Degree: Doctor

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Affiliation(s):

Faculty of Science, University of Porto

Bio
José C. S. Costa completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2015 at the University of Porto, Faculty of Science. Currently, he holds the position of Auxiliary Researcher (permanent contract) in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Faculty of Science, University of Porto. Costa is an integrated member of the IMS-Institute of Molecular Sciences & CIQUP - "Centro de Investigação em Química da Universidade do Porto." His primary areas of scientific activity include physical chemistry and materials chemistry. His current research interests encompass fundamental and functional studies on thin films fabricated through vapor deposition approaches, organic and inorganic semiconductors, optoelectronic devices, hybrid perovskites, and ionic liquids. 
Costa has been actively contributing to the advancement of knowledge in thin films and advanced materials at his institution. Since the inception of his research activities, Costa has published 42 papers in international peer-reviewed journals (with an h-index of 15), 2 papers in national peer-reviewed journals, and served as the editor of 1 scientific book and 2 journal issues. Out of a total of 42 international publications, 32 were released as the first and/or corresponding author. Almost all publications belong to quartile Q1 of the journal citation ranking. Additionally, Costa holds 1 registered patent. He has actively participated in several national and international academic conferences, seminars, and scientific meetings. Costa is the author/co-author of ~40 oral communications and ~40 poster communications, three of which received the best poster award. He has contributed to 14 R&D projects, organized ~10 scientific/academic events, and actively participated in approximately 50 others. Costa has supervised 2 Ph.D. dissertations, 8 MSc dissertations, 11 works of course completion of LSc/BSc, and 17 scientific projects for young researchers (extracurricular internships). He has received ~10 awards and/or honors. 
Most of his work has been carried out in the areas of Exact Sciences with an emphasis on Chemical and Physical Sciences. In his professional activities, he has interacted with ~100 collaborators, co-authoring scientific papers with them. In his CIÊNCIAVITAE curriculum, the most frequently recurring terms related to his scientific, technological, and artistic-cultural contributions include Organic Semiconductors, Physical Vapor Deposition, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Thin Films, Ionic Liquids, Perovskites, and Thermodynamics.


Areas of Interest

  1. Physical sciences > Chemistry > Physical chemistry
  2. Physical sciences > Chemistry > Physical chemistry > Surface chemistry
  3. Physical sciences > Physics > Condensed matter properties
  4. Technological sciences > Technology > Nanotechnology > Nanodevices
  5. Technological sciences > Technology > Nanotechnology > Nanosystems


CIQUP  |  Centro de Investigação em Química da Universidade do Porto
IMS |  Institute of Molecular Sciences

