RSC Advances Blog

We are delighted to present the 2023 edition of the RSC Advances Emerging Investigators series! Following the success of our 2022 edition, we are excited to continue highlighting the chemistry research being conducted by some of the leading investigators in our community.

This year’s Series Editors were Professor Shirley Nakagaki (Federal University of Paraná, Brazil) and Dr Fabienne Dumoulin (Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar Universit, Türkiye). Eight articles were selected to support emerging researchers who are already making strides in their respective fields of research, both nationally and internationally. In this series, researchers address issues around water pollution, and develop analytical tools for the detection of biologically relevant substances. We also showcase efforts to prepare and characterize new compounds, as well as computational and theoretical research. Read all about the contributions in this accompanying Editorial.

We would like to take this opportunity to highlight an author from the series, Henry Chu. We interviewed Henry to find out more about his area of research and his contribution to the series.

Unidirectional drying of a suspension of diffusiophoretic colloids under gravity

Jinjie Xu, Zhikui Wang and Henry C. W. Chu

RSC Adv., 2023,13, 34852-34865

Henry Chu is an Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering and an Affiliate Assistant Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at University of Florida (UF). He obtained a M.Phil. from The University of Hong Kong advised by Professors Chiu-On Ng and Kwok Wing Chow, and a Ph.D. from Cornell University advised by Professor Roseanna Zia. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University, working with Professors Aditya Khair, Robert Tilton, Stephen Garoff, and Todd Przybycien. The research theme of his group is heterogeneous soft matter transport and design, covering topics such as complex fluid dynamics, colloid and interface science, electrokinetics, and rheology. His group develops predictive multi-scale computational tools and fundamental theory to address National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges, emphasizing on close collaboration with experimental groups to translate knowledge into applications. His work has been recognized through awards, including UF Global Faculty Fellowship, The Royal Society of Chemistry Soft Matter Emerging Investigator, American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Grants, and the U.S. Department of Energy Geosciences Research Grants.

1. Could you briefly explain the focus of your article to the non-specialist (in one or two sentences only) and why it is of current interest?

The focus of our article is to simulate and understand the enhancement in the thickness of the colloidal film produced by unidirectional drying an electrolyte-colloid suspension, under normal and microgravity. This is of current interest in manufacturing microstructured materials for ground-based and in-space applications, such as thermal coatings, electrodes, and photonic crystals.

2. How big an impact could your results potentially have?

Our work demonstrates an order-of magnitude enhancement in the thickness of the colloidal film due to the enhanced colloidal transport by the solute concentration gradient generated during unidirectional drying.

3. Could you explain the motivation behind this study?

The enhanced colloidal transport by a solute concentration gradient, known as diffusiophoresis, has been ignored in prior modeling. Prior to our simulations, we envisioned that diffusiophoresis will be pivotal in the drying process, since the typical velocity of colloidal transport by diffusiophoresis is significantly larger than that by solvent evaporation in a drying cell.

4. In your opinion, what are the key design considerations for your study?

The key design consideration for our study is to employ direct numerical simulations and develop a macrotransport theory to analyze the advective-diffusive transport of an electrolyte-colloid suspension in a unidirectional drying cell under the influence of gravity and diffusiophoresis.

5. Which part of the work towards this paper proved to be most challenging?

The most challenging but enjoyable part of this work is to educate and guide my students to complete this first project of them. We are glad that we made it!

6. What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?

The theme of our research is heterogeneous soft matter transport and design. We are excited about developing predictive multi-scale computational tools and fundamental theory to address emerging National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges, emphasizing on close collaboration with experimental groups to translate knowledge into applications.

7. How has your research evolved from your first article to this particular article?

I am grateful to my undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral research mentors, who guided me from my first article in hydrophobic microchannel flows to other published work in complex fluid dynamics, colloid and interface science, electrokinetics, and rheology. This article pertains to electrokinetic flows and is a tribute to my mentors 🙂

8. What is the next step? What work is planned?

Diffusiophoresis, the novel component of our article, is one of the specializations of our research group. We are excited about disseminating more of our discoveries of the fundamentals and applications of diffusiophoresis in the future!

9. Why did you want to publish in RSC Advances?

We published our article in RSC Advances, since our work was partly inspired by a high-quality article published in the same journal.

10. What are your thoughts on open access publishing?

Open access publishing is beneficial to disseminate knowledge, especially to institutes or individuals which cannot afford the traditional subscription model.

Submit to RSC Advances today! Check out our author guidelines for information on our article types or find out more about the advantages of publishing in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal.

