Prof.  Tibor Hianik

Comenius University Bratislava

venerdì 9 dicembre 2011 ore 12:00

Aula U. M. Grassano

Facoltà di Scienze Matematiche, Fisiche e Naturali

Dipartimento di Fisica

Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata”

Abstract:
The talk will deal with the following topics:

Structure and properties of DNA aptamers. Aptamer engneering, preparation of
nanostructured surfaces and aptamer immobilization. Electrochemical and
acoustical methods of aptamer-ligand detection. Examples of biosensors for
detection thrombin, prions, and ochratoxin.

Biographical:

Professor Tibor Hianik is head of the Laboratory of Biophysics of Comenius
University Bratislava.

He is chair of the Master and PhD program in Biophysics at CUB. Prof. T.
Hianik supervised 16 PhD students and more than 30 diploma works.

A substantial area of his research is focussed on the development of
biosensors based on DNA aptamers and antibodies.

He has authored 135 papers in International Journals, two monographs, six
chapters in books and serves as associate editor of the International
Journal Bioelectrochemistry (Elsevier) and editor of the International
Journal of General Physiology and Biophysics (SAS). He also served as a
guest editor of special issue of Electroanalysis (Wiley) focused on
electrochemical aptasensors.

He is member of the Council of Bioelectrochemical Society, member of
commission C6 on Biological Physics of IUPAP and president of the Slovak
Biophysical Society.

Contact details

Office:  Physics Department,
Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”
Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1
00133 Roma, Italy

Tel: +39 0672594548
Fax: +39 062023507

Current Professional Position

Associate Professor in Condensed Matter at the Faculty of Science of The University of Rome Tor Vergata

Research Experience

Olivia Pulci is a computational theoretical physicist, received a Laurea Cum Laude at the University  “La Sapienza” (Rome) in 1992, and the PhD degree at the University of Rome Tor Vergata  in 1996.

She is presently associate professor in Condensed Matter at Department of Physics – Faculty of Science – at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

In the years 1997-2000 she worked   at the Friedrich Schiller Universitaet (Jena, Germany), at the Ecole Polytechnique (Palaiseau, France) and the the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Plank Gesellschaft (Berlin).

Since 2003 OP teaches  “Theory of Solid State Physics” for the Laurea Specialistica in Material Science.

Since 2007 OP is beamline responsible scientist at the European Theoretical Spectroscopy

Facility (ETSF,  www.etsf.eu) for the Optical Beamline.

Expertise

• Surfaces:

Ground state properties: equilibrium geometry, determination of relaxation and reconstruction, study of the relative stability of surfaces under different growth conditions. Electronic band structure and optical properties of surfaces. Effect of steps.

• Nanocrystals, nanodots:

Absorption and emission spectra of silicon nanocrystals, free standing and embed-ded.

• Towards systems of biological interest:

study of water, and formamide in water; optical spectra within QM/MM+MBPT of indole in water solution; study of the photoisomerization of rhodopsin; optical properties of Flavin

• Functionalizing graphene and other 2-D systems:

study of graphene, silicene and polygermine with adsorbates.

• Cultural heritage: understanding the yellowing of ancient paper through the study of possible oxidation processes in cellulose

keywords: Ab-initio calculations, computational physics, Density Functional Theory (DFT), Time-Dependent DFT (TDDFT), Many-Body Perturbation Theory, ground state properties, electronic band structure calculations, optical absorption spectra, Reflectance Anisotropy, Surface Differential Reflectivity, GW approximation, excitonic effects (BSE).

Invited Talks and lectures

1. XVIII Meeting of Theoretical Solid State Physics, Fai della Paganella (Trento), 30 March 1999 (invited).
2. 17th Heimbach Meeting, Isola Polvese, Italy 29 September -3 October 2003 (2 invited lectures)
3. EPIOPTIC-8 School, Erice 20th-26th July 2004 (2 Invited Lectures, 4 hours)
4. Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft Spring Meeting 2005: Invited Talk (8 March 2005 Berlin, Germany)
5. Invited talk at the EPS 2006 Meeting (DPG, Dresden, Germany, 27-31March 2006)  “Ab-initio calculations of excitations at surfaces”
6. Invited Lecture at EPIOPTICS-9 (38th school, Erice 20-26 July 2006), ‘The optical properties of surfaces: ab-initio calculations within two-particle schemes’
7. Invited talk at the 11th Nanoquanta Workshop on Electronic Excita-tions: ‘A decade of applications of the Bethe-Salpeter Equation’, 19-22 September 2006 Houffalize (Belgium). Title of the talk: Electronic and Optical properties of Surfaces: ab-initio calculations within MBPT and TDDFT approaches
8. Invitation to give a talk at the APS March meeting (March 2007) (I could not travel for health reasons)
9. Invited talk at the conference SIMBIOMA ‘Progress in ab initio mod-elling of biomolecules : towards computational spectroscopy’, Rome 2-4 April 2007
10. Invited talk at the ‘PhD school for Nano and Bio Technologies’, 21-31 May 2007, Rome Tor Vergata. Title of the Talk: ‘Ab-initio calculations of optical properties of Silicon nanocrystals’
11. Invited talk at the International workshop on computational physics and Materials ‘Progress in Computational Electronic Structure Theory’ Bonn 10-12 January 2008 ‘ Optical spectrum of water: many-body per-turbation theory meets molecular dynamics’
12. Invited talk at the russian-italian mini-workshop 14 March 2008 Castel Gandolfo, Rome ‘Ab-initio calculations of Silicon nanocrystals’
13. Two Invited Lectures at EPIOPTICS-X school (Erice 20-27 June 2008)
14. Invited talk at the conference School of Nanophotonic and Photovoltaics Ab initio theory and calculation of the optical properties of nanostruc-tures Santiago de Cuba 7-14 January 2009
15. Invited talk at the NAST-ISM(CNR) meeting Rome (Italy) (22 June 2009) ‘Theoretical Approaches to the Ab-initio study of complex systems’
16. Invited talk at ICFSI-12 Weimar (Germany) 5-10 July 2009
17. Invited talk at OSI-8 Ischia (Italy) 6-11 September 2009
18. Invited talk at ICCMSE 2009 Rhodes (Crete, Greece) 29-September- 4 October 2009
19. Invited talk at the conference ‘PhysCompTech’ Natal, Brasil 1-5 March 2010
20. Invited talk at the international School on optical properties of surfaces EPIOTICS-XI (Erice July 2010)
21. Invitation to ECOSS27 (29 August- 3 September 2010) (could not attend for family reasons)
22. Invited talk at the international conference NANO 2010 (Rome La Sapienza 13-17 September 2010)
23. Invited talk at the 2nd International School on Nanophotonics and Pho-tovoltaic, Tsakhadzor, Armenia (16-22 September 2010)
24. Invited talk at ICSFS15 (Beijing, China 5-10 October 2010)
25. Invited talk at the first meeting of the Mediterranean Institute of Fun- damental Physics (MIFP) Marino, ROME 16-19 March 2011
26. Invitation to give a talk at CECAM July 2011 Lausanne
27. Invited talk at the School of Nanophotonics Maratea (September2011)

Peer Review:

OP served as:

1. Referee of international journals (Phys. Rev. Lett., Physical Review B, Thin Solid Films, Physica Status Solidi, Superlattices and Microstructures, The Journal of Physical Chemistry, Appl. Phys. Lett.).
2. 2007-2009: Member of the evaluation panel for CINECA-INFM supercomputer projects
3. 2010: evaluator of proposals to the CEA-Eurotalents projects
4. since 2011: Reviewer for CINECA ISCRA projects

Organization of conferences:

• Organizer and Member of the Scientific and Advisory Board of the conference “Ab initio Theoretical Approaches to the Electronic Structure and Optical Spectra of Materials”, CECAM, Lyon, September 2002.
• Organizer and Member of the Scientific and Advisory Board of the conference “Ab initio Electron-Excitations Theory: Towards systems of Biological Interest”, DIPC, S. Sebastian, Spain, 21-24 September 2003.
• Organizer and Member of the Scientific and Advisory Board of the conference “Theory and Modeling of Electronic Excitations in Nanoscience“, Acquafredda di Maratea, Italy, 19-23 September 2004
• Organizer and Coordinator of the section “Ab-initio approaches to excited states and transport” of the MMD (Matter, Materials and Devices) workshop (INFM-meeting 2005, Genova, June 22-25 2005)
• Organizer and Member of the Scientific and Advisory Board of the conference GW2005: 40 Years of the GW Approximation for the Electronic Self Energy: Achievements and Challenges Physikszentrum Bad Honnef, Germany 12-15 September 2005
• Member of the International Advisory and Programme Committee of ICFSI-12 (Weimer 2009)
• Member of the Program Committee of PLMCN10, Cuernavaca, Mexico, 11-16 of April, 2010
• Member of the International Advisory Board and Programme Committee for the 13th International Conference on the Formation of Semiconductor Interfaces (ICFSI-13) Prague, Czech Republic, July 3-8 2011
• Local committee member for NANOSEA 2012 S. Margherita di Pula 2012
• Member of the International Programme Committee of OECSE13 (Rome 2013) 

Scientific coordination:

• Since 2004 Scientifc Coordinator of the section ‘Surfaces and Interfaces’ (IT7) for the NoE (Network of Excellence) European Project ‘NANOQUANTA: Nanoscale Quantum Simulations’
• Since 2005: Member of the Nanoquanta scientific committee for the organization of the European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF)
• Since 2007: Member of the scientific committee of NaST (Laboratorio d’Ateneo) Rome Tor Vergata
• Since 2007: Research Team Leader in the European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF: http://www.etsf.eu) core node of Rome Tor Vergata
• Since 2008: Optical Beamline reference scientist for the European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility
• Since November 2010: Coordinator of the IRSES European Project “New Century of Superconductivity: Ideas, Materials, Technologies” (SIMTECH), project n. 246937
• Since March 2010: Member of ‘Collegio dei Docenti’ of Tor Vergata University for the PhD in Physics 

Recent (selected) Publications:

• A. Mosca Conte, L. Guidoni, R. Del Sole, and Olivia Pulci, Photo-isomerization of the Protonated Schiff Base Minimal Model: a theoretical investigation by quantum Many-Body and TDDFT methods (Chem. Phys. Lett) (accepted)
• E. Cannuccia, O. Pulci, R. Del Sole, M. Cascella, Optical properties of flavin mononucleotide: a QM/MM study of protein environment effects  Chemical Physics 389 (2011) 35–38
• R. Guerra, M. Marsili, O. Pulci, and S. Ossicini Local field effects in silicon nanocrystals Phys. Rev. B 84, 075342 (2011)
• G. Bussetti, et al. Coexistence of Negatively and Positively Buckled Isomers on n+-Doped Si(111)-2×1 Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 067601 (2011)
• M. Schwitters, D. S. Martin, P. Unsworth, T. Farrell, J. E. Butler, M. Marsili, O. Pulci, and P.Weightman The contribution of steps to the optical properties of vicinal Diamond (100):H surfaces Phys. Rev. B 83, 085402 (2011)
• O. Pulci, A. Marini, M. Palummo, and R. Del Sole, Test of long-range exchange-correlation kernels of TDDFT at surfaces: application to Si(111)2x1, Phys. Rev. B 82, 205319 (2010) (selected as Editor’s suggestion)
• Stefano Ossicini, Michele Amato, Roberto Guerra, Maurizia Palummo, and Olivia Pulci, Silicon and Germanium Nanostructures for Photovoltaic Applications: Ab-Initio Results, Nanoscale Research Letters 5, 16371649 (2010)
• M. Marsili, O. Pulci, The fascinating physics of carbon surfaces: first-principles study of hydrogen on C(001), C(111), and graphene, invited Review paper in Journ. of Phys. D 43, 374016 (2010)
• Paola Gori, Munise Rakel, Christoph Cobet, Wolfgang Richter, Norbert Esser, Axel Ho®mann, Rodolfo Del Sole, Antonio Cricenti, and Olivia Pulci, Optical spectra of ZnO in the far UV: First Principle Calculations and Ellip-sometric measurements, Phys. Rev. B 81, 125207 (2010)
• Adriano Mosca Conte, Emiliano Ippoliti, Rodolfo Del Sole, Paolo Carloni, Olivia Pulci Many-Body meets QM/MM: Application to indole in water solution accepted Phys. Stat. Sol. b) Volume 247, Issue 8, August 2010, Pages: 19201924
• E. Degoli, R. Guerra, M. Marsili, O. Pulci, and S. Ossicini, Local-fields and disorder effects in free-standing and embedded Si nanocrystallites accepted Phys. Stat. Sol. (b) Volume 247, Issue 8, August 2010, Pages: 21132117
• O. Pulci, P. Gori, M. Marsili, V. Garbuio, A. P. Seitsonen, F. Bechstedt, A. Cricenti, and R. Del Sole, Ab initio calculations of electronic and optical properties of group IV 2-dimensional materials, Phys. Stat. Sol. (a) 207, 291 (2010)
• O. Pulci, E. Degoli, F. Iori, M. Marsili, M. Palummo, R. Del Sole, S. Ossicini, Electronic and optical properties of Si and Ge nanocrystals: an ab-initio study, Superlattices and Microstructures 47, 178 (2010)
• Silicon Nanocrystallites in SiO2 Matrix: The Role of Disorder and Size R. Guerra, I. Marri, R. Magri, L. Martin-Samos, O. Pulci, E. Degoli, and S. Ossicini, Phys. Rev. B 79, 155320 (2009)
• M. Marsili, O. Pulci, M. Palummo, P.L. Silvestrelli, and R. Del Sole, Electronic and optical properties of acetylene and ethylene on Si(001), “Su-perlattices and Microstructures” 46, 240 (2009)
• O. Pulci, V. Garbuio, R. Del Sole, Optical and electron energy loss spectra of liquid water: an ab-initio study paper in the book Synchrotron Radiation and Nanostructures, in honour of Paolo Perfetti, World Scientific, Ed. Cri-centi, Margaritondo, pag. 90 (2009)
• Ab-initio study of Ethylene on Si(001), M. Marsili, O. Pulci,R. Del Sole proceedings of the school EPIOPTICS-10, Erice 2008 World Scientific, ed. A. Cricenti
• First-principles calculations and bias-dependent STM measurements at the alpha-Sn/Ge(111) surface: A clear indication for the 1U2D configuration P. Gori, F. Ronci, S. Colonna, A. Cricenti, O. Pulci, G. Le Lay, European Physics Letters 85, 66001 (2009)
• Optical Properties of Silicon Nanocrystallites in SiO2 Matrix: Crystalline vs. Amorphous Case, R. Guerra, I. Marri, R. Magri, L. Martin-Samos, O. Pulci, E. Degoli, and S. Ossicini “Superlattices and Microstructures” 46, 246 (2009)
• Tight Binding calculations of quasiparticle wavefunctions for C(111)2x1 M. Marsili, O. Pulci, F. Bechstedt, and R. Del Sole Phys. Rev. B 78, 205414 (2008)
• Ab-initio calculation of luminescence and optical gain properties in silicon nanostructures Elena Degoli, Roberto Guerra, Federico Iori, Rita Magri, Ivan Marri, Olivia Pulci, Olmes Bisi, and Stefano Ossicini in special volume “The oretical Spectroscopy”, CR de Physique de l’Academie des Sciences, Elsevier doi:10.1016/j.crhy.2008.09.003 C. R. Physique 10 (2009) 575586
• Many-Body Theory meets QM/MM: application to indole in water solution A. Mosca Conte, E. Ippoliti, R. Del Sole, P. Carloni, O. Pulci J. Chem. Theory Comput., 5, 1822 (2009)
• Excited state properties of Liquid Water, V. Garbuio, M. Cascella, O. Pulci, invited topical Review Article at J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 21, 033101 (2009)
• Ab-initio absorption spectra of 3-tert-butylcyclohexene Katalin Gaal-Nagy, Olivia Pulci, and Giovanni Onida, in the special volume “Theoretical Spectroscopy”, CR de Physique de l’Academie des Sciences, Elsevier doi:10.1016/j.crhy.2008.08.002 C. R. Physique 10 (2009) 491503
• Codoping goes Nano: Structural and Optical properties of Boron and Phosphorus codoped Silicon Nanocrystals, R. Magri, F. Iori, E. Degoli, O. Pulci, S. Ossicini, AIP Conf. Proc. 963, 359 (2007)
• Role of Surface passivation and doping in silicon nanocrystals, R. Magri, E. Degoli, F. Iori, E. Luppi, O. Pulci, S. Ossicini, G. Cantele, F. Trani, D. Ninno, Journal of Computational Methods in Science and Engineering, 7, 219-232 (2007)
• Quantum mechanical calculations of electronic and optical properties of surfaces Cecilia Noguez and Olivia Pulci, ‘Quantum Mechanical Calculations of Electronic and Optical Properties of Semiconductor Surfaces’, chap. 12 in the book ‘Quantum Chemical Calculations of Surfaces and Interfaces of Materials’, ISBN: 1-58883-138-8, American Scientific Publishers, Vladimir A. Basiuk and Piero Ugliengo Eds., Pages: 217-248 (2009)
• Adsorption of small hydrocarbon molecules on Silicon surfaces: ethylene on Si(001) M. Marsili, N. Witkowski, O. Pulci, O. Pluchery, P. L. Silvestrelli, R. Del Sole, Y. Borensztein, Phys. Rev. B 77, 125337 (2008)
• Ab-initio optical spectra of complex system E. Cannuccia,O. Pulci, M. Palummo, V. Garbuio, R. Del Sole, Phys. Stat. Solidi C 5 2543 (2008)
• Engineering Silicon Nanocrystals: E®ect of Codoping with Boron and Phosphorus F. Iori, E. Degoli, R. Magri, I. Marri, G. Cantele, D. Ninno, F. Trani, O. Pulci, S. Ossicini, Phys. Rev. B 76, 085302 (2007)
• M. Marsili, V. Garbuio, M. Bruno, O. Pulci M. Palummo, E. Degoli, E. Luppi, R. Del Sole Excited state properties calculations: from 0 to 3 dimensional systems proceedings of the school EPIOPTICS-9, Erice 2006 p.41 World Scientific, ed. A. Cricenti
• E. Luppi, F. Iori, R. Magri, O. Pulci, S. Ossicini, E. Degoli, V. Olevano, Excitons in Silicon Nanocrystallites: the Nature of Luminescence Phys. Rev. B 75, 033303 (2007)
• M. Palummo, M. Bruno, O. Pulci, E. Luppi, E. Degoli, S. Ossicini, R. Del Sole Ab-initio electronic and optical properties of low dimensional systems: from single particle to many-body approaches Surf. Sci. 601 (13), p.2696-2701, Jul 2007
• M. Marsili, O. Pulci, F. Fuchs, F. Bechstedt, R. Del Sole, Many body effects in the electronic and optical properties of the (111) surface of diamond. Surf. Sci. 601 (18), p.4097-4101, Sep 2007
• P. Gori, O. Pulci, S. Colonna, F. Ronci, A. Cricenti Structure and phase transitions of the Sn/Ge(111) surface Surf. Sci. 601 (18), p.4381-4385, Sep 2007
• M. Palummo, O. Pulci, A. Marini, L. Reining, R. Del sole Many-body e®ects on the EEL spectrum of the C(100) surface Phys. Rev. B 74, 235431 (2006)
• S. Ossicini et al., First Principle Study of Silicon Nanocrystals: Structural and Electronic Properties, Absorption, Emission and Doping, Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology 8, 479- 492 (2008)
• S. Ossicini, E. Degoli, F. Iori, O. Pulci, G. Cantele, R. Magri, O. Bisi, F. Trani, D. Ninno, Doping in Silicon Nanocrystals, Surf. Sci. 601, 2724 (2007)
• V. Garbuio, M. Cascella, L. Reining, R. Del Sole, and O. Pulci, Ab-initio calculations of Many-Body effects in liquids: the electronic excitations of water, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 137402 (2006)
• O. Pulci, M. Marsili, P. Gori, M. Palummo, R. Del Sole, A. Cricenti, F. Bechstedt, Geometry and electronic band structure of surfaces: the case of Ge(111):Sn and C(111) Appl. Phys. A 85, 361 (2006)
• P. Gori, O. Pulci, and A. Cricenti, Surface structure and energy bands of 1/3ML Sn/Ge(111), Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., 45, 2140 (2006)

