The transition towards a circular carbon economy requires catalytic technologies capable of converting captured CO₂ into fuels, energy carriers and valuable chemicals using renewable hydrogen. Achieving this goal calls for efficient and selective processes that integrate carbon recovery, energy storage and the production of industrially relevant molecules. Despite considerable progress, the...
Red Blood Cell-derived Extracellular Vesicles (RBC-EVs) are biogenic nanoparticles, secreted by cells, with hemoglobin (Hb) representing almost 90% of the total protein content. [1,2] Due to their extremely high selectivity and intrinsic biocompatibility, EVs are currently regarded as the most promising platform for drug delivery in several medical research fields such as personalized cancer...
Metallic artworks are highly susceptible to rapid deterioration driven by complex chemical and electrochemical reactions. These processes are triggered by several environmental factors, including temperature, humidity, oxygen and concentration of airborne corrosive species. Materials design can significantly contribute to the preservation of metallic cultural heritage by enabling the...
Early diagnosis can significantly improve the prognosis of severe diseases such as neurodegenerations. In collaboration with the research groups of Dr. Pappalardo (CNR-IC Catania) [1] and Dr. Scalese (CNR-IMM Catania) [2] and within the SAMOTHRACE project, a supramolecular KLVFF/graphene oxide/cyclodextrin assembly was developed for the selective recognition of amyloid β 42 peptide [3] which...
With the present advances in electronics and rising functional demands, heat flux in electronic systems has increased significantly over the past decade.1 Data centers illustrate this, with roughly 1,200 in Europe and 5,000 in the United States.2 Reliability and power consumption depend on effective thermal management, yet active cooling remains mostly limited to liquid...
Within the framework of the MSCA-DN "UP2MEM" project (funded by EU Horizon Europe MSCA-DN No 101227653), this study presents a sustainable "waste-to-resource" strategy for the synthesis of CaTiO3-TiO2-nanocarbon (CaTi-nC) based assemblies to be used as photo catalytic and antibacterial coatings in wastewater ceramic membranes. CaTiO3 perovskite oxide has the role of photocatalyst for...
The interaction between organic molecules and magnetic layers has been extensively investigated over the past two decades; yet unresolved questions remain, and new phenomena continue to emerge. In particular, the interface formed between magnetic transition metals and organic molecules has recently been shown to have an unexpected impact on the magnetic properties of these systems, thereby...
Electron spectroscopies are well-established techniques, largely employed for the investigations of the surface chemical composition of a huge number of solid-state materials. The peculiarity of these techniques lies in their ability to probe a very tiny layer of the investigated materials, within the range of 1 ÷ 10 nm. Therefore, they represent a powerful tool for the study of nanomaterials....
Nanoparticle (NP)-based systems are widely employed in biomedical applications, and their therapeutic efficacy is mainly governed by interactions at the nano–bio interface, which ultimately dictate cellular recognition, uptake, intracellular trafficking, and biological response [1]. In particular, the formation of an interfacial protein corona (PC), resulting from the dynamic adsorption of...
Sub-monolayer thick films of sexithiophene molecules, vapor-deposited on a set of native silicon oxide substrates with variable surface energy, were investigated using atomic force microscopy. A set of morphological descriptors was chosen and used to describe the formation of molecular islands. This formation is proven to be dependent on the surface energy, specifically linked to the doping...
The transition from a linear to a circular economy has become a key objective for achieving a more sustainable and resource-efficient society. Unlike the traditional linear model, which relies on the extraction, use, and disposal of resources, the circular economy promotes the valorization, reuse, and recycling of materials, minimizing waste generation and environmental impact. In this...
Humanity must maintain development while transitioning away from fossil fuels. This requires renewable energy sources and reliable storage systems to manage their intermittency. However, many current technologies depend on critical raw materials that are costly, environmentally impactful, and unevenly distributed globally. Developing sustainable alternatives based on abundant, low-impact...
The analysis of volatile biomarkers released by biological samples is emerging as an approach for the detection of metabolic alterations associated with physiological and pathological conditions. Human breath, cell cultures, biological fluids, tissues, and microbiological samples emit complex mixtures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) reflecting biochemical processes and providing...
The development of neuromorphic devices is a key step toward enabling low-power artificial intelligence. Among the various emerging technologies, memristive devices have attracted considerable attention owing to their ability to perform efficient one-shot multiply-accumulate (MAC) operations, which are fundamental for neural network computation. However, programming noise remains a major...
Agrochemicals remain essential for controlling pests, pathogens, and weeds, particularly under increasing pressure from resistance, climate change, and water scarcity. At the same time, efficient nutrient management is necessary to sustain crop productivity. The inefficient application of agrochemicals and nutrients may lead to excessive dosing, soil accumulation, leaching, volatilization, and...
Electrochemical CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR) represents a promising pathway for converting carbon dioxide into useful chemicals. However, conventional systems are limited by the inherently low solubility of CO₂ in aqueous electrolytes and by the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which reduces efficiency.
To address these challenges, we have designed and implemented a novel experimental...
3D biology has marked a turning point in biomedical research, offering a more realistic and dynamic representation of cellular and tissue processes. Within this framework, bioprinting has emerged as a key technology, capable of precisely and reproducibly recreating complex pathological models and cellular microenvironments. This evolution opens new perspectives in disease modeling,...