Keep up to date with our latest  Popular Advances articles, Reviews, Collections & more by following us on Twitter. You can also keep informed by signing up to our E-Alerts.

We are delighted to present the 2023 edition of the RSC Advances Emerging Investigators series! Following the success of our 2022 edition, we are excited to continue highlighting the chemistry research being conducted by some of the leading investigators in our community.

This year’s Series Editors were Professor Shirley Nakagaki (Federal University of Paraná, Brazil) and Dr Fabienne Dumoulin (Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar Universit, Türkiye). Eight articles were selected to support emerging researchers who are already making strides in their respective fields of research, both nationally and internationally. In this series, researchers address issues around water pollution, and develop analytical tools for the detection of biologically relevant substances. We also showcase efforts to prepare and characterize new compounds, as well as computational and theoretical research. Read all about the contributions in this accompanying Editorial.

Please see below the biographies of some of the brilliant authors who have been published in the 2023 collection:

Henry Chu

Unidirectional drying of a suspension of diffusiophoretic colloids under gravity

Henry Chu is an Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering and an Affiliate Assistant Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at University of Florida (UF). He obtained a M.Phil. from The University of Hong Kong advised by Professors Chiu-On Ng and Kwok Wing Chow, and a Ph.D. from Cornell University advised by Professor Roseanna Zia. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University, working with Professors Aditya Khair, Robert Tilton, Stephen Garoff, and Todd Przybycien. The research theme of his group is heterogeneous soft matter transport and design, covering topics such as complex fluid dynamics, colloid and interface science, electrokinetics, and rheology. His group develops predictive multi-scale computational tools and fundamental theory to address National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges, emphasizing on close collaboration with experimental groups to translate knowledge into applications. His work has been recognized through awards, including UF Global Faculty Fellowship, The Royal Society of Chemistry Soft Matter Emerging Investigator, American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Grants, and the U.S. Department of Energy Geosciences Research Grants.

Bernardo Almeida Iglesias

First report of trans-A2B-corrole derived from a lapachone derivative: photophysical, TD-DFT and photobiological assays

Bernardo Almeida Iglesias received his Ph.D. degree from Institute of Chemistry of University of Sao Paulo in 2012, under the guidance of Professor Koiti Araki. Currently, he is Assistant Professor at the Federal University of Santa Maria – Brazil and CNPq Scholarship (PQ-2). His research interests are focused on the synthesis and photobiology of tetrapyrrole macrocycles (porphyrins and corroles) for application in bioinorganic chemistry and photodynamic therapy applications. Authorized 170 research papers and actuates as Coordinator of Chemistry at FAPERGS (Rio Grande do Sul State Research Foundation).

Moses O. Alfred

Distribution and toxicity of dihydroxybenzenes in drinking water sources in Nigeria

Dr Moses O Alfred holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Chemistry and an MSc in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry from Redeemer’s University, Nigeria, building upon his foundational BSc in Industrial Chemistry from Adekunle Ajasin University. Throughout his academic journey, Dr Alfred has garnered prestigious scholarships, including The World Academy of Science Master’s Degree Scholarship, the African-German Network of Excellence in Sciences (AGNES) mobility grant, the TWAS-CNPq Sandwich Ph.D. Fellowship and, recently, the Alexander von Humboldt Georg Forster Postdoctoral Fellowship showcasing his exceptional dedication to advancing environmental science. Renowned for his groundbreaking research in the investigation of water quality issues, water purification, and pollution control, Dr. Alfred’s innovative work not only surveys water pollution but also focuses on developing low-cost materials from waste matter to remove toxic contaminants from water sources. His contributions, including novel adsorbents and photocatalytic materials, have earned him international recognition and invitations to present at esteemed conferences and workshops. As an educator, Dr Alfred mentors and supervises students at Redeemer’s University and the African Centre of Excellence for Water and Environmental Research (ACEWATER), shaping the next generation of environmental scientists. Driven by his passion for environmental sustainability, Dr. Alfred’s research, peer review activities, and commitment to mentorship continue to leave a lasting impact on the field, inspiring future scientists.

