Romualdo Santos Silva, new postdoc at Energy storage, harvesting, and conversion group

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Romualdo Santo Silvia Junior is a new postdoc researcher at Energy storage, harvesting, and conversion group, where he will work with José Antonio Alonso. He comes from Sergipe (Brazil North), and studied for his PhD in Physics at the Federal University of Sergipe. He enjoyed a doctoral stay at ICMM-CSIC during 2022 and shortly before his thesis defense, Alonso invited him to join his group: "of course, I accepted", he says.

What have you worked on so far?

I have experience in Condensed Matter Physics, working on the synthesis of materials with perovskite, double perovskite, halides, and spinel structure types, characterizing their structural, microstructural, morphological, vibrational, electrical, and magnetic properties.

Recently, I have dedicated myself to studying materials with double perovskite structures that can present efficient and promising magnetocaloric properties for magnetic refrigeration with lower energy costs.

What will you work on at ICMM?

My postdoctoral research in the group of Professor Dr. José Antonio Alonso basically consists of the synthesis of perovskite oxides, halogenics, chalcogenides, metal alloys, and sulfide materials, both by high-pressure and arc furnace techniques and mechano-chemical methods, performing their structural and microstructural characterizations by high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction. More specifically, to systematically investigate the thermoelectric, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties of these materials for possible energy conversion and storage.

Why ICMM?

The ICMM is one of the most important materials science institutes in Europe, which makes it a unique opportunity for me. Moreover, getting to know a rich and interesting culture is fantastic from my point of view.

And a personal touch: any hobbies? What would you like to contribute to the institute? I like a lot of things, but what I like most are running in the park, playing guitar and bass, besides making realistic drawings with graphite pencils (when there is time, clearly).