Sustainable organic electronics requires low thermal budget processing together with bio-derived functional materials. We report a hybrid dielectric platform combining low-temperature (80 °C) atomic layer deposited Al₂O₃ with silk fibroin, a naturally derived protein, for low-voltage organic field-effect transistors on flexible PEN substrates. We compare ultrathin silk fibroin interfacial...
Citrus processing waste (CPW) is an abundant biological resource whose valorization through the CytroCav process developed by Italy’s Research Council researchers allows to obtain two new bioproducts: the highly bioactive pectin-flavonoid bioconjugate IntegroPectin and the new nanocellulose CytroCell.[1]
CytroCell nanocellulose has a unique molecular structure and morphology in water and...
The conventional ab-initio simulations require a great number of computational resources and time. In contrast to classical ab-initio programs, BigDFT simulations can exhibit linear scaling progression achieved through the use of Daubechies wavelets and support functions. The Daubechies wavelets are based on two functions: scaling function ϕ(x) and wavelet function ψ(x) that are the basis of...
Organometal halide perovskites (OHPs) with general formula ABX₃ (A = organic cation, B = metal cation, X = halide) have emerged as promising candidates for thermoelectric (TE) applications owing to their hybrid “electron-crystal/phonon-glass” behavior. In these materials, the inorganic framework enables efficient charge transport, while the organic sublattice suppresses lattice thermal...
Living microorganisms are increasingly recognized as key components of next-generation technologies in agriculture, environmental remediation, industrial biotechnology, and biomanufacturing. However, their transition from laboratory systems to real-world applications is still limited by a fundamental challenge: microorganisms are inherently dynamic and fragile, and their performance rapidly...
The increasing complexity of advanced materials design requires digital infrastructures capable of integrating modelling, simulation, data management, and analysis across multiple scales. In this context, automated and interoperable workflows can support more efficient, reproducible, and traceable computational studies, while providing structured data that can be reused within broader...
The transition toward a sustainable and resource-efficient society requires a shift from linear production models to circular economy strategies that promote the recovery, regeneration, and valorization of waste-derived resources. In this context, a wide range of organic and inorganic residual streams, including recycled calcium phosphate (CaP), fish protein hydrolysates (FPHs), natural...
In the modern field of microelectronics and advanced sensing, Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) represent a mature yet dynamic platform for the development of high-performance miniaturized devices, thanks to their ability to integrate transduction, actuation, and readout in compact, low-power devices compatible with wafer-level processing. Resonant MEMS strain sensors convert small strain...
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...
The rapid spread of antibiotic resistance is driving the development of alternative strategies to prevent bacterial colonization on surfaces. In this context, antibacterial nanostructured surfaces (ANSs), particularly those based on high-aspect ratio nanoneedle arrays, have attracted growing attention for their ability to mechanically disrupt bacterial membranes and induce stress responses...
In-situ or operando synchrotron X-ray techniques are currently used to understand the fundamental mechanism and guide not only the materials design protocols but the technological optimization, as well, in energy storage and catalytical processes.
The merits of synchrotron X-rays, such as high brightness (1012 more intense than that from the laboratory sources), highly collimated and energy...
The widespread occurrence of microplastics (MPs), commonly defined as solid plastic particles ranging from 1 µm to 5 mm in size and composed of a mixture of polymeric materials and functional additives, has raised increasing concern regarding their potential environmental and human health impacts. Although MPs have been extensively investigated in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, the...
Citrus processing waste (CPW) represents a widely available biomass feedstock that can be converted, through the CytroCav process developed by researchers at Italy’s National Research Council, into two innovative bioproducts: IntegroPectin, a highly bioactive pectin–flavonoid bioconjugate, and CytroCell, a novel form of nanocellulose [1]. Citrus IntegroPectin is a highly water-soluble...
Magnetic particles are widely utilised in clinical research; however, conventional systems rely upon relatively large, micrometre-sized beads. Although the deployment of ultrasmall nanoparticles—comparable in scale to biological molecules—presents significant advantages, their control is severely hindered by thermal fluctuations. At ISMN, we have developed a magnetic approach that enables the...
The development of sustainable technologies for CO2 valorization, clean air and renewable H2 production represents a key challenge for the coming years. In this context, heterogeneous catalysis can play a central role in transforming CO2 from an emission problem into a resource, while enabling the production of hydrogen and value-added molecules through thermal, photo-assisted and cyclic...
Membrane-based technologies are at the forefront of the global transition toward sustainable environmental remediation, resource recovery, and clean energy production. As explored in this communication, research activities conducted over the past three years have demonstrated the viability of replacing conventional, environmentally persistent fluoropolymers with eco-friendly mixed-matrix...
Low-cost sensing systems are not intended to replace reference-grade instrumentation, but rather to complement it by enabling flexible prototyping of bio-based sensing and material platforms, and denser deployment for broader access to environmental monitoring. As a result, affordable and Python-based programmable sensor platforms can support modular, interoperable solutions across laboratory...
Increasing the computing and memory efficiency of artificial intelligence is a major driver in current research. In memory computing tackles this problem at the hardware level by removing the memory-computing bottleneck intrinsic to current von Neumann architectures. At the algorithmic level, approaches such as multi-experts or low rank adaptation attempt to achieve the same performance with...
Across materials laboratories, data are produced through heterogeneous instruments, workflows and documentation practices. Making them reusable requires more than depositing files in a repository: it requires preserving the experimental context needed to interpret, compare and connect them across laboratories, disciplines and computational workflows. This contribution builds on the...