Prof. Giuseppe Balestrino

Università di Roma Tor Vergata – CNR SPIN

Venerdì 28 ottobre 2011 alle ore 15.00

aula ‘R3′ del Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettronica dell’Università di Roma Tor Vergata (edificio Ing. dell’Informazione, piano terra)

Dowload locandina

Professor Patricia Targon Campana
Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil

Wednesday November 2nd, 2011
Seminar room of the Department

Dowload Abstract

Contact details

Dept of Biology, LBA, Laboratory of Biology of Algae

Tel 06 72594332

Fax 06 2023500

Research Activity

Dr. Roberta Congestri is research scientist in the Department of Biology at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”.

Her research interests include taxonomy, ecophysiology and ultrastructure of microalgae and cyanobacteria in aquatic biofilms and marine phytoplankton, especially toxic and bloom forming species. Electron microscopy and image analysis techniques; structural, 3-dimensional, and spectral analysis of biofilms by confocal microscopy. Applications in the field of biofilm based remediation of waters and biofouling monitoring. Traceability of algal toxins along the food chain by means of microsensors. Diatom photonics and micro-mechanics, ultrastructural analysis of diatom frustules, pore patterns, silica nanostructures and linking mechanisms for nanotechnology and biodesign.

Relevant Publications

• Caroppo C., Congestri R., Bracchini L., Albertano P. 2005 – On the presence of Pseudo-nitzschia calliantha Lundholm, Moestrup et Hasle and P. delicatissima (Cleve) Heiden in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea, Italy): Journal of Plankton Research, 27 (8): 763-774. Equal contribution first two authors.
• Congestri R, Cox E.J., Cavacini P., Albertano P. 2005 – Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) in phototrophic biofilms colonising an Italian wastewater treatment plant. Diatom Research, 20 (2): 241-255.
• Congestri R., Di Pippo F., De Philippis R., Buttino I., Paradossi G., Albertano P. 2006 – Seasonal succession of phototrophic biofilms in an Italian wastewater treatment plant: biovolume, spatial structure and exopolysaccharides”. Aquatic Microbial Ecology, 45 (3): 301-312.
• Congestri R. 2008 – Advanced microscopy techniques as instruments for cell and tissue analysis in plants – FISH methods in phycology: phototrophic biofilm and phytoplankton applications. Plant Biosystems, 142 (2): 337-342.
• Congestri R., Polizzano S., Albertano P. 2008 – Toxic Pseudo-nitzschia populations from the Middle Tyrrhenian Sea (Mediterranean Sea, Italy) In: V. Evangelista, L. Barsanti, A.M. Frassanito, V. Passarelli, and P. Gualtieri [eds.] Algal toxins: nature, occurrence, effect and detection. NATO Science Series, Chemistry and Biology. Springer Netherlands. p. 197-210. Albertano P., Congestri R., Micheli L., Moscone D., Palleschi G. 2008 – Development of sensors to trace toxins from dinoflagellates and other algae to seafood In: V. Evangelista, L. Barsanti, A.M. Frassanito, V. Passarelli, and P. Gualtieri [eds.] Algal toxins: nature, occurrence, effect and detection. NATO Science Series, Chemistry and Biology. SpringerNetherlands. p. 301-310.
• De StefanoM., De Stefano L., Congestri R. 2009 – Functional morphology of micro- and nanostructures in two distinct diatom frustules. Superlattices and Microstructures 46: 64-68.
• Di Pippo F., Bohn A., Congestri R., De Philippis R., Albertano P. 2009 – Capsular polysaccharides of cultured phototrophic biofilms. Biofouling 25: 495-504
• Congestri R., Albertano P. 2011 – Benthic diatoms in biofilm culture. In: The Diatom World (vol 19, Cole series) Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, Vol. 19 cap 10 Seckbach, Joseph & Kociolek, Patrick [eds.] ISBN: 978-94-007-1326-0: in press. 

AFFERENTI

AFFILIATI

Address: Department of Biology

Tel: +39 06 7259 4859

Lab: +39 06 7259 4332

Fax: +39 06 2023500

Current Professional Positions

Full Professor of General Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy

Research Activity

Prof. Albertano obtained her degree title in Biological Sciences (University of Naples,Italy) in 1978; research activity at the University of Naples (1979-1982); contract professor in Plant Physiology at the University of Calabria (1983-1984). Since 1984, research scientist (1984-1992), assistant professor in Phycology (1993- 1997), associate professor in Botany (1998-2001), full professor in General Botany (2001 to present) at the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’.

Group leader of the Laboratory for Biology of Algae (LBA), the main interest is on the ecophysiology, cytomorphology and systematics of cyanobacteria and microalgae from subaerial, aquatic and extreme environments. Important research topics include the community structure of phototrophic biofilms, biodeterioration of stone monuments, toxic blooms of cyanobacteria and microalgae in lakes and coastal areas.

Applications in the field of: biotechnology and nanotechnology for the conservation of cultural heritage; algal biomasses for biofuels and innovative compounds; bioremediation of effluent waters; bio-immunosensors for traceability of phycotoxins; advanced microscopy techniques.

Research Awards as scientific responsible of research units in the following projects:

• 1994-1995  ‘Development and fate of cyanobacterial blooms in the Baltic’, EU-Environment (contract n°EV5V-CT94-0404).
• 1997-2000  ‘Characterization and evaluation of the damage caused by phototrophic microorganisms in hypogea by ultramicrosensor construction and assembling for in situ non-destructive analysis’ funded by the National Research Council of Italy – C.N.R, Progetto Finalizzato Beni Culturali;
• 1998-1999  ‘BASIC: an investigation of the structure and dynamics of water blooms of cyanobacteria in theBaltic Sea: responses to a changing environment’, EU-Environment (contract n° ENV4-CT97-0571).
• 1998-1999  ‘Influence of treated sewage effluent discharges on coastal marine benthic cyanobacteria and microalgae’, CRUI/MIUR-British Council.
• 2001-2003 ‘CATS-Cyanobacteria attack rocks: control and preventative strategies to avoid damage by cyanobacteria and associated microorganisms in Roman hypogean monuments’, EU-EESD Programme (contract n° EVK4-CT2000-00028).
• 2002-2003  ’Biodiversity and adaptive responses of sub-aerial microalgae’ for a study on the “Ecophysiology and taxonomy of terrestrial epilithic cyanobacteria from hypogean environments”, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research-MIUR.
• 2002-2004  ’Application of phototrophic biofilms in waste water treatment plants’, University Research Grant.
• 2003-2005  ‘PHOBIA’ for an investigation of the “Phototrophic biofilms and their potential applications: towards the development of a unifying concept”, EU-Quality of Life Programme (contract n°LFK3-CT2002-01938).
• 2004-2005  ‘Biodiversity and adaptive mechanisms in terrestrial extremophilic cyanobacteria’ in the frame of the project “Phylogeny and survival strategies of extremophilic phototrophic microorganisms”, Italian Ministry of University and Research-MIUR.
• 2004-2005  ’Identification of toxin producing algae in bivalves harvesting areas sensible to phycotoxins accumulation risk’, funded by Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Regioni Lazio e Toscana.
• 2005-2006  ‘Biology and ecology of planktic bloom-forming microalgae in coastal areas’,University Research Grant.
• 2005-2007 ‘The phytoplankton ofLakeAlbanoin the territory of the Regional Park of Castelli Romani’, funded by the Ente Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani.
• 2005-200  ‘Assessment of bioerosion of exposed surfaces of monuments and hypogea, and development of preventive strategies for their conservation (CHCRT-1), in the frame of the Scientific and Technological cooperationMAEItalianRepublic- DST Republic of India.
• 2007-2008  ‘Biology for Cultural Heritage: phototrophic biofilms on monuments’, University Research Grant.
• 2007-2009 ‘Nanotechnologies and Biotechnologies for  the assessment and monitoring of biodeterioration caused by phototrophic biofilms on stone monuments’,  International Cooperation Programme between the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” and the Utkal University, Bhubaneswar (Orissa, India).
• 2008-2010 ‘Microphytobenthic algae in coastal and inland waters of the Oristano area (Sardinia,Italy)’, financed by CNR-IAMC.
• 2009-2010 ‘Toxic cyanobacteria of Vico and Bolsena lakes’,  funded by SS-National Health Institute of Italy.
• 2009-2010  ‘Evolution of desiccation tolerance in cyanobacteria’, Executive Programme Italy-French Community of Belgium.
• 2010-2011 ‘Biotechnology and nanotechnology for Cultural Heritage’, International Cooperation Programme between the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” and theVisva-Bharati University, Santiniketan (West Bengal, India).
• 2011-2012  ‘Extremophilic cyanobacteria of Antarctic sub-glacial lakes’, National Programme for Antarctic Research PNRA 2009.

Teaching Activities

Prof. Albertano is currently teaching Botany and Evolution, Diversity and Biology of Algae at the Faculty of Sciences. She also co-ordinates the activity of the PhD Schoolin Evolutionary Biology and Ecology at the University of Rome“Tor Vergata.

Teaching activities in undergraduate and graduate biology and biotechnology courses also include applied research, particularly focussing on preventive conservation of stone monuments, production of algal biomass and application of new sensors for environmental monitoring, mostly in collaboration with colleagues of the Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies.

Management and organizational experience

• 1994-1999 National Coordinator of the Phycology Working Group of the Italian Botanical Society
• 1996-1999 Organizing Committee and Scientific Council of the 2^nd European Phycological Congress and the 8th International Conference on Applied Algology (Montecatini 1999)
• 2000-2004 European Co-ordinator of ‘CATS’ project – contract n° EVK4-CT2000-00028
• 2006-2007 Founder Member of the Federation of European Phycological Societies
• 2006-2009 NAST Scientific Council
• 2006-2008 Scientific Council of the 14^th International Symposium on Biodeterioration and Biodegradation (Taormina 2008)
• 2006-2009 Scientific Council of the 13^th International Symposium on Phototrophic Prokaryotes (Montreal 2009)
• 2009-2010 Vice-President Overseas of the British Phycological Society
• 2009-2011 Scientific Councils of the 5^th European Phycological Congress (Rhodes 2011)
• 2008 to present  Council Member of FEPS
• 2008 to present Coordinator of the PhD school in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology
• 2008 to present Scientific Responsible of CMA -  Centre for Advance Microscopy of Tor Vergata
• 2008 to present Promoter and President of the Scientific and Technical Board of the University spinoff AlgaRes s.r.l 

Member of the scientific societies

• FEPS – Federation of European Phycological Societies
• IAC – International Society for Cyanophyte Research
• ISAP – International Society for Applied Phycology
• BPS – British Phycological Society
• SBI – Italian Botanical Society
• EMS- European Microscopy Society

Recent publications (last five years)

Albertano P., 2011. Cyanobacterial biofilms in monuments and caves. In:  B. A. Whitton (ed.) The ecology of Cyanobacteria II: Their Diversity in Space and Time, Springer,Dordrecht, The Netherlands, in press.

Congestri R., Albertano P., 2011. Benthic diatoms in biofilm culture. In: Seckbach (ed) The Diatom World. Springer,Dordrecht, The Netherlands, in press.

Di Pippo F., Cavalieri F., A. Bohn, Albertano P., 2011. ¹H-NMR analysis of water mobility in cultured phototrophic biofilms. Biofouling 27: 327–336.

Di PippoF., GuzzonA., Ellwood NTW, Siliato L., Micheletti E., De Philippis R., Albertano P., 2011. Effect of light and temperature on biomass, photosynthesis and capsular polysaccharides in cultured phototrophic biofilms. Journal of Applied Phycology 23: 1-10.

SpizzichinoV., FioraniL., LaiA., Palucci A., Semyanov K., Viaggiu E., Albertano P., 2011. First studies of pico- and nanoplankton populations by a laser scanning flow cytometer. Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy & Radiative Transfer 112: 876–882.

Zammit G., Billi D., Shubert E., Kastovsky J., Albertano P., 2011. The biodiversity of subaeorophytic phototrophic biofilms from Maltese hypogea. Fottea 9: 155-164.

