CEPID:

Center for Research and Innovation on Smart and Quantum Materials

CRISQuaM

Mission
“Fostering Innovation through Interdisciplinary Excellence in Smart and Quantum materials.”

Coordination and Team

Coordinator: Daniel M. Ugarte (Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin)

Vice-Coordinator Materials: Arnaldo N. de Brito (Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin)
Vice-Coordinator Enabling Technologies: Marcos C. de Oliveira (Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin)
Vice-coordinator Applications: Mônica Alonso Cotta (Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin)

Education/Outreach Coordinator: Marcelo Knobel (Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin)
Innovation Coordinator: Antonio Riul Júnior (Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin)

Principal Investigators:

• Arnaldo Naves de Brito – IFGW - UNICAMP
• Cristiano Monteiro de Barros Cordeiro – IFGW - UNICAMP
• Diego Muraca – IFGW - UNICAMP
• Fanny Béron – IFGW - UNICAMP
• Felipe Fernandes Fanchini – UNESP
• Gabriela Castellano – IFGW - UNICAMP
• José Alexandre Diniz– FEEC - UNICAMP
• Marcos César de Oliveira – IFGW - UNICAMP
• Mônica Alonso Cotta – IFGW - UNICAMP
• Varlei Rodrigues – IFGW - UNICAMP
• Vivian Vanessa França Henn - UNESP

International Advisory Board:

• Laura M. Lechuga (Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Spain)
• Manuel Quevedo-Lopez (The University of Texas at Dallas, USA)
• Thuc-Quyen Nguyen (University of California at Santa Barbara, USA)
• Laura Fabris (Politecnico di Torino, Italy)
• Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Jr (Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil)

Institutions

• Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin – UNICAMP
• Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering – UNICAMP
• Institute of Economics - UNICAMP
• Faculty of Sciences – Bauru - UNESP
• Institute of Chemistry – Araraquara – UNESP
• Agricultural Institute of Campinas – IAC
• National Synchrotron light Laboratory- LNLS – CNPEM
• Institute of Physics – UFRJ-RJ
• Mackenzie Presbyterian University
• Campus Integrado de Manufatura e Tecnologias - SENAI – CIMATEC-BA
• Universidad Católica - Temuco - Chile

Summary

CRISQuaM aims to explore the synergistic development of fundamental and applied sciences to create new materials with high potential for the design and construction of devices and sensors that address technological challenges related to sustainability, climate change, precision agriculture, ecology, and health. To achieve these goals, the research team was structured on the basis of interdisciplinarity and a collaborative approach that integrates expertise from various scientific domains, identifying and tailoring novel materials with high innovation potential. By combining original synthesis methods, advanced characterization techniques, theoretical approaches, computational simulations, quantum technologies, and the design and construction of devices, we seek to drive advances in intelligent and quantum materials, fostering scientific excellence and technological development.

In doing so, we plan disruptive innovations in instrumentation — encompassing hardware and tools based on artificial intelligence — as well as in quantum technologies, biomedical devices and signal processing, and plant bionics, exploring plant–pathogen interactions. Beyond research activities, we plan intensive efforts in education, outreach, and communication for non-specialist audiences, since a modern society must be aware of the challenges humanity faces and how research and technology are essential for the responsible use of the planet’s limited resources.

CRISQuaM’s innovation activities are accelerated through partnerships with various technology companies, many of them Brazilian. Finally, all Center activities are managed in alignment with goals and best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

About CRISQuaM

The Center brings together scientists, engineers, and innovators in a collaborative effort to apply state-of-the-art materials science and quantum technologies, aiming to design new materials and nano(bio)sensors for advanced diagnostics. The Center’s team includes members capable of producing a wide range of (nano/micro)materials, combined with precise chemical and physical characterizations through modern techniques (synchrotron, advanced microscopy, magnetotransport, magnetic resonance, optics, etc.).

In addition, the team offers various enabling technologies, including miniaturization, processing and additive manufacturing, as well as instrumentation, quantum sensing, and electronics development. Data analysis will employ up-to-date approaches (numerical simulation, classical and quantum machine learning, and quantum optimization).

Applications at the frontier of knowledge will address urgent sustainability needs in the areas of environment, precision agriculture, plant bionics, and biomedical interfaces, contributing to the development of local technologies in close partnership with Brazilian industry.