Vanessa Nascimento

Synthesis and evaluation of photophysical, electrochemical, and ROS generation properties of new chalcogen-naphthoquinones-1,2,3-triazole hybrids

Mother of twins Arthur and Lucca (6 years old). She graduated in Industrial Chemistry from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (2009). Master (2011) and PhD in Chemistry from the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, with a period funded by PDSE/Capes, at UNIPG, Italy (2015). She completed her postdoctoral, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Faruk Nome, also at UFSC. Since 2016, she has been an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Universidade Federal Fluminense, where she leads the research group: SupraSelen (SupraSelen Laboratory). She has experience in Chemistry, with an emphasis on Organic Synthesis. Her field of activity mainly covers the synthesis of compounds functionalized with organochalcogens for application in biological tests. She also works in the synthesis and applications of compounds involving Supramolecular Chemistry. She received the PeerJ Award in 2019 and, in the same year, became a Young Scientist of Our State by FAPERJ. Between 2020 and 2024, she served on the Young Researchers team of the Brazilian Chemical Society (secretary during 2022-2024) and the Latin American Network of Young Scientists working in Chemistry (LANYSC). In 2021, she joined the Núcleo Mulheres SBQ (media committee) and the International Younger Chemists Network (Public Outreach Committee). In 2022, she received the Jovem Cientista Fluminense Award from the Brazilian Chemical Society – Rio de Janeiro, where she serves as Treasurer for the period 2024-2026. ACS Premium Membership since 2023 and Full Member of the SBQ since 2008. Topical Advisory Panel and Guest Editor for Processes Journal, International board and secretary of the SeS Redox and Catalysis Network. In 2024, it received the Sustainability Star award from the American Chemical Society.

Looking forward: Emerging Investigator Series 2024!

We are pleased to announce that Shirley and Fabienne will continue as the Series Editors for the 2024 Emerging Investigator series. We can’t wait to see what the next early career investigators have been working on in Chemistry!

Authors can self-nominate for participation in the Emerging Investigators Series. Articles can be submitted to the series at any time and will be accepted and published throughout the year. If you would like to be involved in our upcoming series, please look at our webpage for more information or submit now!

For any questions do not hesitate to contact us at advances-rsc@rsc.org

Submit to RSC Advances today! Check out our author guidelines for information on our article types or find out more about the advantages of publishing in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal.

Keep up to date with our latest Popular Advances, Reviews, Collections & more by following us on Twitter. You can also keep informed by signing up to our E-Alerts.

Thank you so much to the Series Editors, Associate Editors and to all our reviewers at RSC Advances for their ongoing support and contribution, helping us to bring together such a fantastic collection of articles.

Welcome to our Emerging Investigators Series 2022! This series, led by Prof Shirley Nakagaki (Federal University of Paraná, Brazil) and Dr Fabienne Dumoulin (Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar Universit, Türkiye), highlights the very best work from early-career researchers in all areas of chemistry. 10 papers were published as part of the collection spanning the breadth of chemistry on topics ranging from green and environmental chemistry, to biological and bioinorganic chemistry, as well as papers that propose theoretical calculations as solutions to chemistry problems. You can read all about the contributions in this accompanying Editorial prepared by Shirley.

We would like to take this opportunity to highlight an author from the series, . We interviewed Ivaldo Itabaiana Junior to find out more about his area of research and his contribution to the series.

Lipase-catalyzed acylation of levoglucosan in continuous flow: antibacterial and biosurfactant studies
Marcelo A. do Nascimento, Juan P. C. Vargas, José G. A. Rodrigues, Raquel A. C. Leão, Patricia H. B. de Moura, Ivana C. R. Leal, Jonathan Bassut, Rodrigo O. M. A. de Souza, Robert Wojcieszake and Ivaldo Itabaiana, Jr
RSC Adv., 2022,12, 3027-3035

Professor Ivaldo Itabaiana Junior holds a degree in Pharmacy from the Federal University of Rio Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil (2009), a PhD in Pharmaceutical Science from UFRJ (2013) with a sandwich period at the National Hellenic Research Foundation (Athens, Greece), as well as a post-doctorate in Biocatalysis from the Institute of Chemistry of UFRJ, and a Post-doctorate in hybrid catalysis from UCCS – CNRS (Lille, France).

Since 2014, he is an adjunct professor at the School of Chemistry of UFRJ, where he has been developing research on the application of the concepts of biocatalysis, biotransformation, photocatalysis and hybrid catalysis in the valorization of residual lignocellulosic biomass aiming at obtaining value-added compounds, such as enzymes, surfactants, polymers and building blocks, in order to obtain a zero-waste biorefinery. He has more than 58 published papers, and international collaborations, such as UCCS-Lille (France), UCL (Belgium), Universidad de Córdoba (Spain), EIE (Greece), and others. He has more than 12 graduate students, and is currently vice-coordinator of the Graduate Program in Chemical and Biochemical Process Engineering at UFRJ. In his career, he has won awards such as the best doctoral thesis at UFRJ (2014), as well as the Capes Thesis Award, at the national level. He also has projects funded by being a Young Scientist, and a research productivity fellow.