Zammit G., Sanchez-Moral S., Albertano P., 2011. Bacterially mediated mineralisation processes lead to biodeterioration of artworks in Maltese catacombs. Science of the Total Environment 409: 2773–2782.

MoroI., Rascio N., La Rocca N., Sciuto K., AlbertanoP., BrunoL., AndreoliC., 2010. Polyphasic characterization of a thermo-tolerant filamentous cyanobacterium isolated from the Euganean thermal muds (Padua,Italy). European Journal of Phycology 45:143-154.

Palozzi R., Caramanna G., Albertano P., Congestri R., Bruno L., Romano A., Giganti M.G., Zenobi R., Costanzo C., Valente G., Polani D., Vecchio M., Vinci M., 2010. The underwater exploration of the Merro sinkhole and the associated diving physiological and psychological effects. Underwater Technology 29: 1-10.

Urzi C., De Leo F., Bruno L., Albertano P., 2010. Microbial diversity in Paleolithic caves: a study case on the phototrophic biofilms of theCaveofBats(Zuheros,Spain). Microbial Ecology 60: 116-129.

Urzi C., De Leo F., Bruno L., Zammit G., Krakova L., Pangallo D., Albertano P., 2010. Methodological approaches to the control of phototrophic biofilms colonizing subterranean sites in the Mediterranean area. In: Ferrari A. (ed), 4th Science and Technology for the Safeguard of Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean Basin, CNR, Grafica Elettronica, Napoli, pp. 265-271. ISBN 978-88-96680-32-2

Zammit G., Kastovsky J., Albertano P.,2010. Afirst cytomorphological and molecular characterization of a new Stigonematalean cyanobacterial morphotype isolated from Maltese catacombs. Algological Studies 135: 1-14.

Bruno L., Billi D., Bellezza S., Albertano P., 2009. Cytomorphological and genetic characterization of trogophilic Leptolyngbya strains isolated from Roman hypogea. Applied Environmental Microbiology 75: 608-617.

Di Pippo F., Bohn A., Congestri R., De Philippis R., Albertano P., 2009. Capsular polysaccharides of cultured phototrophic biofilms. Biofouling 25: 495-504.

Ellwood N.T.W., Albertano P., Galvez R., Funiciello R., Mosello R., 2009a. Water chemistry and trophic evaluation ofLakeAlbano(Central Italy): a 4 year water monitoring study. Journal of Limnology 68: 288-303.

Ellwood N.T.W., Albertano P., Viaggiu E., Mosello R., 2009b. Physical, chemical and biological aspects ofLakeAlbano. In: Funiciello R. and  Giordano G. (eds), The Colli Albani Volcano, Special Publications of IAVCEI 3,  pp. 269–277, Geological Society, London.

Urzì C., De Leo F., Albertano P., De Philippis R., Adhikary S.P., 2009. The Method of Adhesive Tape (MAT) for the sampling of biofilms on Indian temples. In: Scienze e Patrimonio Culturale nel Mediterraneo – Diagnostica e Conservazione, Atti del III Convegno Internazionale di Studi “La materia e i segni della Storia”, Quaderni Palazzo Moltalbo 15, Palermo (Italy), pp. 275-, ISBN 978-88-64-086-3.

Zammit G., De Leo F., Urzì C., Albertano P., 2009. Anon-invasive approach to the polyphasic study of biodeteriogenic biofilms at St Agatha Crypt and Catacombs at Rabat, Malta. In:  Scienze e Patrimonio Culturale nel Mediterraneo – Diagnostica e Conservazione, Atti del III Convegno Internazionale di Studi “La materia e i segni della Storia”, Quaderni Palazzo Moltalbo 15, Palermo (Italy), pp. 323-327, ISBN 978-88-64-086-3.

AlbertanoP., CongestriR., MicheliL., MosconeD., Palleschi G., 2008. Development of sensors to trace toxins from dinoflagellates and other algae to seafood. In: V. Evangelista, L. Barsanti, A.M. Frassanito, V. Passarelli, P. Gualtieri (eds), “Algal Toxins: nature, occurrence, effect and detection”, NATO ASI Ser. A, p. 301-310, Springer,Dordrecht(NL), ISBN 978-1-4020-8479-9.

CongestriR., Polizzano S., Albertano P., 2008. Toxic Pseudo-nitzschia populations from the middle Tyrrhenian Sea (Mediterranean Sea,Italy). In: V. Evangelista, L. Barsanti, A.M. Frassanito, V. Passarelli, P. Gualtieri (eds), “Algal Toxins: nature, occurrence, effect and detection”, NATO ASI Ser. A, p. 197-210, Springer,Dordrecht (NL), ISBN 978-1-4020-8479-9.

Guzzon A., Bohn A., Albertano P., 2008. Cultured phototrophic biofilms for phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment. Water Research 42: 4357-4367.

Reale L, Bonfigli F., Lai A., Flora F., Poma A., Albertano P., Bellezza S., Montereali R.M., Faenov A., Pikuz T., Almaviva S., Vincenti M.A., FrancucciM., Gaudio P., Martellucci S., Richetta M., 2008. X-ray microscopy of plant cells by using LiF crystal as detector. Microscopy Research and Technique 71: 839–848.

Valentini F., Diamanti A.,  Bellezza S., Albertano  P.,  Palleschi G., 2008. Analytical diagnosis of stone deterioration: a comparison between different substrata and different environments. In: Lukaszewicz J.W. and P. Niemcewicz (eds), 11th International Congress on Stone Deterioration, p. 309-316, Nicolaus Copernicus University Press, Torun (Poland), ISBN 978-83-231-2236-4.

Viaggiu E., Russo T., Bianco I., Cortese M., Zaottini E., Albertano P., 2008. Modelling fluctuation of the toxic cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens in the Lake San Puoto (Central Italy) using self-organizing maps. In: G. Morabito and C.N. Bianchi (eds), Atti Associazione Italiana di Oceanologia e Limnologia 19: 499-503, CNR – Pallanza.

Zammit G., De Leo F., Albertano P., Urzì C.,2008. Apreliminary comparative study of microbial communities colonizing ochre-decorated chambers at the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum atPaola,Malta. In: J.W. Lukaszewicz and P. Niemcewicz (eds), 11th International Congress on Stone Deterioration, p. 555-562, Nicolaus Copernicus University Press, Torun (Poland), ISBN 978-83-231-2236-4.

Zammit G., Psaila P., Albertano P., 2008. An investigation into biodeterioration caused by microbial communities colonising Maltese Palaeo-Christian Catacombs. In: A. Notea and Y. Shoef (eds), ‘Art 2008 Non-destructive testing, microanalysis and preservation in the conservation of cultural and environmental heritage’, p. 1-10, ISAS International Seminars Ltd.,Jerusalem(Israel).

Albertano P., Bruno L., Piermarini S., Bellezza S., 2007. Monochromatic light and portable spectroradiometry for the conservation of stone monuments affected by phototrophic micro-organisms. In: Drdacky M., Chapuis M. (eds.) “Safeguarded Cultural Heritage – Understanding & Viability of the Enlarged Europe”, vol 2, pp. 814-817. Glos Semily, Praha (CzechRepublic), ISBN 987-80-86246-32-1.

Quintiliani V., Valentini F., Terranova M.L., Orlanducci S., Albertano P., Palleschi G., 2007. Studiodeldegrado fisico, chimico e biologicodelmattone romano. In: F. Lo Coco (ed), AttidelCongresso Società di Chimica Italiana su “Inquinamento atmosferico e beni culturali. Protezione e conservazionedelpatrimonio culturale”, p. 1-18,Udine, ISBN 978-88-902460-2-9.

Albertano P. (2006) Biotecnologie per la diagnosi e il controllodeldanno prodotto da biofilms epilitici  In: Sabbioni C.,PersiaF., Castelletti L., (eds.) “Biologia e Archeobiologia nei beni culturali: conoscenza, problematiche e casi di studio”,  pp. 112-124. AIAR e Musei Civici- Comune di Como,Como, ISBN 88-85680-32-2.

Bellezza S., De Philippis R., Paradossi G., Albertano P., 2006. Exopolysaccharides of two cyanobacterial strains from Roman hypogea. Geomicrobiology Journal 23: 301-310.

Bianco I., Congestri R., Sangiorgi V., Zaottini E., Albertano P., 2006. Blooms (Fioriture) di microalghe potenzialmente tossiche lungo le coste laziali. Biologia Marina Mediterranea 13: 947-950, ISSN1123-4245.

BorlinghausR., GugelH., AlbertanoP., SeyfriedV., 2006. Closing the spectral gap – the transition from fixed-parameter fluorescence to tunable devices in confocal microscopy. In: Conchello J-A, Cogswell C.J. and Wilson T. (eds) “Proceedings of SPIE”, vol 6090: 0T1-6,San Josè(CA,USA).

Bruno L., Billi D., Urzì C., Albertano P., 2006. Genetic characterisation of epilithic cyanobacteria and their associated bacteria. Geomicrobiology Journal 23: 293-299.

Bruno L., Piermarini S., Albertano P., 2006. Monitoraggio del biodeterioramento: la spettroradiometria nel visibile. In: Sabbioni C.,PersiaF., Castelletti L. (eds.) “Biologia e Archeobiologia nei beni culturali: conoscenza, problematiche e casi di studio”, pp. 277-284. AIAR e Musei Civici- Comune di Como,Como, ISBN 88-85680-32-2.

CongestriR., Di PippoF., De Philippis R., Buttino I., Paradossi G., Albertano P., 2006. Seasonal succession of phototrophic biofilms in an Italian wastewater treatment plant: biovolume, spatial structure and exopolysaccharides. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 45: 301-312.

Congestri R., Sangiorgi V., Bianco I., Polizzano S., Ravizza P., Albertano P., 2006. Il fitoplancton delle coste laziali dal1997 aoggi: struttura della comunità, taxa dominanti e specie tossiche. Biologia Marina Mediterranea 13: 54-60, ISSN1123-4245.

Piermarini S., Calvo-Quintana J., Bruno L., Albertano P., Moscone D., Palleschi G., 2006. Importanza dei microsensori nella conservazione dei beni culturali. In: Sabbioni C., PersiaF., Castelletti L., (eds.) “Biologia e Archeobiologia nei beni culturali: conoscenza, problematiche e casi di studio”, pp. 229-234. AIAR e Musei Civici-Comune di Como, Como, ISBN 88-85680-32-2.

_______________________________________________________________________

 Notes. Prof. Albertano is co-editor of two books, and author of more than 170 full papers and 280 contributions to national and international meetings.

Contact details

Address: Dipartimento di Fisica,
Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”
Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1
00133 Roma, Italy

Tel: +39 06 7259 4894
Fax: +39 06 202 3507

Research Activity

Maurizia Palummo is researcher at the Physics Department of the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

The main research topics are the following:

• quantum-mechanical simulations of the electronic and optical properties of materials  based semiempirical and ab-initio aproaches;
• First-principles Many-body Green’s functions schemes for a proper description of the electronic excited states.

The systems of recent interest are: Semiconductor Nanowires, molecular organic compounds and titanium dioxide surfaces and nanostructures.

Invited Talks

• “Silicon and Germanium nanostructures for opto-electronic and photo-voltaic applications: ab-initio results”, “MRS Fall Meeting” Boston, 29 November-3 December 2010
• “Materials for opto-electronic applications: ab-initio calculations and modelling”, “Nanoscience and Nanothecnology workshop N&N2010″ INFN, Frascati 20-23 September 2010
• “Quasi-particles and excitons in Silicon Nanowires: effect of Doping and Surface Termination and mixing” OSI-VIII 7-11 September 2009 Ischia
• Invited Talk :”Quasi-particles and excitons in Silicon Nanowires: effect of Doping and Surface Termination” Cecam Workshop 6-8 July 2009 Lausanne
•  ”Electronic properties and dielectric response of semiconducting surfaces and nanostrutures from ab-initio approaches” Nanosea2008 7-10 July 2008 MontePorzio Catone, Rome Italy
• “Semiconducting nanowires: from one-particle to many-body approaches” Cecam-Psi-K Workshop 9-12 June 2008 Lyon France
• “First-principles optical spectra of semiconducting surfaces and nanowires: the role of the excitonic effects”, 12th Nanoquanta Workshop 18-22 September (2007), Aussois France
• “First-principles optical and energy loss spectra of one-dimensional nanostructures of Silicon”, Epioptics 2006, Erice 20-26 July (2006)
• “Semiconductor nanowires: ab-initio electronic and optical properties beyond the one-particle approach”, OSI 2005, Aalborg, Denmark 6-10 June, (2005)
• “First-principles optical spectra of semiconductor surfaces: from one-particle to many-body approach”, Epioptics-7 20-26 July 2002

Scientific Publications

MP is author of more than 80 papers published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals.

Go here http://www.fisica.uniroma2.it/~palummo/Maurizia_homepage_files/publications_mau.html   to read the complete list of MP publications.

Other activities

• Member (up 2008) of the Nanoquanta (link a http://www.fisica.uniroma2.it/~cmtheo-group/Nanoquanta/nanoquanta.html) Network of Excellence.
• Member of the ETSF and responsible for several ETSF user-projects  (link to www.etsf.eu)
• Project Manager of several Cineca/ISCRA supercomputing projects since 2001.
• Host of European young scientists, within the HPC-Europa2 Transnational Access programme proposal
• Organizer of a series of Nanoquanta conferences from 2003-2006.
• Local Organizer of  the conference in Maratea Nanoexc2004  (link a  http://www.fisica.uniroma2.it/~palummo/conferenza.html)
• Local Organizer of the Conference OSI -VIII: 7-11 September 2009, Ischia (http://osi8.roma2.infn.it/)
• Organizer of the Conference NW2010: 27 September – 1 October 2010, Crete http://www.iesl.forth.gr/conferences/nw2010/default.html)
• Organizer of the Conference NW2011: 13 June – 19 June 2011, Plomari-Lesvos Greece (link a http://www.iesl.forth.gr/conferences/nw2011/default.html)

Teaching Activities

• A.A. 2000-2001 and 2001-2002, Univ. Tor Vergata, Course of Classical Physics, Assistant Professor;
• A.A. 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, Univ. Tor Vergata, Matematical Methods for Material Science, Professor;
• Since A.A. 2002, Univ. Tor Vergata, Course of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Assistant Professor;
• Since A.A. 2007, Univ. Tor Vergata, Course of Solid State Physics, Professor;
• Chemistry of Materials, Faculty of Science;
• Processing Structure and Properties of Sintered Materials, Faculty of Science;
• Supervisor/Director of Master (5-year degree) theses in Chemistry;
• Member of the Teaching Supervising Committee of the Ph.D. Course in Materials for Health, Environment and Energy and Supervisor/Director of Ph.D. theses.

Recent Publications (selected)

• G. Bussetti, B. Bonanni, S. Cirilli, A. Violante, M. Russo, C. Goletti, P. Chiaradia, O. Pulci, M. Palummo, R. Del Sole, P. Gargiani, M. G. Betti, C. Mariani, R. M. Feenstra, G. Meyer, and K. H. Rieder” Coexistence of Negatively and Positively Buckled Isomers on n+-Doped Si(111)-2×1” Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 067601 (2011)
• M. Palummo, M. Amato, S. Ossicini “Ab-initio opto-electronic properties of SiGe nanowires: role of many-body effects” Phys. Rev. B 82, 073305 (2010), selected for the August 30, 2010 issue of Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology
• M. Palummo, F. Iori, R. Del Sole, S.Ossicini Giant excitonic exchange splitting in Si nanowires Phys. Rev. B 81, 121303 (2010)
• M. Amato, M. Palummo, S. Ossicini SiGe Nanowires:structural stability, quantum confinement and electronic properties Phys. Rev. B 80 235333 (2009)
• M. Palummo, C.Hogan, F. Sottile, P. Bagala’, A. Rubio  Ab initio electronic and optical spectra of free-base porphyrins: the role of electronic correlation J. Chem. Phys. 131, 084102 (2009)

Contact details

Office: Department of Chemical Science and Technology
Tel: +39 06 72594414
Fax: +39 06 72594328

Research Activity

Dr Riccardo Polini (RP) is Professore Aggregato of Chemistry at the Department of Chemical Science and Technology of the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

RP research activity is mainly focused on the following topics:

• Nucleation and growth processes of micro- and nano-crystalline diamond films deposited by CVD onto technologically important substrates;
• Surface tailoring of cemented carbides for improving adhesion of diamond coatings;
• Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of functional properties of micro- and nano-structured advanced electroceramics for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs);
• Development of novel ionomers to be used in Polymeric Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs);
• Surface modification of porous Silicon layers.