Host Institution and Research Team

CRISQuaM is based at the Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin (UNICAMP), a center of excellence with numerous contributions in theoretical, experimental, and scientific instrumentation fields, both academic and technological. The proposal also brings together important partnerships: researchers from other universities (UNESP, UFRJ, CIMATEC, IAC, CNPEM, Mackenzie) and companies (Venturus, Krilltech, CiaCamp, Amazon Agroscience, Labtermo and 3DBS, as well as the European company Veridi), maintaining a strong interface with R&D.

The organization of the Center is based on three pillars — Materials, Enabling Technologies, and Applications — in collaboration with partner companies as organized in the chart below:

Scientific and technological goals

Our primary objective is to achieve medium-term goals through the development of scientific and technological pathways: to identify intelligent material responses, understand them, and enhance them, progressing toward the design and prototyping of sensor applications. We maintain close collaboration with industrial partners to accelerate the exploration of future innovation opportunities through initiatives such as PIPE (FAPESP) and EMBRAPII, as well as support for startups and junior companies founded by young entrepreneurs from our universities.

Materials:

In recent decades, smart materials and nanomaterials have revolutionized the field of sensors, enhancing sensitivity, response speed, selectivity, and robustness. In terms of signal output, smart materials can produce color changes, optical spectral shifts, and various electrical or magnetic responses, as well as more exotic properties such as self-healing or superhydrophobicity. Additional gains arise from increased interaction between the excitation and the signal carrier, as seen in metamaterials, plasmonic crystals, or plasmonic antennas, which amplify sensitivity. Optical fiber–based sensors—which combine flexibility with high sensitivity—open opportunities in hazardous or hard-to-reach environments. These fibers can also be biocompatible and biodegradable, making them attractive for medical applications. Coupling applied physics and device fabrication with a fundamental understanding of the electronic structure of molecules in solution is an example of the work carried out by CRISQuaM.

Another strategic line is the investigation of quantum materials, whose exotic properties emerge from the quantum behavior of their electrons. Our main focuses are on nanostructured materials, nanoparticles, and 2D materials, as well as the study of spin-dependent electrical transport in micro- and nanostructured arrangements. The convergence between the properties of quantum materials and quantum device prototypes is particularly strong in 2D materials. Despite the challenges to technological maturity, these characteristics open opportunities in quantum information: quantum-dot–based qubits, single-photon emitters, superconducting qubits, and topological quantum computing platforms.

Specific Research and Technology Targets

• Graphene, 2D materials, and nanocomposites
• Synthesis and organization of nanoparticles
• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and nanoporous materials
• Photonic nanostructures
• Biocompatible polymers in fibers
• Biodegradable optical fibers
• Hybrid materials: soft + rigid
• Skyrmions (electrical transport)
• Topological systems and quasiparticles
• Rare-earth compounds (spin coupling)
• Quantum entanglement in quantum materials and nanomaterials
• Critical behavior and quantum phase transitions

Enabling Technologies:

CRISQuaM includes in its team members with long experience in the manufacture of micro and nano devices, whose results will certainly be improved, given the multidisciplinary research of this CEPID. Coupling applied physics and device fabrication with a basic understanding of the electronic structure of molecules in solutions is one of the examples of multidisciplinarity and synergy enhancing the center's capacity.

CRISQuaM has specialists in quantum information and computing, who explore physical systems to encode, process, and transmit information. Our focus is on identifying opportunities in material properties to develop quantum devices—including qubits and sensors. The team also contributes with hybrid classical-quantum machine learning (ML) techniques for materials synthesis. The integration of ML applied to materials engineering with specific physical properties is already a reality; we explore hybrid methods to handle large volumes of data and accelerate progress.

Specific Research and Technology Targets

• Focused ion beam and additive manufacturing
• Lithographic microfabrication and conductive track printing
• Laser-induced graphene
• Microstructured optical fibers
• Optical and THz spectroscopies
• Surface acoustic wave devices
• SiC Schottky diodes, MOS capacitors, and qubit development
• Advanced electron microscopy and cryogenic STM
• Image analysis and signal processing
• Single-cell manipulation and microfluidics
• In situ biological microscopy and 3D printing of living biological materials
• AI-based theoretical search for new materials and AI-guided synthesis
• Classical and quantum machine learning applied to materials synthesis
• Quantum optimization algorithms for agro-industrial and healthcare applications (in some cases integrated with IoT for faster decision-making)

