Workshop Will Bring Together USP’s Electrochemistry Researchers

The University of São Paulo’s dean of Research, with support from the IEA and the Academy of Sciences of the State of São Paulo (Aciesp), will hold a workshop on Energy, Sensors and the Environment: Electrochemistry at USP on September 21, from 9 am to 6 pm, in the IEA’s Events Room. This is the first event of the Strategic Workshops series, organized by PRP-USP, coordinated by Hamilton Varela, professor at the Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos (IQSC) and president of the IEA Research Commission.

The seminar’s goal is to articulate scholars from the University of São Paulo working in the field of electrochemistry, particularly in interconversion of chemical and electrical energy, sensors, corrosion, environmental remediation and complex systems.

The event will include researchers from the Institute of Chemistry, IQSC, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP) and the School of Philosophy, Sciences and Literature of Ribeirão Preto (FCLRP).

The first part of the seminar will focus on research in sensors and the environment. Sergio Machado, a professor at IQSC who will speak on sensors and nanostructured electrochemical biosensors, explains that electrochemical sensors are devices that enable monitoring substances of interest, such as pesticides in our food or in the environment, by means of an electrochemical signal (current, potential or electrical charge) that is proportional to the concentration of the substance.

According to Machado, when this signal is generated through a biological reaction (e.g., an enzyme reaction) the sensors are called biosensors. “Their main advantage is their specificity, since enzyme reactions take place between the enzyme and its substrate, free from many of the interferences found in complex samples, such as food or biological fluids (blood or urine),” he says.

In the afternoon, the speakers will address issues concerning energy and the environment. One of the topics will be the development of fuel cells, which are an example of a clean energy source, because they are fueled by hydrogen and their end results are only energy and water. In addition, they are much more efficient than combustion engines.

Fuel cells are reactors that convert energy from chemical bonds into electricity, using reagents external to the system, unlike ordinary batteries (our widely known electrochemical generators of energy) that use reagents contained in the system. Ordinary batteries, moreover, can only store energy and must be recharged.

Fuel cells already have practical use in a multitude of situations, but their scope cannot yet be classified as “large scale.” “This will only happen in the near future, after they have demonstrated their long-term durability,” explains Edson Ticianelli, one of the afternoon moderators.

PROGRAM

Photo: Laboratory of Applied Electrochemistry of the UFRJ