RP has been the leader of several R&D projects funded by Italian SMEs (overall funding > 360,000 €).

Active Research Collaborations

• Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro,PORTUGAL;
• Laboratoire Capteurs Diamant (CEA-LIST-DETECS – SSTM), Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Saclay, FRANCE;
• Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films (IST),Braunschweig,GERMANY.

Professional Recognitions

• 2010 – Keynote Speaker, 3rd International Conference on Advanced NanoMaterials (ANM 2010), 12-15 Sept 2010, Agadir, Morocco.
• 2009 – Co-Chair of the 4th International Conference on Surfaces, Coatings and Nanostructured Materials (nanoSMat 2009), 19-22 Oct 2009, Rome (Italy).
• 2008 – Guest Editor of the Speial Issue on “Micromachining systems and tailored surfaces”, Int. J. Surface Science and Engineering, Vol. 2 [3/4], 177-324 (2008).
• 2008 – Invited Speaker, 5th International Conference on Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition (HWCVD-5),Cambridge,MA (USA).
• 2008 – Invited Speaker, 2nd International Conference on Advanced NanoMaterials (ANM 2008),Aveiro,Portugal.
• 2007 – Organizer and Chair of the “Nanoporous Semiconductor” Symposium, 2nd International Conference on Surfaces, Coatings and Nanostructured Materials (nanoSMat 2007),Algarve,Portugal.
• 2007 – member of the International Organizing Committee of the 2nd International Conference on Surfaces, Coatings and Nanostructured Materials (nanoSMat 2007),Algarve,Portugal.
• 2006 – Visiting Research Scientist at the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,University of Aveiro,Portugal.
• 2006 – “Interlayers for diamond film deposition on hostile substrates” (invited seminar), Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,University of Aveiro,Portugal.
• 2006 – “Diamond CVD: nucleation and early growth stages” (invited seminar), Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique (CEA),Saclay,France.
• 2005 – Invited Speaker, International Conference on Surfaces, Coatings and Nanostructured Materials (nanoSMat2005),Aveiro,Portugal.
• 2004 – Visiting Research Scientist at the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,University of Aveiro,Portugal.

Scientific Publications

RP is the author of more than 80 papers published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals, 2 patents and more than 30 papers in Conference Proceedings (h-index = 15). Click here to read the complete list of RP publications.

Other Activities

RP is member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering (IJSurfSE).

Teaching Activities

Chemistry of Materials, Faculty of Science.

Processing Structure and Properties of Sintered Materials, Faculty of Science.

Supervisor/Director of Master (5-year degree) theses in Chemistry.

Member of the Teaching Supervising Committee of the Ph.D. Course in Materials for Health, Environment and Energy and Supervisor/Director of Ph.D. theses.

Recent Publications (selected)

[1] V. Valentini and R. Polini, “Confined Functionalization of Mesoporous Silicon Layers”, J. Electrochem. Soc., 158 (2011) K35-K41.

[2] S. Zeppilli, J.C. Arnault, G. Gesset, P. Bergonzo, R. Polini, “Thermal stability and surface modifications of detonation diamond nanoparticles studied with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy”, Diamond Relat. Mater., 19 (2010) 846-853. 

[3] R. Polini, M. Barletta, G. Cristofanilli, “Wear resistance of nano- and micro-crystalline diamond coatings onto WC-Co with Cr/CrN interlayers”, Thin Solid Films, 519 (2010) 1629-1635.

[4] F. Bozza, R. Polini, E. Traversa, “Electrophoretic Deposition of Dense La_0.8Sr_0.2Ga_0.8Mg_0.115Co_0.085O_{3- δ} Electrolyte Films from Single-Phase Powders for Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells”, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 92 [9] (2009) 1999-2004. 

[5] F. Bozza, R. Polini, E. Traversa, “High performance anode-supported intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs) with La_0.8Sr_0.2Ga_0.8Mg_0.2O_{3- δ} electrolyte films prepared  by electrophoretic deposition”, Electrochem. Comm., 11 (2009) 1680-1683.

[6] R. Polini and M. Barletta: “On the use of CrN/Cr and CrN interlayers in hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HF-CVD) of diamond films onto WC-Co substrates”, Diamond Relat. Mater., 17 (2008) 325-335.

[7] J. C. Arnault, S. Saada, S. Delclos, L. Rocha, L. Intiso, R. Polini, A. Hoffman, S. Michaelson and P. Bergonzo, “Surface Science Contribution to the BEN Control on Si(100) and 3C-SiC (100): Towards Ultrathin Nanocrystalline Diamond Films”, Chem. Vap. Deposition, 14 (2008) 187-195.

[8] R. Polini, A. Falsetti, E. Traversa, O. Schäf, P. Knauth, “Sol-gel synthesis, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and electrical properties of Co-doped (La,Sr)(Ga,Mg)O_3-δ perovskites”, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 27 (2007) 4291-4296.

[9] J. C. Arnault, L. Intiso, S. Saada, S. Delclos, P. Bergonzo, R. Polini, “Effect of 3C-SiC(100) initial surface stoichiometry on bias enhanced diamond nucleation”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 90 (2007) 044101.

[10] G. Mattei, V. Valentini, R. Polini, “Chemical Vapour Infiltration of nano-structured carbon in Porous Silicon”, Phys. Stat. Sol. (c), 4 (2007) 2049-2053.

[11] R. Polini, F. Pighetti Mantini, M. Barletta, R. Valle, F. Casadei, “Hot Filament Chemical Vapour Deposition and wear resistance of diamond films on WC-Co substrates coated by PVD-arc deposition technique”, Diamond Relat. Mater., 15 (2006) 1284-1291.

[12] G. Cabral, P. Reis, R. Polini, E. Titus, N. Ali, J.P. Davim, J. Grácio, “Cutting performance of time-modulated chemical vapour deposited diamond coated tool inserts during machining graphite”, Diamond Relat. Mater., 15 (2006) 1753-1758.

[13] R. Polini, “Chemically vapour deposited diamond coatings on cemented tungsten carbides: substrates pretreatments, adhesion and cutting performance”, Thin Solid Films, 515 (2006) 4-13.

ENEA

Tel: +39 0630483871

Fax: +39 0630483176

UCANS-II Group Photo 

Contact details

Office: Physics Department
Tel: +39 06 72594429

Fax: +39 06 72594089

Research Activity

Giulia Festa is an experimental physicist. Her research interests relate to the development of neutron instrumentation for applications on materials and, in particular, applied to the study of  materials of archaeological and cultural interest.

With regard to neutron instrumentation, GF worked on the development of neutron imaging instrumentation (Prompt Gamma Activation Imaging) and devices for gamma and neutron detection (Silicon Photo-Multiplier technology,  neutron radiative capture-based counting technique). Within the EU-funded ANCIENT CHARM project, GF developed ancillary equipment and gamma detectors to be used for Neutron Resonance Capture Imaging (NRCI) and neutron tomography on objects of cultural and archaeological interest as well as software for data analysis.

GF employed scientific investigation techniques in the field of archaeological research providing successful results such as the integrated neutron analysis of the Ghiberti East Door from the Florence Baptistery determining state of conservation and manufacturing technique, or the study about the composition and corrosion products of Etruscan Bronzes from the Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia.

Link

IRICH: Forum on Technology for Cultural Heritage, Shanghai, 24-25 June 2010 ( Video)

Neutron Tomography results of an Etruscan Vase ( Video)

Recent Publications

♦ G. Festa, P. A. Caroppi, A. Filabozzi, C. Andreani, M. L. Arancio, R. Triolo, F. Lo Celso, V. Benfante, S. Imberti ‘Composition and corrosion phases of Etruscan Bronzes from Villanovan Age’, Meas. Sci. Technol. 19, 034004 (2008)

♦ G. Festa, W. Kockelmann, A. Kirfel and the Ancient Charm Collaboration ‘Neutron Diffraction Analysis of ’Black Boxes’’, Archaeometry Workshop, Hungary, N. 1

♦ Zs. Kasztovszky, Z. Kis, T. Belgya, W. Kockelmann, S. Imberti, E. M. Schooneveld, G. Festa, A. Filabozzi, C. Andreani, A. Kirfel, K. T. Biró, K. Dúzs, Zs. Hajnal, P. Kudejova M. Tardocchi and the Ancient Charm Collaboration, ‘Promt Gamma Activation Analysis and time of flight neutron diffraction of ‘Black Boxes’ in the ‘Ancient Charm’ project’, Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 278, N.3 (2008) 661–664

♦ T. Belgya, Z. Kis, L. Szentmiklósi, Zs. Kasztovszky, P. Kudejova, R. Schulze, T. Materna, G. Festa, P. A. Caroppi and  the Ancient Charm Collaboration ‘First elemental imaging experiments on a combined PGAI and NT setup at the Budapest Research Reactor’, Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 278, N.3 (2008) 751–754

♦ T. Belgya, Z. Kis, L. Szentmiklósi, Zs. Kasztovszky, G. Festa, L. Andreanelli, M. P. De Pascale, A. Pietropaolo, P. Kudejova, R. Schulze, T. Materna and the Ancient Charm Collaboration, ‘A new PGAI-NT setup at the NIPS facility of the Budapest Research Reactor’, Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 278, N.3 (2008) 713–718

♦ G. Festa, C. Andreani, M. P. De Pascale, R. Senesi, G. Vitali, S. Porcinai, A. M. Giusti, R. Schulze,L. Canella, P. Kudejova,M. Mühlbauer, B. Schillinger and the Ancient Charm Collaboration, ‘A non-destructive stratigraphic and radiographic neutron study of Lorenzo Ghiberti’s reliefs from Paradise and North doors of Florence Baptistery.’ Journal of Applied Physics, 106, N.4 (2009)

♦ A. Pietropaolo, G. Gorini, G. Festa, C. Andreani, M. P. De Pascale, E. Reali, F. Grazzi and E. M. Schooneveld, ‘A silicon photomultiplier readout for time of flight neutron spectroscopy with gamma-ray detectors’, Review of Scientific Instruments, 80, Issue 9 (2009)

♦ G. Festa, Pietropaolo, E. Reali, F. Grazzi and E. M. Schooneveld, ‘A gamma-ray detector with silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) readout for neutron diffraction experiments at spallation neutron sources’, Measurement Science and Technology, 21 (2010) 035901

♦ A. Pietropaolo, G. Gorini, G. Festa, E. Reali, F. Grazzi and E. M. Schooneveld, ‘Neutron Resonance Capture Analysis Experimental Station at the ISIS Spallation Source’, Applied Spectroscopy, 64, n.9 (2010)

♦ G. Festa, R. Senesi, M Alessandroni, C. Andreani, G. Vitali, S. Porcinai, A. M. Giusti, T. Materna, A. Paradowska, ‘Non destructive neutron diffraction measurements of cavities, inhomogeneities and residual strain in bronzes of Ghiberti’s relief from the Gates of Paradise’, Journal of Applied Physics, 109, n.6 (2011)

♦ G. Festa, A. Pietropaolo, F. Grazzi, E. Barzagli, E. M. Schooneveld, A. Scherillo,  ‘Neutron diffraction measurements at the INES diffractometer using a neutron radiative capture-based counting technique’, Nuclear Instruments and Methods A, doi:10.1016/j.nima.2011.04.032, (2011)

NAST researchers awarded the American Ceramic Society ACerS Ross Coffin Purdy Award 2011

NAST Members Alessandra D’Epifanio, Elisabetta Di Bartolomeo, Silvia Licoccia, Giuseppe Balestrino and Enrico Traversa, together with colleagues Daniele Pergolesi and Emiliana Fabbri (National Institute for Material Science, Japan), and Antonello Tebano and Simone Sanna (Department of Mechanical Engineering) have been given the award because of their paper “High proton conduction in grain-boundary-free yttrium-doped barium zirconate films grown by pulsed laser deposition” that was published in Nature Materials in 2010. The Purdy award is given to the author or authors who made the most valuable contribution to ceramic technical literature during the calendar year prior to the selection.

For more info http://ceramics.org/

Rachel Desfeux

Unit of Catalyst and Solid Chemistry UMR 8181 (UCCS)  - France

Martedì 7 giugno 2011 ore 14.30 – 15.15   15.30 – 16.10

Mercoledì 8 giugno 2011 ore 14.30 – 15.15   15.30 – 16.10

aula Seminari del Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche

Dowload Abstract

Dr. Ian Anderson

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (USA)

Martedì 31 maggio 2011 ore 15.00

aula ‘R3′ del Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettronica dell’Università di Roma Tor Vergata (edificio Ing. dell’Informazione, piano terra)

Dowload locandina

Center for Free Electron Laser science – DESY Hamburg

Coherent Imaging Division

Science at Free Electron Lasers
Femtosecond X-ray Protein Nanocrystallography

Download Locandina and Abstract

Aula U. M. Grassano

Facoltà di Scienze Matematiche, Fisiche e Naturali

Dipartimento di Fisica

Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata”

Ore 15.00 – 9 Giugno 2011

web site: www.irich.it

Video Launguage English | Italian | Chinese

Brochure.pdf

Per ulteriori informazioni contattare  Prof.ssa Carla Andreani
email: carla.andreani@uniroma2.it

Roma, Italy on November 16th, 2010.

Registration is now open and logistics details are at:
http://ess-symposium.cnr.it

The Symposium brings together national with international neutron facility and instrument experts of neutron sources and national stakeholders to discuss existing neutron sources and ESS project as present and future opportunity for the Italian research. Aim is the build up of joint R&D projects and the setting up of future collaborations.

For Scientific Program and Poster sessions see: http://ess-symposium.cnr.it

If you have any questions about registration, please contact Anna Minella
email: segreteria@centronast.it

The deadline for registration is November 7th, 2010

Leggi l’articolo su Nature Materials

Leggi la notizia su e-magazine ‘Tor Vergata‘

HIGH ENERGY NEUTRONS FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIETY

- Starting date : 5th Oct 2010 Ending date: 6th Oct 2006
– Location : Villa Wolkonsky, the residence of the British ambassador in Rome, Italy

- Registration deadline: 15 September 2010

- Detailed information and registration on web site

- E-mail contact: school_fpricci@me.cnr.it

Invited Lecturers

Scope

The observational window provided by high–energy (eV to MeV) neutrons offers unique possibilities as a local probe for the exploration of materials at the nanoscale. The inverse geometry spectrometer VESUVIO operating on the ISIS pulsed neutron source has pioneered Deep Inelastic Neutron Scattering (DINS) measurements of the momentum distribution of light atoms in condensed matter systems. These measurements provide a probe of the local structure of the materials and biomaterials as well as information on the dynamics of the atoms.

This is the V edition of a series of workshops addressing the PERSPECTIVES IN NEUTRON SPECTROSCOPY AT HIGH ENERGIES and follows the I and II editions held at Cosener House in May 1995 and October 1998, the III edition held in Santa Fe (New Mexico, US) in April 2005, and the IV edition held in Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2006.

Lectures are intended for experts and PhD students attending the X SCHOOL OF NEUTRON SCATTERING “FRANCESCO PAOLO RICCI”.

