Degree: Doctor

Affiliation(s):

CIQUP

Bio

Luís Pinto da Silva completed his PhD in Chemistry, Approved with Distinction, in 2016 at the Faculty of Sciences of U. Porto (FCUP). This followed his completion of his MSc (2011) and BSc (2009) degrees in Biochemistry. He is an Assistant Professor at FCUP and is currently the Director of the Environmental Sciences and Technology MSc program. His main research interests are: chemi-/bioluminescence and their application in cancer therapy; engineered nanomaterials as (photo)catalysts and optical probes; environmental sustainability assessment; atmospheric aerosols and their impact on climate radiative forcing. He has published over 130 papers and has an h-index of 28, having been cited more than 2100 times. He was the Principal Investigator of project ChemiTumorTher (PTDC/QUI-QFI/2870/2020), having been a team member in several others, including in collaboration with Industry. He edited 1 scientific book about chemiluminescence and is an inventor in 1 international patent. He presented over 30 oral communications, including more than 15 invited ones. He is/was (co)supervisor of 2 postdocs, and 9 PhD, 26 MSc and 29 BSC theses/internships. These supervisions are in several areas, such as Biochemistry, Environmental Sciences and Technology, Chemistry, Agronomic Engineering, Environmental Economics and Management, and Oncology. He was part of an FCUP team that developed a Sustainability Manual and a Carbon Footprint Calculator Tool for the Douro Wine region, in a project commissioned by the Port and Douro Wines Institute (Portugal). He was recognized as part of the “World’s Top 2% Scientists List” 2022 by Stanford University (2022), while his PhD thesis obtained an Honorable Mention in the 2018 Portuguese Young Chemist Award. He was considered an Outstanding Reviewer by different Royal Society of Chemistry journals. He serves as reviewer, guest editor and advisory board member for several journals, while having being a project evaluator for different funding agencies.