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7134-8675

CIENCIA ID: https://www.cienciavitae.pt//D712-8242-7BD2

Projects
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Publications
Showing 5 latest publications. Total publications: 37
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1. Tailoring Morphology and Wetting Behavior of Films of Ionic Liquid Mixtures, Silva, SRMR; Carvalho, RM; Bondarchuk, O; Oliveira, GNP; Araújo, JP; Bastos, M Santos, LMNBF Costa, JCS in LANGMUIR, 2025, ISSN: 0743-7463,  Volume: 41, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, scopus, wos  DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c00653 P-018-FZJ
Abstract Extensive research has focused on films formed by pure ionic liquids (ILs). However, growing interest in IL mixtures and their synergistic properties presents new opportunities for targeted applications and fundamental scientific investigations. This study explores the morphology of films composed of mixtures of two ILs, [C2C1im][OTf] and [C8C1im][OTf], co-deposited via physical vapor deposition (PVD)/vacuum thermal evaporation. The primary objective was understanding how varying the IL ratio influences droplet formation, surface coverage, and overall film structure. Thin-film growth was examined on glass substrates coated with indium tin oxide (ITO) and ITO/glass surfaces coated with metallic films (Au and Ag). Film morphology was characterized using optical and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while elemental composition was analyzed via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that IL mixture morphology is strongly influenced by both IL composition and substrate type. Increasing [C8C1im][OTf] content led to larger microstructures due to improved wetting, particularly on Au surfaces, resulting in nearly fully coalesced films. Metallic surfaces near ITO significantly impacted droplet behavior, with ILs exhibiting a strong affinity for metals, especially when the long-chain IL dominated the mixture. The IL-assisted crystallization of rubrene, a high-performance organic semiconductor (OSC) that typically exhibits poor crystallinity when deposited via PVD, highlights the potential of IL mixtures to enhance organic film quality. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that [C2C1im][OTf] and [C8C1im][OTf] mixtures significantly improved rubrene crystallinity, demonstrating their potential to create an optimal environment for OSC solubility and crystallization.
2. The Cohesive Interactions in Phenylimidazoles, Costa, JCS Ferreira, AIMCL; Lima, CFRAC Santos, LMNBF in JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A, 2024, ISSN: 1089-5639,  Volume: 128, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, scopus, wos  DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.4c01589 P-010-GC5
Abstract This work presents a comprehensive study exploring the thermodynamics of the solid phase of a series of phenylimidazoles, encompassing experimental measurements of heat capacity, volatility, and thermal behavior. The influence of successive phenyl group insertions on the imidazole ring on thermodynamic properties and supramolecular behavior was thoroughly examined through the evaluation of 2-phenylimidazole (2-PhI), 4-phenylimidazole (4-PhI), 4,5-diphenylimidazole (4,5-DPhI), and 2,4,5-triphenylimidazole (2,4,5-TPhI). Structural correlations between molecular structure and thermodynamic properties were established. Furthermore, the investigation employed UV-vis spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. Additive effects arising from the introduction of phenyl groups were found through the analysis of the solid-liquid and solid-gas equilibria, as well as heat capacities. A good correlation emerged between the thermodynamic properties of sublimation and the molar volume of the unit cell, evident across 2-PhI, 4,5-DPhI, and 2,4,5-TPhI. In contrast to its isomer 2-PhI, 4-PhI exhibited greater cohesive energy due to the stronger N-HN intermolecular interactions, leading to the disruption of coplanar geometry in the 4-PhI molecules. The observed higher entropies of phase transition (fusion and sublimation) are consistent with the higher structural order observed in the crystalline lattice of 4-PhI.
3. The effect of oxidation state and tert-butyl substituents on the thermal behavior and thin-film morphology of cobalt-complexes (FK 102 and FK 209), Costa, JCS Carvalho, RM; Silva, RMA; Lobo Ferreira, AIMC Santos, LMNBF in Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics, 2022, ISSN: 0021-9614,  Volume: 174, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, scopus, unpaywall  DOI: 10.1016/j.jct.2022.106856 P-00W-V1G
Abstract This work reports the thermodynamic and morphological study and characterization of four salts consisting of a divalent/trivalent cobalt complex with pyrazole-pyridine ligands (FK 102 and FK 209 samples) and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (TFSI) moieties as counter anions. The oxidation state of the central metal (Co(II) or Co(III)) and the presence of tert-butyl (t-Bu) groups in the ligand structure were found to have a strong impact on the thermal behavior, phase stability, heat capacities, and thin-film morphology of each salt. The Co(II) complexes exhibited good thermal stability up to 600 K. Lower thermal stability was observed for the Co(III) congeners. The FK 209 Co(III) displayed a higher melting temperature but a partial decomposition during or above melting was detected. The higher melting