Scientific Committee

Mark Adams    (STFC, ISIS)   
Jerry Mayers    (STFC, ISIS)   
Stuart Parker    (STFC, ISIS)   
John Tomkinson   (STFC, UK)

WorkshopPHOTOS

Villa Wolkonsky PHOTOS

Prof. Lucio Braicovich

Dipartimento di Fisica del Politecnico di Milano

Venerdì 14 maggio 2010

ore 15.00

aula “G. Ruffino” del Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica (edificio Ing. Industriale, II piano)

Locandina

‘FRANCESCO PAOLO RICCI’

Electronvolt Neutron Spectroscopy of Materials: Microscopic Dynamics and Enabling Techniques

- Starting date : 25 Sept 2010 Ending date: 4 Oct 2006
– Location : Villa Mondragone (http://www.villamondragone.it/), Monte Porzio Catone, Roma- Italy

- Registration deadline: 15 June 2010
– School Directors: Dr. Roberto Senesi, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata Dipartimento di Fisica ,  Roma, Italy, Dr. Cirino Vasi, C.N. R.– Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici, Messina, Italy

- Detailed information and registration:
http://web129.its.me.cnr.it/school_fpricci/index.htm

- E-mail contact: school_fpricci@me.cnr.it

- Brochure

Aim of the School

This school, established in 1994, is primarily addressed to graduate students or postdoctoral with an interest in Neutron Scattering. The School will comprise lectures, tutorials, practicals and hands-on data analysis sessions, covering diverse aspects of Neutron Scattering, but with an emphasis on techniques and instrumentation designed to study the : Microscopic Dynamics of Simple and Hydrogen-bonded Quantum Fluids, Quantum Momentum Distributions, Effective Born-Oppenheimer Potentials, High Energy Excitations, High Energy Neutron Imaging, Deep Inelastic neutron scattering , High Energy Neutron Irradiation Effects.

The School will start on Saturday, September 25th 2010, with a series of in introductory lectures covering the fundamental aspects of neutron scattering and neutron instrumentation. During the next days, a series of lectures will provide the basis of electronvolt neutron spectroscopy, with particular on new instrumental and data handling techniques.
Practicals will be carried out at the neutron@BTF pulsed neutron source at Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati – INFN.

At the end of the school, students are invited to attend the International workshop: “High-energy neutrons for science and society “, which will be held on October 5th and 6th 2010 at Villa Wolkonsky, the UK ambassador’s residence in Rome.

Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Via Giuseppe Buffi 13, USI Campus, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland (http://www.rgp.ethz.ch/)

Aula G2C

Facoltà di Scienze Matematiche, Fisiche e Naturali

Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata”

Ore 15.00 – 16 Aprile 2010

ABSTRACT

We use a generalized form of Langevin equation in which the noise is correlated (colored) rather then being white to devise a number of very powerful sampling methods. After revising the theory that is behind our approach, we show how one can model the noise to achieve optimal sampling in ordinary and in ab-initio (Car-Parrinello) molecular dynamics. Most remarkably our sampling method can be used to introduce quantum effect at zero additional cost with respect to a standard simulation.

G. Bussi and M. Parrinello, J. Chem. Phys., vol. 126 (1), pp. 014101, 2007

M. Ceriotti, G. Bussi and M. Parrinello, Phys. Rev. Lett., vol 102 (2), pp. 020601, 2009

M. Ceriotti, G. Bussi and M. Parrinello, Phys. Rev. Lett., vol 103 (3), pp. 030603, 2009

Date: June 7 ­ June 11, 2010

Location: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA

Deadline for application: March 31, 2010

For more details contact: Flora Meilleur (mailto:meilleurf@ornl.gov)

or visit: http://neutrons.ornl.gov/conf/gcnb2010

European Materials Research Society Spring Meeting

Scientific/Technical Symposia & Exhibition

Palais de la Musique et des Congrès

Congress Center

Strasburg, FRANCE

Deadline for abstract submission: January 19, 2010

EMRS_Spring Meeting_Brochure

1- Advanced networking

2- Bioinformatica

3- Innovazione Tecnologica e Comunicazione

Il bando è riservato alle Università consorziate.

Per i partecipanti della nostra Università la domanda va inviata a: direzione@caspur.it

(e per conoscenza a desideri@uniroma2.it)

Gli allegati sono disponibili al seguente link:

Bando Caspur Borse Dottorato

AIGE primo annuncio 2010

link emagazine Tor Vergata

Science-nov-2009

For detailed information,  visit the following Websites:

http://cdsagenda5.ictp.trieste.it/full_display.php?ida=a08177

Several Science Foundation Ireland funded four year PhD studentships in advanced Classical and Quantum molecular simulation are available in the group of Professor Giovanni Ciccotti (GC) at the School of Physics, University College Dublin, Ireland to commence October 1 2009.

Each PhD student will work directly with a Post-doctoral researcher and international visitors expert in his/her chosen thesis topic as well as with Prof. Ciccotti. He or she will be expected to attend advanced specialised courses and research workshops in Ireland and Europe, and on occasion North America through the Atlantic Centre for Atomistic Modeling — ACAM (http://www.acam.ie) and the European Centre for Atomistic and Molecular Computations –CECAM (http://www.cecam.org) network of which ACAM is a node.

The research-thesis topics for each position are:
1 .Bio-Physics: Molecular Dynamics study of the allosteric transition in Hemoglobin, and Ligand Binding on Myoglobin;

2 ICT & Nano-Materials: Soft Matter & Rheology — Nano-imprinting;

3 Energy and the Environment: Mixed quantum-classical simulations of hydrogen in ethanol and methanol-fed fuel cells.

4 Chemistry: simulation of deprotonation of weak acids by rare event simulation techniques and ab-initio molecular dynamics

Principal Duties and Responsibilities
Your primary duty will be to work efficiently and full time on your chosen research topic, so as to complete your PhD thesis within four years. You may be requested to perform additional very light duties, such as helping a member of the group on a different research topic or piece of computer code, or organization of an international research meeting.

Selection Criteria
* Mandatory
Equivalent of a first class or upper second honours undergraduate degree or a Masters degree in theoretical physics/chemistry/biophysics/applied mathematics/engineering; a good knowledge of statistical mechanics or classical mechanics; a good knowledge of a scientific programming language such as C/C++/Fortran and the willingness to combine algorithm development and statistical mechanics in your research; a knowledge of spoken and written English adequate to work in an English Speaking Environment;

* Desirable
Working knowledge/experience of molecular simulation; Good knowledge of electronic structure/solid state physics.

APPLICATIONS
Interested candidates should send by email to Donal.MacKernan@ucd.ie a brief cover letter indicating their motivation to apply for one of these positions and their curriculum vitae”. The subject line of the email should include “PhD-positions “.
All positions will remain open until filled.
Important Information for non long-term residents  of the European Union:
While all successful applicants will receive a PhD stipend of around 19000 € per annum, (a) non long term residents of the European Union (EU) are required to pay 5000 € registration and tuition fees to University College Dublin from their own funds. We are trying to have this fee waived but cannot guarantee a solution.

15th-16th October 2009

Villa Mondragone, Monte Porzio Catone, Roma

The workshop covers many aspects of research and development on hybrid and organic photovoltaics. Is intended to be an italian as well international forum for discussions on the current trends and future directions of hybrid and organic photovoltaics, the science and the industrialization. The emphasis of the contributions is on interdisciplinary aspects of this field.

More information on:

http://www.chose.uniroma2.it/WHOSE

Nanomaterials for sustainable development

Villa Mondragone, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata

Moneporzio Catone, Rome, Italy

Program

Information on ORNL Neutron Sciences website

Please submit your Abstract to abstract@nanosmat2009.com by 30th june 2009.

Download pdf:

prof. DelSole.pdf

prof. Desideri.pdf

prof.ssa Licoccia.pdf

dr. Morales.pdf

dr. Pulci.pdf

prof. Richter.pdf

prof. Rosato.pdf

dr. Senesi.pdf

prof. Venanzi.pdf

Crown Plaza Hotel,

Via Aurelia Antica 415

00165 Rome

Selected papers presented at the Conference will be published, after peer-reviewing process and depending on the Symposium, in Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine or Surface Engineering.

The deadline for Abstract submission is 15 June 2009.
Full paper sbmission deadline is 30 Oct 2009.

For more info please check out:  Nanosmat 2009

Prof. P. Gomez Romero

A PLANET IN SEARCH FOR ENERGY
Prof. P. Gomez-Romero
Centro de Investigación en Nanociencia y Nanotecnología, CIN2 (CSIC-ICN),
Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) SPAIN
e-mail:pedro.gomez@cin2.es

With cheap oil is on its way to extinction and more abundant carbon threatening climate and environment, our present model for energy generation and consumption is doomed to a radical change or to a radical crisis. And yet, every year we burn more and more fossil fuels. We are already living the beginning of a complex combined problem between energy and the environment, a problem that will not vanish miraculously through the chimney. But every year we use more and more energy.
Maybe in the slumber of the kingdom of dispensable consuming, our supposedly civilized society doesn’t seem to be alarmed by this situation. We seem to believe that, when the time comes, science, technology and the market will come to our rescue providing the massive amounts of energy needed to keep our society moving. But the time is NOW. In this talk we will present the overwhelming problem of energy in our present society, the links between energy, environment and economy and the many lines of action that could be taken to tackle this problem. This will include technological and social aspects, all intertwined to the limit. Hydrogen and fuel cells, solar energy and other renewables, nuclears, energy efficiency…a cocktail difficult to digest for the public in general which we scientists have the responsibility to explain to our fellow citizens. This talk aims at showing how.

Related books:
Pedro Gomez-Romero “Un planeta en busca de energía” Ed. Síntesis, 2007
Pedro Gomez-Romero. “Metaevolución. La Tierra en el espejo” Ed. Celeste, 2001.
www.cienciateca.com

Poster

Prof. Josh Thomas

MD simulation of Nafion®-related fuel-cell membrane materials
Prof. Josh Thomas
Materials Chemistry, Uppsala University, Box 538, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden.

Perfluorosulphonic acid (PFSA) polymers have long been the proton-conducting membranes of choice in PEMFC and DMFC applications. Nafion® has indeed become the  standard against which any new polymer FC membrane must be benchmarked. What then is special about this material – and how could it be improved?
Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation can provide us with valuable insights to help answer these questions. With today’s high-performance computers, simulations can be performed involving tens of thousands of atoms. I will describe MD simulations of two hydrated membrane polymers for comparison purposes: Nafion® and another popular FC membrane material Hyflon® – earlier known as the Dow® membrane. These two polymers differ only in the nature of their side-chains. Subtle differences are found to result in their water-channel morphologies and in the local environments and dynamics of the hydrated protons which move in their channels. These differences can help explain the differences found in the properties of these two membranes.

Poster

Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia

Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata

Il SIMPOSIO ha gli obiettivi di illustrare le opportunità in biologia e medicina offerte dalle nuove sorgenti di radiazioni basate su fasci di ioni, Laser ad Elettroni Liberi e neutroni, con particolare attenzione ai possibili sviluppi scientifici e tecnologici che tali sorgenti consentiranno ed alle prospettive per la comunità scientifica dell’area romana, nazionale ed internazionale. Oggi nel mondo migliaia di ricercatori, di enti di ricerca, università ed industria, utilizzano la sonda luce di  sincrotrone, ione e neutrone per condurre ricerca di frontiera e complementare, ad esempio nei settori delle scienze ambientali, delle bioscienze, dell’ingegneria, delle scienze chimiche, farmaceutiche, fisiche e geologiche, delle scienze mediche e dei materiali. L’enfasi del simposio sarà sulle opportunità delle sonde ioni, luce e neutroni nei settori della radioterapia e diagnostica molecolare, della caratterizzazione dei sistemi biologici per quei fenomeni che avvengono su scala spaziale nanometrica, e su scala temporale dei femtosecondi.

Locandina

La partecipazione al Simposio è gratuita ed aperta a tutti gli interessati. Per esigenze organizzative comunque è necessario confermare la propria partecipazione alla segreteria  organizzativa entro il giorno 16 Aprile 2009, all’indirizzo e-mail: infomedicina@uniroma2.it

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comunicato stampa

press release

Nova-Il Sole 24 Ore

Venue: Bilbao Exhibition Centre

workshop information

[[Show as slideshow]]

Photogallery

Videos

Related link:

• Università Tor Vergata
• blog Nova-Il Sole24Ore
• TV program

VILLA WOLKONSKY

Via Ludovico di Savoia, Rome, Italy

whorkshop programme

Prof. Franco Cacialli

Conjugated molecular and supramolecular materials now provide a class of semiconductors in its own right, with potential application to devices such as light-emitting diodes, LEDs, displays, transistors, and solar cells, now mature for both large-scale industrial take-up and commercial exploitation. After a brief introduction to conjugated polymers, I will present an electro-optical technique for the non-invasive probing of internal built-in fields in sandwich devices (LEDs or solar cells) and, in combination with data from ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and Kelvin Probe characterisation, for the analysis of the energy level line-up at organic semiconductors/electrodes interfaces. I will also present an approach to high-resolution lateral patterning of an electroluminescent conjugated polymer, based on near-field lithography with apertured probes. The technique is based on the spatially selective inhibition of the solubility of the polymer precursor by exposure to the UV field present at the apex of double-tapered, gold-coated probes [aperture diameters between 40 and 80 nm (±5 nm)]. After development in methanol and thermal conversion under vacuum we obtain features with a minimum dimension of 50 nm. I will also report results on heating of the SNOM apertured probes resulting from the combined effect of significant absorption in the metallic coating and small optical throughput of the probes. Implications for microspectroscopy and lithography will also be discussed. Insulated molecular wires made with conjugated-polymers-based polyrotaxanes offer an example of an alternative, bottom-up approach to electroluminescent nanostructures. An attractive feature here is that this class of materials is engineered at a supramolecular level by threading a conjugated macromolecule, such as poly(para-phenylene), poly(4,4-diphenylene vinylene) or poly(9,9-fluorene) through a- or b-cyclodextrin rings, so as to reduce intermolecular interactions and solid-state packing effects, that red-shift and partially quench the luminescence. Such a supramolecular approach preserves the fundamental semiconducting properties of the conjugated wires, and is effective at both increasing the photoluminescence efficiency and blue-shifting the emission of the conjugated cores, in the solid state, while still  charge-transport. We used the polymers to prepare a range of LEDs and light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs). The reduced tendency for polymer chains to aggregate shows in both solid-state films, as well as in solution (as clearly demonstrated by time-resolved fluorescence studies) and allows solution-processing of individual polyrotaxane wires onto substrates, as revealed by scanning-force microscopy.

Dr. Lionel Vayssieres

The demand of novel functional materials has become the major challenge scientists face to answer crucial contemporary issues such as alternative energy sources, novel sensors for a safer and cleaner environment and for health (e.g. early detection of cancer and regenerative therapies). For instance, one of the promising alternatives for the transition of energy resource from its fossil fuel-based beginning to a clean and renewable technology relies on the widespread implementation of solar-related energy systems, however the high cost of energy production and low-energy of currently used material combinations pose an intrinsic limitation. In this context, revolutionary materials development is required to achieve the necessary dramatic increases in power generation and conversion efficiency. The need of low cost purpose-built, functional materials with optimized geometry, orientation, and aspect ratio combined with inexpensive large scale manufacturing methods will play a decisive role in the success of solar related energy source. However, fabricating and manufacturing large area of such functional materials is a daunting challenge. Novel smarter and cheaper fabrication techniques and, just as important, better fundamental knowledge and comprehensive understanding of materials and their syntheses as well as their properties using nanoscale phenomena such as quantum confinements to create multi-functional structures and devices is the key to success. R&D exploiting Nanoscience and Nanotechnology has the greatest potential to reach such challenging goals.
Such ideas will be demonstrated by the low-cost design and fabrication of 3-D crystalline arrays of metal oxide quantum dots and rods based structures and devices with controlled orientations, size and shape onto various substrates designed at nano-, meso-, and micro-scale by aqueous low-temperature chemical growth. In addition, in-depth characterization of their electronic structure at synchrotron radiation facilities and their application for solar hydrogen generation, photovoltaics, magnetic and gas sensor devices will be presented.

Prof. Patricia Targon Campana

The understanding of the relation between the protein structure and its function is an important challenge in Science, since proteins are involved in all crucial process for life appearing and maintenance. In this sense, the comprehension of stability and conformational mechanisms that can interfere in the protein function is essential to achieve the knowledge and subsequent treatment of several pathologies. Among the most interesting proteins for these studies one can find the lectins: proteins that present the ability to bind carbohydrates specifically and in a reversible way. As carbohydrates can be found in cell membranes, this special feature makes these proteins proper to mediate molecular recognition processes as cell proliferation, cell-cell and cell-virus interactions. Although those proteins have been extensively studied during the last decades, new lectins with interesting properties have been isolated and even the most studied ones presented open questions about their biological function and conformational changes as well. In this sense, this talk aims to present some conformational studies of lectins and other proteins with biotechnological application that have been performed in several structure levels. The changes in secondary structure by means of Far-UV Circular Dichroism, steady-state and phase domain fluorescence at aromatic vicinities and tertiary and quaternary levels using Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) will be presented.

Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry,

Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.

Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome

Office: Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences

Tel: +39 06 72596354

Research Activity

1) Laboratory development and managing.
2) Molecular biology techniques
3) Microbiology techniques.
4) Immunobiosensors for analisys of enviromental pollution and food contaminants.
5) Cellular immunology
6) Immunochemistry
7) Cell culture and monoclonal antibody production
8) Drug design and HTS
9) Activity evaluation of new drugs against parasites.

Recent Publications

[1]. Ciaccio C, Coletta A, De Sanctis G, Marini S., Coletta M. (2008) Cooperativity and allostery in haemoglobin function. IUBMB Life. Feb;60(2):112-23

[2]. Gemma S, Campiani G, Butini S, Kukreja G, Coccone SS, Joshi BP, Persico M, Nacci V, Fiorini I, Novellino E, Fattorusso E, Taglialatela-Scafati O, Savini L, Taramelli D, Basilico N, Parapini S, Morace G, Yardley V, Croft S, Coletta M, Marini S, Fattorusso C. (2008) Clotrimazole scaffold as an innovative pharmacophore towards potent antimalarial agents: design, synthesis, and biological and structure-activity relationship studies. J Med Chem. 2008 Mar 13;51(5):1278-94. Epub 2008 Feb 16.

[3]. Monaco S, Gioia M, Rodriguez J, Fasciglione GF, Di Pierro D, Lupidi G, Krippahl L, Marini S, Coletta M. (2007) Modulation of the proteolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (gelatinase A) on fibrinogen. Biochem J. Mar 15;402(3):503-13.

[4]. Saladino R, Fiani C, Crestini C, Argyropoulos DS, Marini S, Coletta M. (2007) An efficient and stereoselective dearylation of asarinin and sesamin tetrahydrofurofuran lignans to acuminatolide by methyltrioxorhenium/H(2)O(2) and UHP systems. J Nat Prod. Jan;70(1):39-42.

[5]. Gioia M, Monaco S, Fasciglione GF, Coletti A, Modesti A, Marini S, Coletta M. (2007) Characterization of the Mechanisms by which Gelatinase A, Neutrophil Collagenase, and Membrane-Type Metalloproteinase MMP-14 Recognize Collagen I and Enzymatically Process the Two alpha-Chains. J Mol Biol. May 11;368(4):1101-1113. Epub 2007 Mar 2.

Full Professor in Biochemistry at the School of Veterinary Medicine,

University of Teramo, Italy.

Visiting Professor at the School of Medicine,

University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy.

Tel.: 0861266875

Tel.: 0672596388

Research Activity

Published 207 full papers including 32 review articles (total I.F. ≈ 800), and 43 invited papers in international refereed journals, besides 41 mini-papers and 128 Congress communications on the following main topics:
1. Structure and function of enzymes; 2. Membranes and lipid messengers in programmed cell death (apoptosis) and in neurodegenerative processes; 3. Endocannabinoids; 4. Ultraweak luminescence in biomedicine; 5. Gravitational effects on enzyme reactions.

Recent Publications

[1] Dainese E, Oddi S, Maccarrone M.
Lipid-mediated dimerization of beta(2)-adrenergic receptor reveals important clues for cannabinoid receptors.
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2008 May 26.

[2] Battista N, Pasquariello N, Di Tommaso M, Maccarrone M.
Interplay between endocannabinoids, steroids and cytokines in the control of human reproduction.
J Neuroendocrinol. 2008 May;20 Suppl 1:82-9.

[3] Di Marzo V, Maccarrone M.
FAAH and anandamide: is 2-AG really the odd one out?
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2008 May;29(5):229-233.

[4] Cupini LM, Costa C, Sarchielli P, Bari M, Battista N, Eusebi P, Calabresi P, Maccarrone M.
Degradation of endocannabinoids in chronic migraine and medication overuse headache.
Neurobiol Dis. 2008 May;30(2):186-9.

[5] Battista N, Rapino C, Di Tommaso M, Bari M, Pasquariello N, Maccarrone M.
Regulation of male fertility by the endocannabinoid system.
Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2008 Apr 16;286(1-2 Suppl 1):S17-23.

[6] Kurtuncu M, Battista N, Uz T, D’Agostino A, Dimitrijevic N, Pasquariello N, Manev R, Maccarrone M, Manev H.
Effects of cocaine in 5-lipoxygenase-deficient mice.
J Neural Transm. 2008;115(3):389-95.

Opening ceremony of Joint Laboratory on June 30th, 12.00 a.m. Building PP1, via della Ricerca Scientifica., 00133 Roma.

programma

Professor of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine

University of Rome Tor Vergata

Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome

Office: Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences

Tel: +39 06 72596478

Research Activity

Scientific topics: A. Proteases and inhibitors: mast cell proteases, structural and functional studies, interaction with endogenous inhibitors, search for new inhibitors;. B. Protein folding/unfolding of cytochrome c as probed by limited proteolysis, its interaction with lipids and search for the structural requirements for its pro-apoptotic activity.

Recent Publications

[1] Sinibaldi F, Fiorucci L, Patriarca A, Lauceri R, Ferri T, Coletta M, Santucci R. Insights into Cytochrome c-Cardiolipin Interaction. Role Played by Ionic Strength (2008) Biochemistry. [Epub ahead of print]

[2] Santucci R., Sinibaldi F., Fiorucci L. Protein Folding, Unfolding and Misfolding Role Played by Intermediate States Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, 2008, 8, 000-000 1

[3]Agueci F., Polticelli F., Sinibaldi F., Piro M.C., Santucci R., Fiorucci L. (2007) Probing the effect of mutations on cytochrome c stability Protein and Peptide Letters, 14, 335-339 ISSN 0929-8665

[4]Sinibaldi F., Mei G., Ponticelli F., Piro M.C., Howes, B.D., Smulevich G., Santucci R., Ascoli F., Fiorucci L. (2005) ATP specifically driver refolding of non native conformations of cytochrome c Protein Science 14: 1049-1058 ISSN 0961-8368

Title of the Research project

Description of work

Qualification and experience

Title of the Research project

Description of work

Qualification and experience

paper.pdf

Villa Mondragone, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata

Monteporzio Catone, Rome, Italy

7 – 10 July 2008

NANO SEA 2008 will primarily focus on the topics that are of strong current interest in the fields of nanostructures self-assembling and nanostructured substrate

Web site:

http://www.nanosea2008.roma2.infn.it/index.html

Contacts:

Prof. Maurizio De Crescenzi

connect-research-2008.pdf

connect-research-08-program.pdf

Collaborative research among Italian and British scientists and engineers from Nast Centre for Nanoscience Nanotechnology and Innovative Instrumentation, CNR (I), ISIS Spallation neutron Source (UK), Universities of Central Lancashire, Padova and Milano Bicocca, and from the avionics and aerospace industries have been using VESUVIO neutron flux and energy spectrum in benchmark activation measurements to demonstrate that it provides a neutron spectrum similar to the ambient one at sea level, but with an enhancement in intensity of a factor hundred .The VESUVIO beam line at the ISIS spallation neutron source UK Facility over the last few months has been set up for neutron irradiation tests in the neutron energy in the MeV range. The neutron production at ISIS relies upon spallation reactions induced by 800 MeV proton bunches, accelerated through a synchrotron.

Read More microchip-testing.pdf

Read the Press Release

Office: Department of Chemical Science and Technology

Tel: +39 06 72594414

Fax: +39 06 72594328

Research Activity

RP is Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science of the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

RP research activity is mainly focused on the following topics:

• Nucleation and growth processes of polycrystalline and nanocrystalline diamond films deposited onto technologically important substrates by both Hot Filament Chemical Vapour Deposition (HFCVD) and Microwave Plasma Assisted CVD (MW-PACVD);

• Surface modification of cemented carbides for improved adhesion of diamond coatings;

• Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of functional properties of micro- and nano-structured advanced electroceramics for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs);

• Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) of ceramic films;

• Chemical Vapour Infiltration (CVI) of porous Silicon layers with nanostructured sp²-carbon.

• RP has been the leader of several R&D projects funded by Italian SMEs concerning nucleation, growth, adhesion, wear resistance and life of CVD diamond films onto cemented carbide base tools (total funding > 350,000 €).

Active Research Collaborations

• Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, PORTUGAL;

• Laboratoire Capteurs Diamant (CEA-LIST-DETECS – SSTM), Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Saclay, FRANCE;

• Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films (IST), Braunschweig, GERMANY.

Professional Recognitions

• 2008 – Invited Speaker, 5th International Conference on Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition (HWCVD-5), Cambridge, MA (USA).

• 2008 – Invited Speaker, 2nd International Conference on Advanced NanoMaterials (ANM 2008), Aveiro, Portugal.

• 2007 – “Materials Science and Nanotechnology for Polymeric Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs)” (invited seminar), Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Portugal.

• 2007 – Organizer and Chair of the “Nanoporous Semiconductor” Symposium, 2nd International Conference on Surfaces, Coatings and Nanostructured Materials (nanoSMat 2007), Algarve, Portugal.

• 2007 – member of the International Organizing Committee of the 2nd International Conference on Surfaces, Coatings and Nanostructured Materials (nanoSMat 2007), Algarve, Portugal.

• 2006 – Visiting Research Scientist at the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Portugal.

• 2006 – “Interlayers for diamond film deposition on hostile substrates” (invited seminar), Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Portugal.

• 2006 – “Diamond CVD: nucleation and early growth stages” (invited seminar), Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique (CEA), Saclay, France

• 2005 – Invited Speaker, International Conference on Surfaces, Coatings and Nanostructured Materials (nanoSMat2005), Aveiro, Portugal.

• 2005 – member of the International Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Surfaces, Coatings and Nanostructured Materials (nanoSMat2005), Aveiro, Portugal.

• 2004 – Visiting Research Scientist at the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Portugal.

• 2001 – Visiting Researcher at the Dept. of Chemistry and Materials, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.

Scientific Publications

RP is the author of more than 70 papers published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals, 2 patents and more than 30 papers in Conference Proceedings. Click here to read the complete list of RP publications.

Other Activities

RP is a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering (IJSurfSE).

Teaching Activities

Chemistry of Materials, Faculty of Science;Processing Structure and Properties of Sintered Materials, Faculty of Science.Member of the Teaching Supervising Committee of the Ph.D. Course in Materials for Health, Environment and Energy.

Recent Publications (selected)

[1] R. Polini and M. Barletta: “On the use of CrN/Cr and CrN interlayers in hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HF-CVD) of diamond films onto WC-Co substrates”, Diamond Relat. Mater., 17 (2008) 325-335.

[2] R. Polini, A. Falsetti, E. Traversa, O. Schäf, P. Knauth, “Sol-gel synthesis, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and electrical properties of Co-doped (La,Sr)(Ga,Mg)O3-δ perovskites”, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 27 (2007) 4291-4296.

[3] J. C. Arnault, L. Intiso, S. Saada, S. Delclos, P. Bergonzo, R. Polini, “Effect of 3C-SiC(100) initial surface stoichiometry on bias enhanced diamond nucleation”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 90 (2007) 044101.

[4] G. Mattei, V. Valentini, R. Polini, “Chemical Vapour Infiltration of nano-structured carbon in Porous Silicon”, Phys. Stat. Sol. (c), 4 (2007) 2049-2053.

[5] R. Polini, F. Pighetti Mantini, M. Barletta, R. Valle, F. Casadei, “Hot Filament Chemical Vapour Deposition and wear resistance of diamond films on WC-Co substrates coated by PVD-arc deposition technique”, Diamond Relat. Mater., 15 (2006) 1284-1291.

[6] G. Cabral, P. Reis, R. Polini, E. Titus, N. Ali, J.P. Davim, J. Grácio, “Cutting performance of time-modulated chemical vapour deposited diamond coated tool inserts during machining graphite”, Diamond Relat. Mater., 15 (2006) 1753-1758.

[7] R. Polini, “Chemically vapour deposited diamond coatings on cemented tungsten carbides: substrates pretreatments, adhesion and cutting performance”, Thin Solid Films, 515 (2006) 4-13.

[8] S. Licoccia, R. Polini, C. D’ Ottavi, F. Serraino Fiory, M. L. Di Vona, E. Traversa, “A simple and versatile method for the synthesis of functional nanocrystalline oxides”, Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 5 (2005) 592-595.

[9] R. Polini, A. Falsetti, E. Traversa, “Sol-gel synthesis and characterization of Co-doped LSGM perovskites”, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 25 (2005) 2593-2598.

[10] J. C. Arnault, G. Schull, R. Polini, M. Mermoux, J. Faerber, “Effects of bias enhanced nucleation hot-filament chemical-vapor deposition parameters on diamond nucleation on iridium”, J. Appl. Phys., 98 (2005) 033521 1-9.

Titles of the Research projects

Post Doc Positions

Qualification and experience

Read More at the web site of British Embassy Rome

The technique is based on a small turbomolecular pumped vacuum vessel with access for the laser beam (1064, 532, 355 and 266 nm from a Q-switched Quantel Brilliant b laser), an optical port for stereomicroscopic visual inspection of the ablation sample, an electrostatic deflection system to discriminate between ablated neutrals and ions, a manually microtranslated (XYZ) mask holder, and a liquid nitrogen cooled cold finger cryostat. The available setup is reported in Figure 1.

Figure 1 – The Pulsed Laser Depostion (PLD) equipment has the possibility to micrometrically translate the sample or the shadow mask in order to achieve micropatterned depositions, and to ablate biological samples from frozen solutions. Other micro or nanopatterned deposits can be obtained by e-beam lithography (A. Gerardino, CNR-IFN).

The possibility to steer ionized atoms and molecules out of the ablated neutral beam and address ions on a surface along a trajectory at right angle with respect to the ablation direction allows accomplishment of extremely uniform growth at very low growth rates. This has produced recently very uniform and thin metal layers. Figure 2 reports a lithographically fabricated pattern of platinum squares as imaged by SEM (left) and by AFM (right)

Figure 2. SEM image on the left, AFM detail on the right

The Pt layers we obtain by PLD are extremely thin and uniform. In this AFM scan we have an atomically uniform, 9 Angstrom thick layer, while Figure 3 reports a detail of one such square showing the step height and thickness.

The associated histogram reports the height distributions of the topographic image for both the uncoated native silicon oxide on silicon and for the platinum coated part.

Figure 3
We can see that the step height is 9 Angstrom, while the distribution width of the substrate and of the deposition is identical, showing that the Pt coat does not contribute to the substrate roughness. The same apparatus is used for micropatterned metal deposition (Figure 4) and “soft” biomolecule deposition (Figure 5) using microtranslated shadow masks. Furthermore, visual microscopic control of the laser spot on the target allows quick and easy fabrication of micrometric shadow masks (Figure 6). Platinum micropatterned PLDs on Si as imaged by SEM on the left. On the right, selectively coloured luminescence from chromophore tagged antigens reacting with Pulsed Laser Depositions of their specific antibodies (confocal microscopy). Pulsed Nd-YAG laser drilled shadow mask on 100 micron thick stainless steel blade.

Figure 4 Figure 5

Figure 6

A home made piezoscanner, designed for xy scanning of the sample, is hosted on the sample stage of a modified Cambridge S200 scanning electron microscope, while the STM tip is positioned on the desired feature under study by a ρ,θ,φ nanomanipulator. This configuration is the most suitable to minimize mechanical vibration of the STM; alternatively, a particularly low weight scanner is mounted on the nanomanipulator while the sample is fixed. Laser beams can be directed to the interaction zone through an optical port at the back of the SEM chamber, which also serves for microscopic observation of the laser beam alignment on the STM junction. Directing the Laser beam onto the tip allows tip enhanced localised laser nanostructuring (ablation or multiphoton deposition) and localised spectroscopy.

A scheme of the STM-SEM facility is reported below (left). The images on the right show an optical microscope view of the laser irradiated STM tip on the sample, and an SEM scan of the STM tip operating to deposit material on the tips of a couple of lithographic nanoelectrodes fabricated by A. Gerardino at the CNR-IFN electron beam facility.

