Editor’s note

The Eclética Química Journal has a line in its scope to publish special issues in honor of scientists with relevant contributions to the scientific and technological development in Chemistry and related areas. Prof. José Arana Varela joined the Instituto de Química-UNESP, Araraquara, in 1980, coming from the Presidente Prudente Campus of UNESP, initially dedicating himself to the creation of a multidisciplinary research group, the coordination and development of several research projects in ceramic materials, thin films, ferroelectrics, dielectrics, varistors, refractories, sintering processes and chemical routes for the preparation of ceramic materials (Pechini method). All these actions have stimulated the creation of the Graduate Program in Physical Chemistry at IQ-UNESP. He worked together with other professors from the Araraquara Campus in the design and assembly of several modernly equipped research laboratories. He actively participated in the process of unifying the various graduate courses at the Instituto de Química, currently the Graduate Course in Chemistry, of which he was coordinator. He has held several administrative positions at the Instituto de Química and UNESP, all of them of special relevance to scientific development and technological innovation. He also participated in scientific-administrative activities in various development agencies, especially FAPESP, in scientific journals as a reviewer and member of the editorial board and he stood out as a researcher in the national and international scientific community that earned him several national and international awards. So, this special issue intends to pay a simple tribute to Prof. Varela and aims to recognize its enormous scientific contribution at the national and international levels as well as thank him for his dedication, teachings and collaboration in the training of qualified human resources in science and technology, and also for his futuristic vision of the materials area. It contains scientific contributions from collaborators and colleagues of Prof. Varela, especially on preparation of a W-doped Ag₃PO₄ with high photocatalytic activity, the catalytic potential of titanium oxide (TiO₂) and gold doped titanium oxide nanoparticles, quantum chemistry methods in studying boron nitride nanotube and carbon nanotube as carrier agent for the antichagasic benznidazole, the production of activated carbon from pumpkin seeds by simultaneous carbonization activation for occupational respiratory protection, surfactant effects in the morphology and photocatalytic activity of the BaMoO₄ crystals, the influence of Eu³⁺ cations in the host matrix of CaZrO₃ by analyzing the luminescence and structural properties, Fe₂O₃ preparation by hydrothermal process, heat-treatment followed by femtosecond laser-irradiation and use in depolluting wastewater, the effect of coupling the Zr-metal-organic frameworks and SnO₂ as promising applications as photoelectrode in solar cells and materials modifications for improving the photocatalytic activity for wastewater treatment. The articles published here followed all the standard procedures used by the Eclética Química Journal and fulfilled all the qualitative requirements of selection, peer review and editing.