Apresentação Pessoal

MatER   Materials for Energy Research -NEW 

In collaboration with INESCTEC and FCUP (DFA), a new accepted paper. Hopefully, the first of many uniting LIBS to Lithium-based batteries: 
Diana Capela*, Manuela C. Baptista*, Beatriz M. Gomes, Pedro A.S. Jorge, Nuno A. Silva, M. Helena Braga, Diana Guimarães, Journal of Power Sources, 2025, 647, 237328, Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for surface analysis of solid-state anode-less battery  [*first authors] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2025.237328  Paper is out there!

In collaboration with Micael Nascimento (PI) and Marta Ferreira from UA we have an ENIGMA to disentangle ;-)  New project:
Hybrid optical fibEr seNsors for monItorinG in real-tiMe the next generation of solid-stAte cells - FCT project.
Thanks, Micael, thanks FCT: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia!

After a long optimization pathway... In collaboration with INEGI-LAETA:
Beatriz Arouca Maia, Natália Magalhães, Eunice Cunha, Nuno Correia, Maria Helena Braga, and Raquel Miriam Santos, Batteries, 2025, A comprehensive study of LFP-based cathodes: process parameters influence on the electrochemical properties, Batteries  https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11030093

Another great collaboration within  , Horizon Europe gave fruits:
Beatriz M. Gomes; Manuela C. Baptista; Ander Orue; Bhattacharjya Dhrubajyoti; Sylwia Terlicka; Peter Sjövall; Nico Zamperlin; Carlos Fonseca; Jasmin Smajic; Ville Kekkonen; Willar Vonk; Artur Tron; Andy Schena; Anwar Ahniyaz; M. Helena Braga, Energy Materials 2025, 5 All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries with NMC955 Cathodes: PVDF-Free Formulation with SBR and Capacity Recovery Insights https://doi.org/10.20517/energymater.2024.297  Paper is out there!

Great collaboration since Visiting Staff Member at Los Alamos National Lab 2008-11 with Prof. Anter El-Azab and his group at Purdue University USA, gave its latest fruit:
Jie Peng, W. Ryan Deskins, Maria Helena Braga, Anter El-Azab, AIP Advances (2025) 15, 025108, Effect of electron-phonon coupling on thermal transport in metals: a Monte Carlo approach for solving the coupled electron-phonon Boltzmann transport equations. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0248094

I am honored to have received the 2024 FEUP Scientific Excellence Award and dedicate it to the MatER students!

Great MatER and Materiais para Recolha e Armazenamento de Energia (MRAE) (21/22) / "Materials for Energy Harvesting and Storage (21/22)"  Eng. Physics Master's course. The paper that nucleated during the course!!!
Beatriz Moura Gomes, J. Francisco Ribeiro Moutinho, Maria Helena Braga Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2024, 12, 690-722 A perspective on the building blocks of a solid-state battery: from solid electrolytes to quantum power harvesting and storage doi: https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ta04228f 

"We are delighted to let you know that your publication, titled ‘A perspective on the building blocks of a solid-state battery: from solid electrolytes to quantum power harvesting and storage’, features in the 2024 Most Popular Articles collection for Journal of Materials Chemistry A. The collection highlights some of the most cited, most downloaded or most shared articles and reviews from 2024 published in Journal of Materials Chemistry A. You can read the full collection for free until 28 February 2024."  Way to go! Fly MatER students!

Our paper is front cover! M. Helena Braga and A. Nuno Guerreiro, The HfO₂ ferroelectric-metal heterojunction and its emergent electrostatic potential: comparison with ZrO₂ and SiO₂, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2024, 12, 19386–19397 DOI: 10.1039/D4TC02434F

Ângela Freitas; Manuela C. Baptista; M. Helena Braga, IJMS, Nov. 2024, Sustainable solid-state sodium-ion batteries featuring ferroelectric electrolyte. Congratulations, Ângela Freitas, on your first paper! 

On Nov. 6th, 2024, Materials Day, MatER was present at U. of Minho, Guimarães, at the Portuguese Materials Society (SPM) event!  Beatriz Gomes presented in the Ordem dos Engenheiros competition and did a fabulous job! It was a very disputed competition. Congratulations to the winners!

I presented in the morning and was awarded the biennial Maria Manuela Oliveira Award. The Maria Manuela Oliveira Prize was established in 2019 to highlight the crucial role that women play in research, development, innovation, technology transfer, and teaching in the field of Materials in Portugal. It is a great honor! Thank you, SPM, Maria Manuela de Oliveira, U. Minho, and Vista Alegre, for this award. I hope I will be able to give back accordingly…

World’s Top 2% Scientists list (2023)       Absolute numbers are often deceiving… Glad there is some way to normalize impact where < 100 papers may enter simultaneously and through the same door as > 350 papers because it is not the number that matters!... Thanks, MatER, for your work and support, even in the bluest days…

Sept. 2024,  Proud to be an Associate Editor of the prestigious Journal of Energy Storage (Elsevier) with Prof. Dr. Luisa Cabeza as Editor-in-Chief!
                                                                   PULSELiON EU        
MHB
Most important experience:
2008-2011 Research Scholar and Long Term Visiting Staff Member at Los Alamos National Laboratory (2008-2011).
2016-2019 Senior Research Fellow in the Materials Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, collaborating with Prof. John B. Goodenough, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019.

Main interests: 
Her main interests include experimental and theoretical characterization of solid-state materials and devices (e.g., ferroelectrics, electrolytes, energy harvest and storage devices, and metal hydrides). Her activities include materials synthesis, characterization, and devices’ conceptualization (new architectures), assembly, and testing.
The experimental techniques she uses are electrical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical cycling, ionic and electrical conductivity measurements, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray and neutron diffraction, and spectroscopy, including Rietveld refinement and pair distribution function (PDF).
Her theoretical simulation tools include density function theory (DFT), phonon, molecular dynamics, electrical, optical, and mechanical properties calculations, and phase diagram assessment (using CALPHAD).
She is credited with having created ferroelectric-glassy electrolytes and novel device architectures.

Main recognitions:
- 2024 FEUP Scientific Excellence Award
- Portuguese Materials Society (SPM), Maria Manuela Oliveira Award (2024)
- World’s Top 2% Scientists list (2023)
- Scientific recognition FEUP in 2023, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2007 for her publications and/or patents; Received on FEUP's day following two years.
- 2021 BIP PROOF award (Soli@uto team) with the support of Amadeu Dias Foundation, Santander Universities, and the University of Porto to develop a commercial prototype;
- 2020 Award "Personality" Exame Informática - Visão - Sapo (Portuguese) with SIC (TV); 
- 2014-2016 Special Visitor Researcher Grant of the CNPq (Brazilian Science Foundation);
- 2012 Luso-American Foundation (FLAD) Paper Grant to present the MRS 2012 invited talk in Boston, USA;
- 2008-2009 FCT Sabbatical fellowship;