This facility is particularly useful for precise positioning of the tip on the specific features or devices to be analyzed or operated upon. It allows STM electronic spectroscopy to be effected on features previously easily located on the basis of the difference in secondary electron emission. It allows a prompt characterization of both tip and sample surface damage. It supplies a first easy characterization of surface modifications, like nanometric pit formation or inorganic material depositions, when the sample is irradiated by laser beams. Finally it gives us the possibility to effect much shorter, and as a consequence slower and less damaging, STM scans for a complete characterization of the sample.

Within the general issue of nanofabrication in our laboratory we are interested in controlling the applied forces during sharp probe interaction with the samples. We have purchased commercial piezoresistive cantilever based dynomometer probes and are planning to build more sensitive ones. Attaching this kind of piezoresistive or mechanical probes to a piezoelectric inertial nanomanipulator allows measurement of the stiffness and compliance of a wide range of materials. If the interaction is made under electron microscopy observation, we can easily gain a practical experience on the interaction of sharp tips with materials. We show here how a commercial AFM probe can be stressed and used to dig pits on a gold surface (movie), how we can measure the sensitivity of insects’ tactile hair sensors (movie), how we can measure the compliance of carbon nanotubes wool (movie), and even how we can accomplish a micrometric electrical switch based on a carbon nanotubes helical spring (movie).

This facility based at the ENEA laboratories is hosted in a 35 l ionically pumped ultra-high vacuum vessel endowed with a home made STM, a Z inertial piezo slider for sample approach and a remotely controlled ρ,θ,φ nanomanipulator for sample movement with submicron precision. The vessel has two load-lock chambers for tip and sample load and a hand actuated wobbling pincer for manual operations. It also has optical ports for access to the tip region by two different laser beams.

Above on the left is the scheme of the UHV STM system coupled to the available laser sources and to the spectroscopic analysis system devoted to “tip-enhanced” photoluminescence studies. On the right, a photograph of the UHV vacuum vessel with its lid lifted shows details of the optical microscope case and of the STM. Below, an optical microscope image of the STM tip over a layer of Rhodamine 6G fluorescent dye in white light (left) and excited by a green laser (540 nm) as recorded through a long wavelength pass filter with cutoff at 560 nm with the tip within tunnelling distance (center) and 5 μm away from the surface (right). Light from the tip-enhancement area is spatially selected by a moveable pinhole and analyzed by a monochromator producing the R6G emission spectrum reported below.

Professor in Structure of Matter

Department of Physics,

University of Rome La Sapienza,

Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Rome ITALY

Tel:  +39 06 49914378

Fax: +39 06 4957697

Research Outline

Molecular Dynamics and Monte Carlo of Statistical Mechanical Systems

The focus of my research activity is on developing algorithms fro Molecular Dynamics simulation of complex systems in condensed matter phases. From the from now ancient SHAKE algorithm (a procedure to introduce holonomic constraints in MD) or the Subtraction Technique (a noise reducing approach to compute the response to weak external fields in Nonequilibrium MD) to the introduction of the Blue Moon’s ensemble (to simulate in MD rare events) and techniques to simulate Brownian motion to the most recent, and still very active, field of rigorous algorithms to compute nonadiabatic quantum-classical dynamics, the attempt is to widen the domain of computer simulation in condensed matter with a particular emphasis on MD (as distinguished from the very close but different MC- Monte Carlo). Together with that, I have been, and still am, also interested in challenging applications od atomistic MD simulations ranging from surface/interface physics problems in Materials sciences to simulations of biological molecules to find atomistic level explanations of their behavior or functioning mechanisms. More generally, I am interested in considering a variety of developments/applications in the simulation of systems of Statistical Mechanics interest.

Curriculum Vitae et Studiorum

Full List of Publications

Most Recent Publications

[135] E.Vanden Eijnden, and G. Ciccotti, “Second-order integrators for Langevin equations with
holonomic constraints”, Chem. Phys. Lett., 429, 310, (2006)

[134] M. S. Causo, G. Ciccotti, S.Bonella, and R. Vuilleumier, “An adiabatic linearized path integral approach for quantum time correlation functions II: A cumulant expansion method for improving convergence”, J. Phys. Chem. B, 110, 3638, (2006)

[135] V. Marry, and G. Ciccotti, “Trotter derived algorithms for molecular dynamics with constraints : Velocity Verlet revisited”, J. Comp. Phys., 222, 428, (2007)

[132] L. Maragliano, A. Fischer, E. Vanden Eijnden, and G. Ciccotti, “String method in collective variables: minimum free energy paths and isocommittor surfaces”, J. Chem. Phys., 125, 024106, (2006).

[131_B] R. Kapral, and G. Ciccotti, “Transport Coefficients of Quantum-Classical Systems”, in “Computer Simulations in Condensed Matter: From Materials to Chemical Biology (The Erice Lectures)”, M. Ferrario, G. Ciccotti, and K. Binder Eds, LNP, Springer Verlag, (2006).

[130_B] G. Ciccotti, D. Coker, and R. Kapral, “Quantum statistical dynamics with trajectories”, in Quantum Dynamics of Complex Molecular Systems, p. 275-294, I. Burghardt and D. Micha Eds, Springer Verlag, Berlin, (2007)

[129] G. Kalibaeva, R. Vuilleumier, S.Meloni, A. Alavi, G. Ciccotti, and R. Rosei, “Ab initio simulation of carbon clustering on Ni(111) surface: a model of the poisoning of nickel based catalysts”, J. Phys. Chem. B, 110, 3638, (2006)

[128] F. Pizzitutti, A. Giansanti, P. Ballario, P. Ornaghi, P. Torreri, G. Ciccotti, and P. Filetici, “Relevant role of loop ZA and Pro371 in the function of yeast Gcn5p bromodomain: evidences from Molecular Dynamics and experiments”, Journal of Molecular Recognition, 19, 1, (2006)

Books

B1) “Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Statistical Mechanical Systems.”, ‘E. Fermi’ 1985 Summer School. G.Ciccotti and W.G.Hoover, Eds., North Holland 1986.

B2) “Simulation of Liquids and Solids. Molecular Dynamics and MonteCarlo methods in Statistical Mechanics. A reprint book.”, G. Ciccotti, D. Frenkel and I. R. Mc Donald, Eds. North Holland, 1987.

B3) “MC and MD of condensed matter systems”, Euroconference 1995, K. Binder and G. Ciccotti, Eds., SIF 1996.

B4) “Simulation of classical and quantum dynamics in condensed phase”, Euroconference 1997, B. J. Berne, G. Ciccotti and D. F. Coker, Eds., World Scientific, 1998.

B5) “Bridging time scales: Molecular simulations for the next decade”, SIMU Conference, Konstanz 2001, P. Nielaba, M. Mareschal, and G. Ciccotti, Eds., Springer, Berlin, 2003

B6) “Computer Simulations in Condensed Matter: From Materials to Chemical Biology (The Erice Lectures)”, M. Ferrario, G. Ciccotti, and K. Binder, Eds, LNP, Springer Verlag, Berlin, (2006)

Sezione FIM MATNANO
Bldg. F65, Centro Ricerche della Casaccia, ENEA
Via Anguillarese km 1.3
00123 S.Maria di Galeria, Roma
Tel: +39 06 30486350
Lab: +39 06 30486082

Research Activity

From his first interest in molecular spectroscopy, which he pursued at the University La Sapienza in Roma, at the University of Venice and at the University of Kent UK, PM moved to spectroscopic applications in the field of uranium isotope separation, on which he worked up to the end of the italian laser isotope separation project led by ENEA. More recently he developed an interest in micro and nanobioscience and in nanotechnologies. From 1997 to 2000 he was the european coordinator of the LASMEDS project, devoted to the development of a molecular electronics technology that exploits vapour phase photoionization in the near field of STM probes. Later he coordinated and was involved in other national projects on nanotechnology, nanobioscience and organic devices. His present interests are in nanofabrication following both the inorganic, machine assisted, and the biological selfassembling approaches.

Recent Publications

[1] S. Gagliardi, B. Rapone, L. Mosiello, D. Luciani, A. Gerardino, P. Morales, Laser-Assisted Fabrication of Biomolecular Sensing Microarrays, IEEE Transactions on Nanobioscience, 6 (3): 242 – 248 (2007)

[2] A. Dell’Aquila, P. Mastrorilli, C.F. Nobile, G. Romanazzi, G.P. Suranna, L. Torsi, M.C. Tanese, D. Acierno, E. Amendola, P. Morales, Synthesis and field-effect properties of alpha,omega-disubstituted sexithiophenes bearing polar groups, Journal of Materials Chemistry, 16 (12): 1183-1191 (2006)

[3] S. Gagliardi, S. Nufris B. Rapone, P. Morales, G. D’Agostaro, Laser techniques for the fabrication of nanobiodevices, Proceedings of SPIE – The International Society for Optical Engineering, 5850, pp. 271-279 (2004)

[4] T. Di Luccio, G. Scalia, L. Tapfer, P. Morales, M. Traversa, P. Prete, N. Lovergine, Microstructural and morphological properties of homoepitaxial (001) ZnTe layers investigated by x-ray diffuse scattering,
Journal of Applied Physics, 97 (8): Art. No. 083540 (Apr 15 2005).

[5] I. Dierking, G. Scalia, P. Morales, Liquid crystal-carbon nanotube dispersions, Journal of Applied Physics, 97 (4): Art. No. 044309 (Feb 15 2005).

[6] M. Traversa, N. Lovergine, P. Prete, G. Scalia, M. Pentimalli, L. Tapfer, P. Morales, A.M. Mancini, Effects of substrate treatment and growth conditions on structure, morphology, and luminescence of homoepitaxial ZnTe deposited by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, Journal of Applied Physics, 96 (2): 1230-1237 (Jul 15 2004).

[7] P. Morales, Laser assisted SPM nanofabrication, in Encyclopaedia of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, American Scientific Publishers, (Jan. 2004).

[8] I. Dierking, G. Scalia, P. Morales, D. LeClere, Aligning and reorienting carbon nanotubes by nematic liquid crystals, Advanced Materials, 16 (11) 865-869 (Jun 4 2004).

[9] A. Gerardino, A. Notargiacomo, P. Morales, Laser assisted deposition of nanopatterned biomolecular layers, Microelectronic Engineering, 67-8: 923-929 (Jun 2003).

LEO 35 Field Emission by Zeiss©

Characteristics

• GEMINI® based Field emission e-beam column capable of ultra high resolution SEM up to 25 KV.
• Achieves a similar low energy spread compared to a cold field emission source, but with a much higher emission current and much higher beam stability.
• Featuring a TV camera and three detectors, i.e. (i) secondary electrons detector, (ii) back-scatter electrons detector (EBSD) , (iii) In-lens detector for ultra high resolution imaging (<10nm).

• Equipped with an energy dispersive x-Ray spectrometer (EDS) from Oxford INCA© allowing for acquisition of sample emitted x-rays. Accompanying software with embedded database of reference spectra for elements identification/recognition, compositional nano-analysis and x-ray mapping.

• Automated stage controlled by a joystick with x-y-z translations, z rotation (full 360° range) and x tilting (up to 90° tilt) for ultra high precision sample positioning.
• Vacuum system (a rotary pump plus a turbo pump) to achieve chamber vacuum of less than 2 x 10^-6 mbar.
• Dynamic vibration-damper.
• Several stubs settings and adaptors for mounting samples on the stage.
• Sample preparation desk.
• Sputter-coater to metallize non-conductive samples (with gold or other target).

Some Results

SEM is a common tool to address a variety of aspects in material research and nanotechnology. For illustrative purposes, some examples of SEM work in a variety of research areas (e.g energy, environment, biotechnology and nanotechnology in general) are reported here. As far as energy and environment are concerned, ceramics and nanostructured materials are key in applications such as fuel cells and chemical sensors. Fig.1 shows a surface micrograph of a composite porous electrode (cathode) designed for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell applications and fabricated by Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. Pd-Au metal droplets have been deposited and condensed on a continuous open La_0.8Sr_0.2Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3-δ network, previously grown on a dense polycrystalline stabilized ZrO₂. Mixed ionic and electronic properties of La_0.8Sr_0.2Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3-δ assisted by the electrical properties of metal droplets at high temperature, reduce the cathode polarization in SOFCs.

Figure 1. Surface of a composite porous electrode (cathode) designed for SOFC applications and fabricated by Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. Pd-Au metal droplets were deposited onto a continuous open La_0.8Sr_0.2Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3-δ network grown on dense polycrystalline stabilized ZrO₂.
Another class of fuel cells are based on the usage of polymeric “Proton Exchange Membranes” (PEM) as the fuel cell electrolyte. Nafion is the best performing polymer currently available for this application but, amongst other drawbacks, suffers of a marked drop in conductivity for working temperatures above 90°C due to morphological transitional and de-hydration. A variety of composite membrane, i.e. hybrid structures of Nafion with dispersed fillers, are under investigation to overcome this problem. Figure 2 shows an example of Nafion mixed with an inorganic phase “sulfonate diphenyl silane diol” (SDPSD), appearing as “bright” islands in the photos. The PEM performances improve based on the content and distribution of the SDPSD. Thermal treatment is one way of controlling the microstructure of the composite structure. SEM micrographs clearly shows that heating the samples at 170 °C induces a finer dispersion of the filler, yielding more minute SDPSD clusters. The limited electronic conductivity of this material makes it difficult to analyze with the SEM.

Figure 2. Two SEM pictures of the Nafion/SDPSD 70:30 composite membrane for PEM fuel cells. Photos selected demonstrate the effect of the thermal treatment at 170°C on the dispersion SDPSD in the microstructure. Sample “as-prepared” (far left) and the “heat-treated” one (left) exhibit different dispersion of SDPSD islands within the Nafion matrix, highlighting a size reduction of the SDPSD clusters induced by the thermal treatment.

SEM imaging is also crucial for the characterization of nanostructured materials for biological applications. Within biotechnology, tissue engineering combines the fields of engineering, chemistry, biology, and medicine to fabricate replacement tissues able to restore, maintain, or improve structurally and functionally damaged organs. Polymeric scaffolds for stem cells growth and differentiation represent an active research topic. Some scaffolds are fabricated by electrospinning as highly interconnected porous polymeric networks. Figure 3 shows a SEM image of nanostructured PLA electrospun nanofibers endowed with nanopores. Such fibres are multiscale features, having lengths in the centimetre range, micrometric and sub-micrometric diameters and nanoscale roughness/porosity. The various length-scales can be largely tuned and tailored through processing parameters.
Figure 3. SEM image of PLA electrospun nanofibers with nanopores. The fibres have a multiscale geometry with lengths in the centimetre range, diameters between few tens of nanometers and few micrometers, and nanoscale porosity. Length-scales can be tuned and tailored through processing parameters. Controlled porosity is important also for drug delivery.

The topics briefly highlighted in the examples are discussed in greater details in several papers. The interested reader can consult the selected papers cited in the reference.

SEM capabilities go beyond pure geometrical and morphological information, highlighted in the previous examples. In fact backscattered electrons and EDS can be used to obtain compositional data. In the next example in Figure 4, a carbon nanoparticle of about 400 nm deposited from the environment onto a substrate made of nanoporous Si. The X-ray spectra shown on the left were collected with the EDS at two different locations pointed out in the SEM micrograph, i.e. at point (1) centered on the nanoparticle and at point (2) away from it. From comparison, the missing peak in the spectrum collected at site (2) is characteristic of C, which reveals the chemical nature of the nanoparticle.

Figure 4: Micro-analisys by EDS of a 400nm carbon particle (site 1) deposited from the environment onto a nanoporous Si substrate. The nature of the nanoparticle is highlighted as a “difference”, because the yellow spectrum at site (2) is missing a peak characteristic of carbon and present in the red spectrum at site (1).

References on SOFC and PEM

[1] D. Z. de Florio, R. Muccillo, V. Esposito, E. Di Bartolomeo and E. Traversa, “Preparation and Electrochemical Characterization of Perovskite/YSZ Ceramic Films”, J. Electrochem. Soc., 152 (1), A88, (2005).

[2] V. Esposito, D. Z. de Florio, F.C. Fonseca, E.N.S. Muccillo, R. Muccillo and E. Traversa, “Electrical properties of YSZ/NiO composites prepared by a liquid mixture technique”, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 25, 2637, (2005).

