{"id":57855,"date":"2026-02-12T11:33:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T11:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/?p=57855"},"modified":"2026-04-07T17:47:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:47:18","slug":"former-ilum-student-turns-undergraduate-thesis-into-scientific-paper-on-green-hydrogen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/en\/former-ilum-student-turns-undergraduate-thesis-into-scientific-paper-on-green-hydrogen\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Ilum student turns undergraduate thesis into scientific paper on green hydrogen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The undergraduate final project developed by Raphaella Gon\u00e7alves during her studies at Ilum School of Science<\/strong>, the CNPEM (Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials) undergraduate program, went beyond the classroom and teaching laboratory. Completed at the end of 2024, the project focused on the development of new materials for green hydrogen production and has recently resulted in the publication of a scientific article in an international journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, one of the world\u2019s most respected scientific publishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research began during the academic break between 2023 and 2024 and was carried out throughout Raphaella\u2019s final year in the Bachelor\u2019s degree in Science and Technology at Ilum, as part of her undergraduate thesis. Motivated by her exposure to energy transition topics in the program\u2019s experimental courses, Raphaella decided to investigate more sustainable and accessible alternatives for green hydrogen production\u2014a strategic energy carrier for the decarbonization of the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was introduced to hydrogen production during laboratory classes, and it immediately caught my attention. It was something I had never heard about before entering Ilum, and I began to see it as a real opportunity to contribute to society,\u201d explains the researcher, who is currently pursuing a master\u2019s degree in Nanoscience and Advanced Materials at the Federal University of ABC (UFABC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the study, Raphaella developed an electrode based on molybdenum disulfide (MoS\u2082), a promising material for electrochemical reactions, structured as hollow carbon spheres. The proposal aimed not only at high energy efficiency, but also at the use of more abundant, less toxic materials with lower environmental impact compared to traditional catalysts such as platinum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe main challenge is not just achieving efficiency, but considering the overall environmental and economic feasibility of the process. I worked with more accessible materials and synthesis methods that are less harmful to the environment, without compromising electrochemical performance,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research was conducted using the infrastructure of the Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano\/CNPEM) and was scientifically supervised by Murilo Santhiago, a researcher in the green hydrogen field. Ilum\u2019s pedagogical model, which encourages students\u2019 intellectual autonomy, played a decisive role in the development of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt Ilum, the final project truly belongs to the student. The supervisor doesn\u2019t provide ready-made answers, but instead challenges your thinking. This helped me mature a great deal as a researcher, learn how to deal with frustration, and turn negative results into learning experiences,\u201d Raphaella recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the completion of her undergraduate thesis, the results attracted interest beyond the undergraduate academic environment. With the support of collaborators from LNNano, the work was further developed and led to the scientific article published in late 2025, with Raphaella as first author. The study also received two awards for Best Poster at the Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Materials Research Society (SBPMat), reinforcing its impact and relevance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy intention was never to produce a thesis just to fulfill a graduation requirement. From the beginning, I wanted to develop something that could be shared with the scientific community and open paths for new studies and applications,\u201d she emphasizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally from the state of Minas Gerais, Raphaella has an academic trajectory marked by interdisciplinarity. Before joining Ilum, she earned a degree in Architecture and Urbanism, but decided to change fields to pursue a scientific career. \u201cThe undergraduate thesis was a turning point. It showed me that I was capable of conducting a complex scientific project from start to finish. Seeing this work become a published article confirms that persisting was worth it,\u201d she concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Ilum School of Science<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ilum offers a free undergraduate degree program that utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to train scientists and professionals in science and technology. With an innovative educational model, the three-year full-time bachelor program offers courses that connect life sciences, materials science, data science, artificial intelligence, and the humanities in order to prepare researchers to work in an ethical and collaborative manner in the search for solutions to the global challenges of the twenty-first century. The Ilum School of Science is funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC) and is part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, S\u00e3o Paulo, a social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI). Ilum’s educational mission offers early contact with experimental activities, in teaching labs at the school as well as at CNPEM, in projects carried out together with researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About CNPEM<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM)<\/a> is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. CNPEM\u2019s research and development activities are carried out through its four National Laboratories: Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as its Technology Unit (DAT) and the Ilum School of Science \u2014 an undergraduate program in Science and Technology supported by the Ministry of Education (MEC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The undergraduate final project developed by Raphaella Gon\u00e7alves during her studies at Ilum School of Science, the CNPEM (Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials) undergraduate program, went beyond the classroom and teaching laboratory. Completed at the end of 2024, the project focused on the development of new materials for green hydrogen production and has…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":57853,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[534],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-noticias-en","category-534","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilum.cnpem.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}