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Projects and Publications

Main Projects

HMT-PMBI based bilayer membranes for increased permselectivity and anti-fouling properties

Energy-efficient means of purifying water is a crescent concern nowadays. Electrochemical methods based on membranes, such as electrodialysis, are showing promising results. The biggest challenge of this field is to have a membrane with a high selectivity of ions (permselectivity), stability and anti-fouling properties. Previous works in the group showed that the polymer HMT-PMBI with 75% of methylation has great permselectivity, while the one with 89% of methylation possesses good conductivity and hydrophilicity.  Therefore, combining the properties of each one of these polymers into a unique bilayer membrane will generate a new material with interesting permselectivity and anti-fouling (due to increased hydrophilicity) properties for promising applications in water purification through electrodialysis.

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Supervisor: Steve Holdcroft (Simon Fraser University)

Effect of the presence of iodide in poly(imidazolium)s in the AEMs

During the synthesis of poly(imidazolium)s, the methylation process results in polymers with iodide as a counter ion, which has low ion conductivity and water uptake. The presence of iodide in the poly(imidazolium)s might result in several reactions (forming I3-, I-, I2 and OH-) and might contribute to the degradation of the material, as this ion is never completely removed. Therefore, understanding the role of the I-, I3 -, and I2 in the poly(imidazolium)s is crucial for achieving materials with better stability and conductivity for energy conversion devices. Additionally, the development of an easy and simple methodology to identify when the ion exchange is completed in these polymers is also the goal of this project.

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PhD student collaboration: Binyu Chen (Simon Fraser University)

Supervisor: Steve Holdcroft (Simon Fraser University)

End-group degradation of poly(imidazolium)-based materials

Studies of several poly(imidazolium)s materials is being done to obtain more stable and efficient materials; however, it is still observed that these materials are degraded by hydroxide ion. In this context, studies on the hydroxide-mediated degradation of poly(imidazolium)s backbones have been widely studied. Nevertheless, there are no reports regarding the degradation of end-groups for these materials, which could be a trigger point of the polymer’s backbone degradation, impacting the AEMs stability. In this work, the synthesis of a new poly(imidazolium) material with known end groups was performed. However, the end groups containing aldehyde and diketone can be susceptible to degradation by the attack of the hydroxide ion on the carbonyl groups, and it might lead to the degradation of the imidazolium ring. Due to the high molecular weight in polymers, identifying and quantifying the changes in the end groups is a challenge. Thus, to understand the degradation mechanism of this material, an oligomer with low molecular weight was used as a model, and degradation studies were monitored through NMR and mass spectroscopy. 

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PhD student collaboration: Kate Fraser (Simon Fraser University)

Supervisor: Steve Holdcroft (Simon Fraser University)

Stabilization of the Fluorescent Polymer Containing Thiophene in the Sodium Deoxycholate Gel

Mostly of conjugated oligomers and polymers are insoluble and unstable in water, limiting their application.
The objective of this work is to solubilize and stabilize neutral and insoluble conjugated molecules in a hydrogel by the use of bile salt, enabling the preparation of luminescent hydrogels for several future applications. To reach this objective, taking an oligomer as a model we used the intrinsic fluorescence of the oligomer and a hydrophobic fluorescent probe as a supramolecular strategy. The methodology has also been applied for a high molecular weight commercial polymer.

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Fellowship: FAPESP (2019/15498-0)

Supervisors: Cornelia Bohne (University of Victoria), Laura O. Peres (Federal University of São Paulo)

Study in solution - Preparation and characterization of photochromic and luminescent conjugated composites for application in radiation sensors

The combination of conjugated polymers and photochromic molecules can result in a composite, which can yield a new photoresponsive material. In this fundamental work, a conjugated polymer and a photochromic molecule were studied in four different solvents, to evaluate its influence. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to understand the interactions that might be responsible for the photophysical process. Therefore, the joint computational-experimental study enabled the understanding of the energy transfer that takes place in the PTPh/Azo systems.

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Fellowship: CAPES

Supervisor: Laura O. Peres (Federal University of São Paulo)

Collaborations: Leonardo J.A.Siqueira (Federal University of São Paulo) and Hueder P.M.Oliveira (Federal University of ABC)

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Preparation and characterization of photochromic and luminescent conjugated composites for application in radiation sensors

This project focused on the preparation and fundamental studies of composites involving photochromic molecule and luminescent conjugated polymer, supported in chitosan films, to obtain materials with new optical properties, derived from their interactions and photophysics process that can be used for future applications as an active element of colorimetric and radiation sensors. 