temperatures observed for the Co(III) complexes were found to be entropically driven. However, the addition of t-Bu in the ligand (FK 209) leads to an increase in the melting temperature, which is driven by the enthalpy of fusion. The four compounds studied evidenced a large glass-forming ability. Moreover, the thermal stability of the glassy state was clearly increased when the ligands comprised t-Bu groups. The contribution of the t-Bu group for the molar heat capacity in the solid phase, at T = 298.15 K, was found to be (110 ± 3) J·K−1·mol−1 and (98 ± 4) J·K−1·mol−1 for the Co(II) and Co(III) complexes, respectively. These results are in good agreement with the contribution of the t-Bu group observed for both solid and liquid phases in other materials, indicating that the t-Bu groups are relatively unhindered in the crystalline phase of the salts. The morphological behavior of the thin films of FK 102 samples was found to be quite similar to the observed for typical ionic liquids, with the formation of micro- and nanodroplets onto different substrates. The introduction of t-Bu substituents in the ligand structure was found to have a strong impact on the formation of homogeneous and compact nanofilms for the FK 209 salts. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
4. Solid-Liquid-Gas Phase Equilibria for Small Phenylene-Thiophene Co-Oligomers, Lima, CFRAC Costa, JCS Silva, AMS; Mendes, A; Santos, LMNBF in JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING DATA, 2022, ISSN: 0021-9568,  Volume: 67, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, scopus, wos  DOI: 10.1021/acs.jced.2c00459 P-00X-9X2
Abstract This work reports a comprehensive experimental evaluation of the solid-liquid-gas phase equilibria for five representative phenylene-thiophene co-oligomers (3-ring aromatic compounds having both phenyl and thienyl units). The melting temperatures and corresponding standard molar enthalpies and entropies of fusion were measured by differential scanning calorimetry. The equilibrium vapor pressures of the crystalline solids as a function of temperature were measured by a combined Knudsen/quartz-crystal effusion method, with the consequent derivation of the standard molar enthalpies, entropies, and Gibbs energies of sublimation. The thermodynamic properties of vaporization were estimated from the fusion and sublimation data. The results were analyzed together with the literature data for the corresponding phenylene and thiophene homo-oligomers. The thermodynamic properties of fusion and sublimation exhibited a dependence on ring identity and position that cannot be adequately described by a simple group additivity reasoning. The plot of the Gibbs energy of sublimation as a function of the number of thienyl rings in the co-oligomer showed the existence of two series. Terminal 3-thienyl rings and a linear molecular shape were found to be consistent factors contributing to the stabilization of the crystal phase. The higher melting temperatures and lower volatilities of crystalline 3-thienyl compounds were tentatively explained by the ability of these rings to maximize intermolecular C-H & BULL;& BULL;& BULL;pi interactions independently of the sulfur position. The optical energy gaps, as measured by UV-vis in solution, were found to lie within the values for typical organic semiconductors (< 4 eV) and to decrease for co-oligomers containing more 2-thienyl units, following the increased ring-ring planarity of the molecules. The surface morphology of vapor-deposited thin films suggests a stronger tendency of the co-oligomers, if compared to their corresponding homo-oligomers p-terphenyl and terthiophene, to form less amorphous films.
5. The impact of the cation alkyl chain length on the wettability of alkylimidazolium-based ionic liquids at the nanoscale, Costa, JCS Alves, A Bastos, M Santos, LMNBF in PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS, 2022, ISSN: 1463-9076,  Volume: 24, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, scopus, wos  DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01868c P-00W-KJM
Abstract Ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely used for energy storage and conversion devices due to their negligible vapor pressure, high thermal stability, and outstanding interfacial properties. Notably, the interfacial nanostructure and the wettability of thin ionic liquid films on solid surfaces are of utmost relevance in nanosurface science and technology. Herein, a reproducible physical vapor deposition methodology was used to fabricate thin films of four alkylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ILs. The effect of the cation alkyl chain length on the wettability of ILs was explored on different surfaces: gold (Au); silver (Ag); indium-tin oxide (ITO). High-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to evaluate the morphology of the produced micro- and nanodroplets and films. SEM and AFM results revealed an island growth for all the ILs deposited on ITO and Ag surfaces, with a lower minimum free area to promote nucleation (MFAN) in Ag and higher wettability for ILs having larger non-polar domains. The low wettability of ITO by the studied ILs was highlighted. For long-chain ILs, nucleation and growth mechanisms were strongly conditioned by coalescence processes. The results also supported the higher affinity of the ILs to the Au surface. The increase in the length of the cation alkyl chain was found to promote a better film adhesion inducing a 2D growth and higher wetting ability.