Ana Luísa Daniel da Silva

Current position

Ana Luísa Daniel da Silva is Principal Researcher at CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (Group 1 – Porous Materials and Nanosystems), Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Portugal.

Background and Education

Ana Luísa Daniel da Silva holds a BSc degree in Chemical Engineering from IST, Lisbon (2000) and a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Alicante, Spain (2005), with trainees at the University of Ghent and Altachem NV, Belgium. From 2005 to 2009, she was postdoctoral researcher at the University of Aveiro, with a focus on developing polymer-based nanocomposites and functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical and environmental applications.

Current Research Activities

Her research has been focused on developing nanostructured materials for various applications and areas, including nanomedicine, bionanotechnology, and water remediation. Her primary interests lie in the area of innovative strategies for the surface modification of the nanomaterials with biopolymers and chemical synthetic routes towards developing green nanosorbents and biocompatible nanomaterials. Recently, she has expanded her research to explore biomolecule detection and multifaceted cancer therapy utilizing functionalized nanoparticles.

Research Output

She has actively participated in 16 funded national/international R&D projects. She has coordinated 2 projects in the field of colloidal nanomaterials for water remediation, namely an IF-exploratory project and more recently, the proof-of-concept project "BIOMAG"(https://biomag.web.ua.pt/ ) under Portugal 2020, fostering fruitful collaboration with an industrial partner.

Among her noteworthy publications, she co-authored the book "Surface Chemistry of Colloidal Nanocrystals" (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2021) and co-edited the book "Nanocomposite Particles for Bio-applications: Materials and Bio-interfaces" (Pan Stanford, 2011). A.L. Daniel da Silva has contributed with over 110 articles/reviews published in SCI-indexed journals in the field of chemistry, chemical engineering and materials chemistry, 14 book chapters, and 8 patent applications to her name. Her research has achieved significant recognition, with over 3400 citations and attaining a respective h-index of 35 (Scopus). In 2022 and 2023, Stanford University recognized her as one of the most cited scientists globally, placing her in the top 2% of researchers of the world.

Scientific Supervision and Teaching

Her experience in supervision includes 3 post-doctoral researchers, 10 PhD students (7 in progress), 25 MSc students (with 3 in progress), 14 research fellows, and 26 undergraduate students. Her commitment to education is evident through her voluntary involvement as a lecturer in various curricular units related to Chemistry (https://www.ua.pt/en/uc/3211; https://www.ua.pt/pt/uc/14634 ; https://www.ua.pt/pt/uc/2525;  and Chemical Engineering (https://www.ua.pt/pt/uc/2379; https://www.ua.pt/pt/uc/10462; https://www.ua.pt/pt/uc/15198 ).

KEYWORDS: Functional nanomaterials; Nanocomposites; Colloidal Nanoparticles; Surface Modification; Environmental Nanotechnology; Biomaterials

1. COLLOIDAL NANOMATERIALS FOR WATER PURIFICATION

Exploring innovative strategies for rational surface modification of magnetic nanoparticles using polymers derived from renewable sources. The ultimate goal is to develop cost-effective, high performance, environmentally friendly nanosorbents for efficiently removing organic pollutants from water. This research involves an in-depth study of interface phenomena and aims to enhance our understanding of sorption mechanisms

Selected Contributions in the last 5 years:

S. F. Soares; J. Nogueira; T. Trindade; A. L. Daniel-da-Silva*, Towards efficient ciprofloxacin adsorption using magnetic hybrid nanoparticles prepared with k-, i-, and l-carrageenan, Journal of Nanostructure in Chemistry, 2023, 13, 283–302. DOI: 10.1007/s40097-022-00498-x

S. F. Soares; S. Fateixa; T. Trindade; A. L. Daniel-da-Silva*, A versatile synthetic route towards gelatin-silica hybrids and magnetic composite colloidal nanoparticles, Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials, 2022, 5, 884-898. DOI: 10.1007/s42114-021-00386-y

S. F. Soares, T. Fernandes, M. Sacramento, T. Trindade, A. L. Daniel-da-Silva*, Magnetic quaternary chitosan hybrid nanoparticles for the efficient uptake of diclofenac from water, Carbohydrate Polymers, 2019, 203, 35-44. DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.09.030

2. COLLOIDAL NANOMATERIALS AS MULTIFUNCTIONAL VECTORS FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY AND HEALTH APPLICATIONS

Innovative chemical strategies to functionalize the surfaces of inorganic nanocrystals with magnetic and/or plasmonic properties. The primary objective is to detect biomolecules, present in trace amounts in biofluids such as biomarkers associated with cardiovascular diseases. In addition, I have also embarked on a new direction focused on investigating alternative cancer therapies. In this pursuit, functionalized nanoparticles play a vital role in photothermal and photodynamic therapy (PDT) for specific cancers such as melanoma, pancreatic cancer, and glioblastoma.

Selected Contributions in the last 5 years:

M. António; T. Lima; R. Vitorino; A. L. Daniel-da-Silva*, Label-free dynamic light scattering assay for C-reactive protein detection using magnetic nanoparticles, Analytica Chimica Acta, 2022, 1222, 34016. DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2022.340169