On July 6th, 2026, Rui Fernandes successfully defended his PhD in Textile Engineering at the University of Minho, with the thesis entitled “Development of structural colors, assisted by plasma technology and biopolymer coating, for high visibility technical fabrics.”
His research focused on the development of structurally coloured fabrics, with sustainability as a central goal for the textile industry. Structural coloration is achieved through the synthesis of photonic crystals which, once deposited onto the fabric, self-assemble to generate bright and iridescent colours. This methodology significantly reduces both effluent generation and water consumption, as rinsing steps are no longer required. The study highlights the potential of photonic crystals as alternatives to conventional dyes and pigments, contributing to cleaner and more sustainable textile coloration processes.
The PhD was supervised by Professor Dr. Andrea Zille and the late Professor Dr. António Pedro Souto, both from 2C2T.
The examination committee was chaired by Professor Dr. Raúl Fangueiro (Department of Textile Engineering, University of Minho) and included Professor Dr. Nuno Belino (Department of Textile Engineering, University of Beira Interior), Professor Dr. Cristina Figueiredo (Faculty of Architecture, University of Lisbon), Professor Dr. Jorge Santos (Department of Textile Engineering, University of Minho), and Professor Dr. Andrea Zille (2C2T, University of Minho).
After the public presentation and discussion, in which Professor Dr. Nuno Belino and Professor Dr. Cristina Figueiredo acted as main opponents, the jury unanimously approved the candidate, awarding the final classification of Very Good, in recognition of the originality, innovative character, and scientific merit of the work.
This research represents an important contribution towards a more advanced and environmentally responsible future, reinforcing the role of photonic crystals as promising substitutes for synthetic dyes and demonstrating how the use of hazardous chemicals in coloration processes can be significantly reduced.
The Centre for Textile Science and Technology congratulates Dr. Rui Fernandes on this outstanding achievement and on his valuable contribution to scientific innovation in textile coloration and sustainability within the textile industry.