Maria Luisa Botter

About

Maria Luisa is currently a PhD Student at Universidade Estadual Paulista at Presidente Prudente (FCT-UNESP), supported by CAPES and under the guidance of Dr Beatriz Eleuterio Goi. Her project theme is “Novel non-symmetric Cu-NHC complexes as redox photocatalysts for controlled radical photopolymerization (CRP2)”. It aims to synthesise new copper complexes and study their photochemical and photophysical properties and associate those with the monomer and additives used in photopolymerisation.

Maria received a scholarship with the research theme “Theoretical-experimental study of the properties of non-symmetric Cu-NHC complexes applied as redox photocatalysts for CRP2”, from CAPES, to pursue research as a Visiting PhD Student at the University of Kent. The aim of this study is to understand the structural, electronic, and photochemical properties of Cu(II) complexes with non-symmetric NHC ligands, as well as the properties of the ligands.

Before her PhD, Maria Luisa graduated in Chemistry from FCT-UNESP in 2019, receiving the honour of merit award for her performance in her undergraduate studies. During her master’s degree in Chemistry, she studied and developed new iron complexes as photocatalysts for photo-atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) reactions, graduating in 2022 at the same university. Throughout her master’s and PhD, Maria became familiar with Schlenk techniques, organic and inorganic synthesis, as well as material purification through liquid chromatography, and the use of equipment for techniques such as HPLC/GPC, FTIR, UV-Vis, Fluorescence, among others. Additionally, she has experience with RAMAN/SERS techniques, stemming from her scientific initiation.

Maria Luisa is Brazilian, born in Presidente Prudente, São Paulo state. Apart from sciences, she has interests in History, Board Games, and Literature.