, to improve the performance of biodegradable polymers. According to Filipe, tests demonstrate that the material has good resistance, but studies are still needed regarding its ability to protect against humidity and gas exchange. For application in healthcare, a method was developed for the preparation of nanocellulose-based cryogel, which can be applied as bone implants. The cryogel performed well in in vitro and in vivo tests in guinea pigs. The next steps are to evaluate how the material behaves in large animals and then in clinical trials.
Filipe says that his interest in an academic career and scientific research has been with him since his graduation in Chemical Engineering, studied at the Methodist University of Piracicaba. Until his arrival at Unicamp for his doctorate course, he attended the University of Stuttgart, in Germany, as a scholarship holder for the Science without Borders program, completed his master's degree in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering at the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA) and completed an internship research at the University of Texas, in the United States. Throughout these experiences, the researcher came into contact with nanotechnology and sustainable materials.
He reports that the choice of Unicamp to develop his doctorate was strategic, as this change of university and postgraduate program would be enriching challenges for his training and maturity as a researcher. So, he looked for Professor Liliane Lona's laboratory and her research at FEQ / Unicamp. "She was already working on a line of research involving the synthesis of biodegradable polymers and biodegradable polymer nanocomposites in collaboration with the National Nanotechnology Laboratory at the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials. Everything was connected, I had found a good University, a experienced and active advisor in the area, a collaboration with a large research center in the country and research on a topic that I had idealized in the USA", he shares.
"It opened my mind to new developments in the field"
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year the activities of the Green Talents Scientific Forum were carried out online. The event brings together the selected scientists and allows visits to research and teaching institutions in Germany and the exchange of experiences between researchers about their projects. This year's 25 selected took virtual tours of institutions such as the University of Hamburg, the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel, the Max Planck Institute and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
"Participating in Green Talents activities was a very important experience. I had contact with researchers who work with sustainability, but not necessarily in the development of new materials. This opened my mind to new developments in the area, and expanded my collaboration network", he reports Philip. He also highlights that the visibility obtained by the award made it possible to take research to spaces outside universities, bringing science closer to people. "This type of interaction helps to reduce the distance between the research we do in academia and society", he comments.
He also says that he intends to continue in this area of study, as the environmental need for sustainable solutions is growing in the world. Furthermore, he intends to enter the teaching career as a way of contributing to the development of science, also training new talents like himself: "I intend to become a university professor to teach, guide and inspire our young people to follow the path of teaching and research – one of the most important paths for the development of our country and the sustainable growth of our society".
