Speaker
Descrizione
While nanotechnology shows transformative potential in sustainable applications and circular economy models, transitioning from lab-scale prototypes to field-deployable and application-ready solutions remains complex. Building upon research from the last three years, focusing on nanocarriers, smart sensors, and biomass/agricultural-waste valorisation into value-added products, including geopolymers, functional coatings, nanocomposites, hybrid materials and advanced adsorbent platforms, this contribution stimulates a prospective reflection on research activities within the thematic areas of ISMN-CNR. Rather than revisiting consolidated outcomes, the goal is to project current knowledge toward the next scientific frontier, emphasizing life-cycle understanding and systemic integration within complex environmental, industrial, and technological ecosystems.
Despite recent advancements, critical scientific bottlenecks remain open. The dynamic nano-bio interface demands rigorous investigation, particularly regarding the long-term ecotoxicological fate of nanomaterials in environmental matrices, biological systems, and uptake pathways. Furthermore, the scalable synthesis of waste-derived nanofillers faces technological hurdles beyond bench-scale production [1–3]. Additionally, the lack of robust, multiplexed nanosensors operating continuously under harsh real conditions without signal degradation still prevents reliable real-time data integration for advanced sustainable applications [4].
Future research trajectories must move toward a strict " Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD)" framework. Research will focus on engineering fully biodegradable nano-architectures and stimuli-responsive platforms. These advanced materials will dynamically adapt to environmental triggers, such as pH variations, delivering active agents on demand and degrading into non-toxic by-products to ensure minimal environmental persistence.
Addressing these multidimensional challenges requires deep interdisciplinary collaborations across the CNR-ISMN community. Bridging expertise in advanced material synthesis with computational modelling, physicochemical characterization, ecotoxicology, and IoT engineering is crucial. This synergistic framework will foster a cross-disciplinary dialogue to overcome technological limits. Ultimately, this integration will strategically position the Institute for upcoming European funding initiatives, such as Horizon Europe, driving innovative projects that address the global food-water-energy nexus. A further emerging challenge will be the sustainable valorization of marine and algal biomasses, whose intrinsic compositional variability, seasonal availability, processing complexity, and environmental footprint require dedicated approaches to transform them into reliable high-value building blocks for future circular nano-enabled applications.
[1] G. Rando, S. Sfameni, M.R. Plutino et al. Sustainable Materials and Technologies 44 (2025) e01402
[2] G. Rando, S. Sfameni, M.R. Plutino et al. Energy Environ. Mater. (2026) e70321
[3] S. Sfameni, G. Rando, M. R. Plutino. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24.6 (2023): 5472.
[4] G. Rando, E. Scalone, S. Sfameni, M. R. Plutino. Gels 10.8 (2024), 498.
Acknowledgment:
This work was supported by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) through the Post-PNRR research projects DD307 “REMICS” and “Quantas”, by the BRiC INAIL 2025 project “NanoCARE” and FOE2024 Future Raw Materials.
| Giovane Ricercatore (under 40) | Yes |
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