She holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1980), a master’s degree in Organic Chemistry from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1986), and a Ph.D. in Science and Technology of Polymers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1991), in collaboration with the University of Durham, England. She is a Full Professor at IMA-UFRJ and the current Director of the Institute of Macromolecules Professor Eloisa. She coordinates the group of professors from IMA in the Global Plastics Agreement in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was the Coordinator of the Undergraduate Course in Nanotechnology at UFRJ from 2014-2018. She is the Coordinator of the Structuring Teaching Nucleus of the Undergraduate Course in Nanotechnology at the Institute of Macromolecules Professor Eloisa Mano at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, IMA/UFRJ. She completed postgraduate studies in Functional Foods in 2018. She has been a Scientist of Our State – FAPERJ since 2007 and a Productivity Fellow 1B of CNPQ. She coordinates a project of the FAPERJ Nanotechnology Network. She has extensive international collaboration with research groups in NMR in Portugal, Professor Pedro José Oliveira Sebastião of IST University of Lisbon, with the University Nova de Lisbon, with the University of Minho, and PIEP. She has experience in the area of Polymer Science with emphasis on Nanotechnology, Polymeric Materials; Nanocomposites; Characterization by NMR and Functional Foods. She conducts research in the following areas: Development of Nanostructured Materials; Development of Functional Foods. Analytical Method for Characterization of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Nanocomposites by Solid-State NMR; Use of Relaxometry in the Characterization of Nanostructured Polymeric Materials and also in the Analysis of Functional Foods, and Generation of Nutraceuticals. Study of Shrink Films; Evaluation of Microplastics in the ocean and the environment, and the use of nanotechnology to prevent the generation of microplastic.
It is well-known that the improper disposal of plastic products, especially food packaging, is causing global plastic pollution. The generation of microplastics from the degradation and subsequent fragmentation of the polymeric materials present in plastic products is strongly dependent on weathering, with one of the main sources being photo-oxidation/degradation due to changes in molecular environment induced by UV radiation. Degradation reactions occur randomly and depend on various factors such as the thickness and shape of the plastic product, the type of polymer forming the basis of the plastic product, and its size. Microplastics can migrate through land, air, and sea and may be ingested by marine animals and humans [1,2].
The comprehensive assessment of plastic products can be conducted using different techniques. The most traditional ones include infrared spectroscopy, electron and optical microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy [3]. However, other techniques can be employed in conjunction with those already used, such as relaxometry by nuclear magnetic resonance. Relaxometry allows the evaluation of the molecular dynamics of a material and, for example, helps understand its morphology. The study using relaxometry of polypropylene microplastics revealed three distinct mobility regions due to new interactions formed in the microplastics.
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