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Fellowship: FAPESP (2018/23524-9)

Supervisor: Laura O. Peres (Federal University of São Paulo)

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Blends study of thiophene copolymers

The use of luminescent copolymers, as polythiophene, has been extensively studied due to its technological applications. This work involved the synthesis of copolymers containing thiophene by Suzuki reaction. Blends were formed using the conjugated copolymers and NBR, by spin coating technique. Luminescent properties of the blended films were investigated, as well the stability of these materials under UV irradiation. It was concluded that the rubber could act as a protector for the conjugated polymer against photodegradation.

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Fellowship: FAPESP (2015/14681-5)

Supervisor: Laura O. Peres (Federal University of São Paulo)

Publications

Publications (Also available on Google Scholar)

​Papers in preparation​​​​​​​

  • Egemole, F; Menandro, A. S.; Biancolli, A. L. G.; Holdcroft, S. PE/PTFE Reinforced Sulfo-Phenylated Polyphenylene Biphenyl Membranes with Enhanced Stability for PEM Water Electrolysis, 2025.

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  • Book chapter: Menandro, A. S.; Parolin, G. A.; Péres, L. O.  Análise Térmica Aplicada à Materiais Poliméricos in Análise Térmica aplicada a Metais e Poliméricos, 2025.​​​

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Papers published​

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  • Menandro, A. S.; Bohne, C.; Péres, L. O. Fluorescent self-supporting composite film formed from chitosan and the neutral poly(3-hexylthiophene-co-1,4-phenylene) polymer with enhanced dispersion properties for a small molecule, Langmuir 2025, 41, 15, 10020–10028. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c00729

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  • Menandro, A. S.; Gangrade, A.; Holdcroft, S. Polybenzimidazolium bilayer membranes with high permselectivity and low ionic resistance, Desalination 2025, 599, 118414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2024.118414​​​​

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  • ​Chen, B.; Menandro, A. S; Wei, Q.; Holdcrof, S. The impact of pre-exchanging on an anion-exchange membrane for water electrolysis and fuel cell applications, ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2025, 7, 1, 368–376. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.4c03115

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  • Biancolli, A. L. G.; Chen, B.; Menandro, A. S.; Fonseca, F. C.; Santiago, E.  I.; Holdcrof, S. Radiation-grafted anion-exchange membranes electrolyzers containing polybenzimidazolium-based ionomer in the catalyst layer for alkaline water electrolysis, J. Mater. Chem. A 2024,12, 21442-21454. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4TA02354D

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  • Menandro, A. S.; Péres, L. O.; Bohne, C. Solubilization and Photostabilization in a Sodium Deoxycholate Hydrogel of a Neutral Conjugated Thiophene Oligomer and Polymer, Langmuir 2024, 40, 11215−11227. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c00884

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  • Souza, A. G. N.; Silva, Y. B.; Rodrigues, R. R.; Menandro, A. S.; Péres, L. O. Heat-resistant luminescent films: a thermal study of fluorene/thiophene copolymer-elastomer blends, Macromolecular Research 2024, 32, 757–766. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13233-024-00261-x

 

  • Ruiz, F.; Barreto, M. S. C.; Rumpel, C.; Nóbrega, G. N.; Oliveira, H. A.; Menandro, A. S.; Péres, L. O.; Montes, C. R.; Ferreira, T. O. Adsorption and thermal stability of dissolved organic matter on Ca-and Mg-exchanged montmorillonite: Implications for persistence in soils and sediments​. Chem. Geol. 2024, 643, 121813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2023.121813

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  • Book chapter: Parolin, G. A.; Menandro, A. S.; Rodrigues, R. R.; Péres, L. O. Wide Bandgap Semiconductors for Bioelectronics in  Bioelectronics: Materials, Technologies and Emerging Applications. CRC Press, 2022.

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  • Menandro, A. S.; Siqueira, L. J. A.; Oliveira, H. P. M.; Péres, L. O. Solvent Effects and Energy Transfer Processes in Luminescent Composite. J. Photochem. Photobiol. A Chem. 2020, 397, 112581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2020.112581

 

 

  • Menandro, A. S.; Fernandes, J. C.; Oliveira, H. P. M.; Péres, L. O. Energy Transfer in Fluorene-Containing Donor/Acceptor Polymer System. J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron. 2019, 30 (18), 16892–16902. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-019-01625-1

 

  • Menandro, A. S.; Parolin, G. A.; Barbosa, C. G.; Faez, R.; Péres, L. O. New Strategy to Prepare Luminescent Blend by Spin Coating. Macromol. Symp. 2019, 383, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1002/masy.201800023

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