Could you briefly explain the focus of your article to the non-specialist (in one or two sentences only) and why it is of current interest?

This article aimed to obtain a compound with antibacterial and surfactant properties from a precursor derived from agro-industrial waste, as a form of reuse, aiming at an environmentally friendly process.

How big an impact could your results potentially have?

This work can generate an industrial product that presents great biosurfactant and antibacterial capacity, produced under mild conditions of reaction, since it comes from an enzymatic way and presents as substrate the levoglucosan, originated from residual biomass pyrolysis. Therefore, our results move towards a possible construction of an integrated process of valorisation of lignocellulosic biomass, with probability of low cost steps.

Could you explain the motivation behind this study?

My research currently involves the valorization of Brazilian and worldwide residual biomass, aiming to obtain molecules that contribute to the society in general, in order to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life. The lignocellulosic residues, as a reflection of the increase in life expectancy of the world population and the consequent industrialization, have increased alarmingly, and new processes to add these components back into the productive chain are required. Our group has work in this challenging area, where this article is part of a project of valorisation of levoglucosan, a compound that has origin in the fast pyrolysis of these biomasses.

In your opinion, what are the key design considerations for your study?

Levoglucosan (LG) is a challenging molecule since it is obtained through pyrolysis of residual lignocellulosic biomass. Our group has been studying better conditions to obtain LG through fast pyrolysis of several biomasses. As it is a complex mixture of compounds, pyrolysis products also challenge us to develop new technologies for the best use of these fractions, and with this, my line of research has been based on the coupling of biocatalysis, photocatalysis, and hybrid catalysis in obtaining new compounds that can add value and return the residual biomass to the production chain, as a way of establishing future zero biorefineries.
LG chemically challenges us in obtaining compounds of industrial importance, since it presents a structure with steric hindrance, and there are still few published works where this molecule is applied as a substrate or starting reagent for obtaining derived compounds. Therefore, we seek to fill a gap in the literature, and we hope to succeed.

Which part of the work towards this paper proved to be most challenging?

In my opinion, the characterization of the esterification reaction products were the most challenging, since levoglucosan presents a differentiated stereochemistry, generating the possibility of formation of more than one product. Thus, some previous steps of separation and characterization with different physical methods were necessary to evaluate and quantify the products formed. Moreover, the biomass pyrolysis and optimization step to obtain larger amounts of levoglucosan also deserves attention due to the complexity of lignocellulosic materials.

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?

At this point in our research, we were able to couple important results on photocatalysis and biocatalysis in the construction of new catalysts that managed to improve the reaction selectivity of LG with other compounds, in order to obtain new molecules with biosurfactant potential. We are advancing in this part and managing to build new catalytic systems for the valorization of other molecules from residual biomass.
We are also investing in collaborations for process modeling and building robust models for the prediction of better catalytic conditions, which are more economically viable and sustainable, and we are obtaining encouraging results.

How has your research evolved from your first article to this particular article?

My first paper in my scientific career was published demonstrating the phytochemical study of medicinal plants with antimicrobial properties. Currently, we seek, through the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass, to obtain new molecules that also have this application. It is interesting to carry out this relationship, where I could realize that over time, I could follow the evolution of science and technology, and couple the knowledge acquired in my work, without escaping my main objectives, which are to find molecules that can improve the quality of life of the world population.

What is the next step? What work is planned?

Some molecules derived from lignocellulosic biomass showed potential biological activity, and in this sense, the next steps will be to improve yields and selectivity in obtaining these compounds, increase the scale of production and perform new more specific assays to determine mechanism of action and new models of activity. We hope to continue publishing new processes, technologies and integrated results of synthesis and application.

Why did you want to publish in RSC Advances?

The publication of the article in RSC Advances came from a prior invitation from the editor, which we were very happy about. The journal has a relevant impact in the area of biocatalysis and biotechnology, with very inspiring works. Our group already has previous works in this journal, the impact was very positive.

What are your thoughts on open access publishing?

In my opinion Open Access publishing should be a standard within the academic world. The dissemination of knowledge is a fundamental pillar for science, which is the one that produces knowledge. Unfortunately, the capitalist world still imposes many barriers for scientists to know the work of other colleagues, or to carry out more grandiose research, which could improve the quality of life of the world population. And it all starts with greater access to information.

Submit to RSC Advances today! Check out our author guidelines for information on our article types or find out more about the advantages of publishing in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal.

Keep up to date with our latest  Popular Advances articles, Reviews, Collections & more by following us on Twitter. You can also keep informed by signing up to our E-Alerts.