Applications

As a long-term goal, CRISQuaM aims to develop devices that provide new opportunities for precise assessment and optimized solutions to contemporary challenges—climate, agriculture, and health. In healthcare, real-time disease monitoring through biosensing, combined with simultaneous drug delivery and precise dosing, is crucial, potentially redefining medical treatment; tactile and pressure sensors, coupled with deep learning techniques for signal analysis, can enhance physical and neurological rehabilitation programs. In countries like Brazil, whose economy relies heavily on agriculture, it is essential to maintain—and, where possible, increase—productivity through sustainable practices amid climate change. Beyond real-time monitoring of nutrient delivery, soil health, and ecosystem vitality, it is critical to shed light on key biological processes, such as plant–pathogen communication, using advanced biosensing and plant bionics approaches to create technologies that sustain agriculture under adverse conditions. We also aim to address communication and connectivity challenges across areas as diverse as neuroscience and plant–pathogen interactions, based on conceptual models involving signal modulation, plasticity, and network reorganization.

For agricultural applications, emerging quantum optimization methods hold great potential to revolutionize the solution of complex agro-industrial problems, such as crop rotation, land allocation, and supply chain and logistics optimization. Quantum sensors can also transform agriculture by offering unprecedented levels of precision, sensitivity, and versatility in monitoring agricultural parameters. These areas are central to the team’s focus, in close collaboration with industrial partners.

It is important to emphasize that the Center’s legacy should not be limited to a single successful device or application. A critical contribution to national development lies in training human resources with a multidisciplinary perspective, connecting basic/applied science, engineering, and entrepreneurship. One of the most transformative outcomes CRISQuaM can provide is the preparation of these human resources to operate across multiple stages of a knowledge-based society.

Specific Research and Technology Targets

• Identification of plant-phytopathogen communication mechanisms as new sensing targets
• Biofilm treatments against human and plant bacteria
• Integration of emerging technologies for plant health monitoring, soil macronutrient inspection, and gas sensors
• In situ optical inspection of soil using nanoparticles to increase detection sensitivity
• Drug delivery via fibers and (bio)sensing applications
• Magnetic hyperthermia protocols
• Prospection and development of quantum sensors for bio/health applications
• Monitoring of vital functions with non-invasive biosensing
• Development of conductive pathways for tactile and pressure sensors
• Improving rehabilitation programs with on-the-flight monitoring and sensor applications

Innovation

CRISQuaM provides an environment open to new ideas, fostering a culture of knowledge generation through internal discussions and collaborations with partner companies selected for their capability and motivation to engage in technological development and innovation. Through periodic meetings and brainstorming sessions among the various stakeholders, we consolidate values and expectations that encourage the integration of new developments and technologies, generating innovative solutions and expanding business opportunities. We also promote a culture of experimentation, encouraging ideas that stimulate creativity and drive disruptive advances. At the same time, we prepare to manage failures by planning strategies to overcome bottlenecks inherent to unprecedented challenges.
CRISQuaM benefits from a partnership with INOVA—the institutional office for technology transfer and startup launch/incubation at UNICAMP—alongside the expertise of our partners at SENAI/CIMATEC, to accelerate the increase of the TRL (Technology Readiness Level) of devices and products derived from our research.

Education and Diffusion

CRISQuaM operates by combining electronic media and in-person activities to disseminate scientific knowledge about quantum and smart materials to the general public. These efforts aim not only to promote the Center as a generator of scientific and technological knowledge for societal advancement but also to establish it as a reliable source of information. This is crucial in a context where pseudoscience and “fake news” can influence a significant portion of the population. Given the frequent pseudoscientific use of the term “quantum,” we will emphasize what quantum materials truly are and why certain products should not be labeled as such.
The plan includes initiatives to spark young people’s interest in scientific and technological careers. Among the in-person activities, we will seek the active participation of high school teachers and students, both to stimulate scientific and methodological reasoning and to encourage critical reflection on the importance of science in daily life. Another focus is the discussion of innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer with undergraduate and graduate students.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Respect (DEIR)

Diversity is crucial for a healthy research culture: it enhances the quality of science and helps ensure that its benefits are relevant and broadly applicable. CRISQuaM incorporates international best practices to create and sustain a positive and inclusive environment for researchers, while also developing a diverse and inclusive scientific workforce. DEIR goals are also integrated into educational and scientific outreach activities to identify barriers and create action plans to mitigate them. DEIR strategies are aligned with those of UNICAMP’s Executive Directorate for Human Rights.