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Publications
Showing 5 latest publications. Total publications: 147
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1. Sustainable Technological Applications of Green Carbon Materials, Freitas, M; Pinto da Silva, L Rodrigues, P; Silva, JEd 2024,
Unpublished,  Indexed in: crossref  DOI: 10.20944/preprints202402.0327.v1 P-010-A4P
Abstract <jats:p>Green carbon-based materials (GCM), i.e. carbon materials produced using renewable biomass or recycled wastes, ought to be used in order to processes become sustainable and carbon neutral. Carbon nanomaterials, like for example carbon dots and nanobichar families, and carbon materials, like for example activated carbon and biochar substances, are sustainable materials with great potential to be used in different technology applications. In this review, the following four applications were selected, and the works published in the last two years (since 2022) critically reviewed: agriculture; water treatment; energy management; and, carbon dioxide reduction and sequestration. GCM improved the performance of the technological applications under revision and play an important role in the sustainability of the processes, contributing to the mitigation of the climate change, namely by reducing emission and increase sequestration of CO2eq..</jats:p>
2. Sustainable Technological Applications of Green Carbon Materials, Freitas, M da Silva, LP Rodrigues, PMSM; da Silva, JE in SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY, 2024, Volume: 5, 
Review,  Indexed in: authenticus, crossref, wos  P-010-A4T
Abstract Green carbon-based materials (GCM), i.e., carbon materials produced using renewable biomass or recycled waste, ought to be used to make processes sustainable and carbon-neutral. Carbon nanomaterials, like carbon dots and the nanobichar families, and carbon materials, like activated carbon and biochar substances, are sustainable materials with great potential to be used in different technological applications. In this review, the following four applications were selected, and the works published in the last two years (since 2022) were critically reviewed: agriculture, water treatment, energy management, and carbon dioxide reduction and sequestration. GCM improved the performance of the technological applications under revision and played an important role in the sustainability of the processes, contributing to the mitigation of climate change, by reducing emissions and increasing the sequestration of CO2eq.
3. Carbon Dots-TiO<sub>2</sub> Nanocomposites for the Enhanced Visible-Light Driven Photodegradation of Methylene Blue, Sendao, RMS Algarra, M; Ribeiro, E; Pereira, M; Gil, A; Vale, N; da Silva, JCGE; da Silva, LP in ADVANCED SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS, 2024, ISSN: 2366-7486,  Volume: 8, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, scopus, unpaywall, wos  DOI: 10.1002/adsu.202300317 P-00Z-8V8
Abstract Herein, the conjugation of carbon dots (CDs) with TiO2 nanoparticles is reported to prepare a photocatalytic nanocomposite for an enhanced visible-light-driven photodegradation of methylene blue (MB). CDs are prepared from citric acid (CA) and ethylenediamine (EDA) via hydrothermal treatment. Using MB as a model pollutant, it is observed that, under visible-light irradiation, the nanocomposite presents an increment of the catalytic performance of 367% when compared to bare TiO2. This is achieved because the addition of CDs leads to increased visible-light absorption and hinders the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. Thus, CDs are capable of bridging some of the limitations posed by TiO2. Tests using reactive species scavengers indicate that the main active species involved in the photodegradation by the nanocomposites are superoxide radicals followed by hydroxyl radicals, which differs from bare TiO2. Lastly, a life cycle assessment (LCA) study shows that, when accounting for performance, the nanocomposites have lower relative environmental impacts than bare TiO2. In addition, the safety of the produced CDs is shown by in vitro assays. In summary, due to conjugation with CDs, a relevant increment in the catalytic performance of TiO2 is achieved; providing an important step toward the sustainable rational design of active visible-light-driven photocatalysts.
4. Investigation of the Chemiluminescent Reaction of a Fluorinated Analog of Marine Coelenterazine, Magalhaes, CM; da Silva, JCGE; da Silva, LP in MATERIALS, 2024, ISSN: 1996-1944,  Volume: 17, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, scopus, wos  DOI: 10.3390/ma17040868 P-010-2C9
Abstract Bioluminescence (BL) and chemiluminescence (CL) are remarkable processes in which light is emitted due to (bio)chemical reactions. These reactions have attracted significant attention for various applications, such as biosensing, bioimaging, and biomedicine. Some of the most relevant and well-studied BL/CL systems are that of marine imidazopyrazine-based compounds, among which Coelenterazine is a prime example. Understanding the mechanisms behind efficient chemiexcitation is essential for the optimization and development of practical applications for these systems. Here, the CL of a fluorinated Coelenterazine analog was studied using experimental and theoretical approaches to obtain insight into these processes. Experimental analysis revealed that CL is more efficient under basic conditions than under acidic ones, which could be attributed to the higher relative chemiexcitation efficiency of an anionic dioxetanone intermediate over a corresponding neutral species. However, theoretical calculations indicated that the reactions of both species are similarly associated with both electron and charge transfer processes, which are typically used to explain efficiency chemiexcitation. So, neither process appears to be able to explain the relative chemiexcitation efficiencies observed. In conclusion, this study provides further insight into the mechanisms behind the chemiexcitation of imidazopyrazinone-based systems.
5. Comparative investigation into the anticancer activity of analogs of marine coelenterazine and coelenteramine, Magalhaes, CM; Pereira, RB; Erbiai, E; González Berdullas, P; da Silva, JCGE Pereira, DM; da Silva, LP in BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY, 2024, ISSN: 0045-2068,  Volume: 144, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, scopus, unpaywall, wos  DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.107083 P-00Z-TD1
Abstract Cancer is still one of the most challenging diseases to treat, making the pursuit for novel molecules with potential anticancer activity an important research topic. Herein, we have performed a comparative investigation into the anticancer activity of analogs of marine coelenterazine and coelenteramine. The former is a well-known bioluminescent substrate, while the latter is a metabolic product of the resulting bioluminescent reaction. While both types of analogs showed anticancer activity toward lung and gastric cancer cell lines, we have obtained data that highlight relevant differences between the activity of these two types of compounds. More specifically, we observed relevant differences in structure-activity relationships between these types of compounds. Also, coelenteramine analogs showed time-dependent activity, while coelenterazine-based compounds usually present time-independent activity. Coelenterazine analogs also appear to be relatively safer toward noncancer cells than coelenteramine analogs. There was also seen a correlation between the activity of the coelenterazine-based compounds and their light-emission properties. Thus, these results further indicate the potential of the marine coelenterazine chemi-/bioluminescent system as a source of new molecules with anticancer activity, while providing more insight into their modes of action.