[3] Deganello, V. Esposito, E. Traversa and M. Miyayama. “Cathode performance of nostructured La1-aSraCo1-bFebO3-d on a Ce0.8Sm0.2O2 electrolyte prepared by citrate-nitrate auto-combustion”, F J. Electrochem. Soc., 154 (2), A89, (2007).
[4] Barbara Mecheri, Alessandra D’Epifanio, Enrico Traversa, Silvia Licoccia. “Effect of an ormosil-based filler on the physico-chemical and electrochemical properties of Nafion membranes”, J. Power Sources, 169 (2007) 247–252.

References on Chemical Sensors

[5] M.L. Grilli, E. Di Bartolomeo, A. Lunardi, L. Chevallier, S. Cordiner and E. Traversa, “Planar Non-Nernstian electrochemical sensors: field test in the exhaust of a spark ignition engine”. Sensors and Actuators B, 108 (2005) 319-325

[6] L. Chevallier, M.L. Grilli, E. Di Bartolomeo and E. Traversa. “Non-Nernstian planar sensors based on YSZ with Ta (10 at.%)-doped nanosized titania as sensing electrode for high temperature applications”. International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, 3 [5] 393-400 (2006)

References on Tissue Engineering

[7] E. Traversa, B. Mecheri, C. Mandoli, S. Soliman, A. Rinaldi, S. Licoccia, G. Forte, F. Pagliari, S. Pagliari, F. Carotenuto, M. Minieri, P. Di Nardo. “Tuning Hierarchical Architecture of 3D Polymeric Scaffolds for Cardiac Tissue Engineering”, J. Exp. Nanoscience, (accepted sept. 2007).

Office: Physics Department
Tel:     +39 06 72594554
Fax:    +39 06 2023507

Research Activity

• Folding versus misfolding: physiological and pathological role of metal

• The role of metals in neurodegenerative diseases – Alzheimer, BSE and Parkinson

• Structural studies of biomolecules by XAS (X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy)

• Numerical simulation based approaches (Molecular Dynamics, Monte Carlo, Car-Parrinello)

Recent Publications

[1] V. Minicozzi, S. Morante, G.C. Rossi, F. Stellato, K. Jansen, The role of metals in misfolding and aggregation processes: X-ray spectroscopy and numerical simulations, in From Computational Biophysics to System Biology (CBSB07), Proceedings of the NIC Workshop 2007, 36: 223

[2] S. Furlan, F. Guerrieri, G. La Penna, S. Morante, G.C. Rossi, Studying the Cu binding sites in the PrP N-terminal region. A test case for ab initio simulations, European Biophysics Journal, 36: 841-845 (2007)

[3] S. Furlan, G.La Penna, F. Guerrieri, S. Morante, G.C.Rossi, Ab initio simulations of Cu binding sites on the N-terminal region of PrP,  Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, 12(4), 571-583, (2007)

[4] S. Furlan, F. Guerrieri, G.La Penna, S. Morante, G.C. Rossi, Ab initio simulations of Cu binding sites in the N-terminal region of PrP, in From Computational Biophysics to System Biology, J. Meinke, O. Zimmermann, S. Mohanty, U.H.E.Hansmann (Editors) John von Neumann Institute for Computing, Juelich, NIC Series, 34, 153-156, (2006).

[5] S. Morante, G. C. Rossi, M. Testa, The stress tensor of a discrete system: an exercise in Statistical Mechanics, J. Chem. Phys., 125, 034101 (2006).

[6] F. Stellato, G. Menestrina, M. Dalla Serra, C. Potrich, R. Tomazzolli, W. Meyer-Klaucke, S. Morante, Metal binding in amyloids beta peptides shows both intra- and inter-peptide coordination modes, European Biophysics Journal, 35(4), 340 (2006).

[7] S. Morante, C. Poltrich, R. González-Iglesias, C. Meneghini,W. Meyer-Klaucke, G. Menestrina, M. A. Pajares, M. Gasset, Inter- and Intra-octarepeat Cu(II) Site Geometries in the Prion Protein. Implication in Cu(II) binding cooperativity and Cu(II)-mediated assemblies, J. Biol. Chem. 279, 11753 (2004).

[8] G. La Penna, S. Morante, A. Perico, G.C. Rossi, Designing generalized statistical ensembles for numerical simulations of biopolymers, J. Chem. Phys., 121, 10725 (2004).

[9] M. Benfatto, S. Della Longa, Z. Wu, Y. Qin, G. Pan, S. Morante, The role of Zn in the interplay among Langmuir-Blodgett Multi-Layer and Myelin Basic Protein: a quantitative analysis of XANES spectra, Biophysical Chemistry, 110, 191 (2004).

[10] G. La Penna, V. Minicozzi, S. Morante, G.C. Rossi, Tuning force-field parameters by pressure measurements in micro-canonical simulations, International Journal of Modern Physics C., 15, 205 (2004).

Office: Department of Science and Chemical Technologies
Tel:  +39 06 72594463
Fax: +39 06 72594328

Research Activity

• 3-D structures of peptides in solution
• Peptide-membrane interactions
• Biomolecular electronics
• Molecular recognition and chiral discrimination
• Computational chemistry and molecular modeling

Recent Publications

[1] L. Stella, G. Bocchinfuso, E. Gatto, C. Mazzuca, M. Venanzi, F. Formaggio, C. Toniolo, A. Palleschi and B. Pispisa.
 “Peptide foldamers: from spectroscopic studies to applications”. 
Reviews in Fluorescence 2007. C. D. Geddes and J. R. Lakowicz (Eds.), Springer, New York, (2007).

2] E. Gatto, C. Mazzuca, L. Stella, M. Venanzi, C. Toniolo, B. Pispisa.
 “Effect of peptide lipidation on membrane perturbing activity: a comparative study on two trichogin analogues”.
 J. Phys Chem. B., 110: 22813 (2006).

3] M. Venanzi, E. Gatto, G. Bocchinfuso, A. Palleschi, L. Stella, C. Baldini, F. Formaggio, C. Toniolo. 
”Peptide folding dynamics: a time-resolved study from the nanosecond to the microsecond time regime”. 
J. Phys. Chem. B, 110: 22834 (2006).

4] B. Pispisa, L. Stella, C. Mazzuca, M. Venanzi.
 “Trichogin topology and activity in model membranes as determined by fluorescence spectroscopy” .
 Reviews in fluorescence 2006, C. D. Geddes and J. R. Lakowicz (Eds.), Springer, New York, pp. 47 (2006).

5] E. Gatto, M. Venanzi, A. Palleschi, L. Stella, B. Pispisa, L. Lorenzelli, C. Toniolo, F. Formaggio, G. Marletta. 
”Self-assembled peptide monolayers on interdigitated gold microelectrodes” .
 Mat. Sci. Eng. C., 26: 918 (2006).

6] C. Carta, F. Pantaleoni, G. Bocchinfuso, L. Stella, I. Vasta, A. Sarkozy, C. Digilio, A. Palleschi, A. Pizzuti, P. Grammatico, G. Zampino, B. Dallapiccola, B. D. Gelb, M, Tartaglia.
 “Germline missense mutations affecting KRAS isoform B are associated with a severe Noonan syndrome phenotype” .
 Am. J. Hum. Gen., 79: 129 (2006).

Office: Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences
Tel: +39 06 72596471
Fax: +39 06 72596465

Research Activity

Fields of interest: structure and function of biological macromolecules under high pressure and electromagnetic field. Application of optical spectroscopy and Near Infrared Spectroscopy “in vivo”. Smart nanomaterials in biology and medicine. From 1991 is a member of the commission for the medical application of informatics at the Medical School of the “Tor Vergata” University. From March 2000, is Full Professor in Biochemistry in the Faculty of Medical EngineeringFrom December 2002 is director of the Medical Engineering Service in the “Tor Vergata” University Hospital.N. Rosato is author of about 70 scientific publications (60 on international journals) in the fields of optical spectroscopy of biological molecules, fluorescence instrumentation and medical informatics.

Recent Publications

[1] Bottini M, D’Annibale F, Magrini A, Cerignoli F, Arimura Y, Dawson MI, Bergamaschi E, Rosato N, Bergamaschi A, Mustelin T., “Quantum dot-doped silica nanoparticles as probes for targeting of T-lymphocytes”, Int. J. Nanomedicine, 2(2):227-33, (2007)

[2] Bottini M, Cerignoli F, Tautz L, Rosato N, Bergamaschi A, Mustelin T., “Adsorption of streptavidin onto single-walled carbon nanotubes: application in fluorescent supramolecular nanoassemblies”, J. Nanosci. Nanotechnol. 6(12), 3693-8 (2006)

[3] Nicolai E, Di Venere A, Rosato N, Rossi A, Finazzi Agro’ A, Mei G., “Physico-chemical properties of molten dimer ascorbate oxidase”, FEBS J. , 273(22):5194-204. (2006)

[4] Iucci G, Rossi L, Rosato N, Savini I, Duranti G, Polzonetti G., “The interaction of the polyphenylacetylene surface with biological environments studied by XPS, RAIRS and biological tests”, J Mater Sci Mater Med. 17(9):779-87, (2006)

[5] Bottini M, Cerignoli F, Dawson MI, Magrini A, Rosato N, Mustelin T., “Full-length single-walled carbon nanotubes decorated with streptavidin-conjugated quantum dots as multivalent intracellular fluorescent nanoprobes”, Biomacromolecules, 7(8):2259-63, (2006)

[6] Bottini M, Magrini A, Rosato N, Bergamaschi A, Mustelin T., “Dispersion of pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes in water by a thiolated organosilane: application in supramolecular nnoassemblies”, J Phys Chem B.,20; 110 (28) : 13685-8, (2006)

[7] Bottini M, Magrini A, Di Venere A, Bellucci S, Dawson MI, Rosato N, Bergamaschi A, Mustelin T. “Synthesis and characterization of supramolecular nanostructures of carbon nanotubes and ruthenium-complex Luminophores”, J Nanosci Nanotechnol., 6(5):1381-6, (2006)

[8] Mei G, Di Venere A, Rosato N, Finazzi-Agro A., “The importance of being dimeric”, FEBS J., 272(1):16-27, (2005), Review.

[9] Iucci G, Infante G, Rossi L, Polzonetti G, Rosato N, Avigliano L, Savini I, Catani MV, Palacios AC., “Albumin-containing sol-gel glasses: chemical and biological study”, J Mater Sci Mater Med., 15(5):601-6, (2004)

PhD Schools

PhD Program in Nanostrucutres and Nanotechnologies
a Joint Program between Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca and Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata

Ph.D. Program in Materials for Environment and Energy (PDF)
a Joint Ph.D. Program with The University of Tokyo, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology and The University of Florida, Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

PhD Program in Physics
in collaboration with Physics Department, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata

Schools

1^st Doctorate School in Nano – Materials & Biomaterials (May 2007) Group Photo

Office: Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 3, Milano
Tel: +39 02 6448 2312

Academic career

1986 – 1988 Phd student, Scuola Normale Superiore – Pisa
1989 – 1990 Researcher, IFP-CNR, Milan
1990 – 1998 Researcher, Universita’ degli Studi di Milano
1998 – 2000 Researcher, Universita’ degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
2000 – present Associate Professor, Universita’ degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca

Research Activity

Neutron spectroscopy in thermonuclear plasmas.
Neutron spectroscopy for materials science
Physics of high temperature plasmas
Application of neutron-based techniques to Cultural Heritage research

Ancient Charm

Teaching

Electromagnetism and optics, degree in Environmental Science.
Physics of Plasmas, degree in Physics.
Supervisor of undergraduate and Ph D students in Physics.

Recent Publications

[1] G. Gorini et al, The resonant detector and its application to epithermal neutron spectroscopy, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A, 529, 293 (2004).
[2] C. Andreani, G. Gorini, E. Perelli-Cippo, A. Pietropaolo, N. Rhodes, E. S. Schooneveld, R. Senesi, M. Tardocchi, A resonant detector for high-energy inelastic neutron scattering experiments, Appl. Phys. Lett., 85, 5454 (2004).
[3] J Källne, L Ballabio, J Frenje, S Conroy, G Ericsson, M Tardocchi, E Traneus, G.Gorini, Observation of the Alpha Particle “Knock-On” Neutron Emission from Magnetically Confined DT Fusion Plasmas, Phys Rev Lett., 85, 1246 (2000).
[4] G.Gorini, P.Mantica, G.M.D.Hogeweij, F.De Luca, A.Jacchia, J.A.Konings, N.J.Lopes Cardozo, M.Peters, Simultaneous Propagation of Heat Waves Induced by Sawteeth and ECH Power Modulation in the RTP Tokamak, Phys. Rev. Lett., 47, 2038 (1993).

Contact details

Office: Department of Chemical Science and Technology
Tel:  +39 06 72594386
Lab: +39 06 72594479
Fax: +39 06 72594328

Research Activity

SL is Professor of Chemistry in the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

• President of AICIng (Italian Association Chemistry for Engineering)
• Deputy Director of NAST, Center for Nanoscience, Nanotechnology and Innovative Instrumentation at Tor Vergata
• Director of the Teaching Supervising Committee of the International Ph.D. Program in Materials for Health, Environment and Energy
• Associate Editor of the International Journal of Nanoscience
• Manager responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of Natural Sciences Teaching Activities of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata
• Director of the Italy-Quebec Joint Laboratory on Nanostructured Materials for Energy, Catalysis and Biomedical Applications.

Professional Memberships

Executive Committee of the European Section of The Electrochemical Society (web site)

Materials Research Society (web site)

Royal Society of Chemistry (web site)

American Chemical Society (web site)

Interuniversity Consortium for Materials Science and Technology (web site)

Italian Association Chemistry for Engineering (AICIng) (web site)

Italian Chemical Society (SCI)  (web site)

Director of a research group comprising 2 Research Associates, 1 Technician, 4 Post-docs and 11 Graduate Students.

The  research activity is mainly focused on the following topics:

• Development of nanostructured materials for Polymeric, Solid Oxide and Microbial Fuel Cells and for gas sensors for environmental monitoring.
• Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of new materials for energy, environmental and biomedical applications.
• Multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and its application to kinetic and structural studies. Investigation of the electronic and molecular structure of paramagnetic derivatives by means of NMR spectroscopy.
• Nanomechanics.  

SL is co-author of over 250 scientific publications (175 on international refereed Journals) and about 250 scientific oral contributions at international conferences, meetings and schools.

Active Research Programs

• CARISMA Coordination Action for Research on Intermediate and high temperature Specialised Membrane electrode Assemblies. (EU; € 15,000; Local PI).
• Italy-Quebec Joint Laboratory on Nanostructured Materials for Energy, Catalysis and Biomedical Applications (MAE , Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs; € 320,000; Director).
• Cooperation program with the University of Uppsala (Sweden): Novel methods for characterization of the properties of functional interfaces and nanostructured materials. (MiUR, Italian Ministry for University and Research; € 10,000; Local PI).
• Cooperation between the NAST Center and the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) at the National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba (Japan): Materials for Energy (€ 10,000; Local PI).
• Development of MEC-based devices for the production of bio-hydrogen. (MATTM, Italian Ministry for the Environment; € 456.000, PI).
• PC-SOFCs, Protonic Conductors Solid Oxide Fuel Cells based on nanostructured proton conductors: from materials synthesis to prototype fabrication. (MiUR PRIN, Italian Ministry for University and Research; € 130,000; PI).
• Sustainable hydrogen production and waste treatment via MEC technology. (FILAS; € 138,000; Local PI).
• Valorization of winemaking by-products and waste by application of innovative technologies for extraction of natural products of high added value (AGER; € 100,000, Local PI)

Other Activities

Co-organizer of different conferences and symposia under the frame of the Material Research Society, Electrochemical Society, AICIng, European Ceramic Society.

Teaching:

Chemistry, BEng in Medical and Energetic Engineering (90 hours/average 150 students/year)

Chemistry 1, BEng in Informatic Engineering (60 hours/average 50 students/year)

Environmental monitoring, MSc in Environmental Engineering (50 hours/average 25 students/year)

Recent Publications (selected)

♦   S. Pagliari, A. C. Vilela-Silva, G. Forte, F. Pagliari, C. Mandoli, G. Vozzi, S. Pietronave, M. Prat, S. Licoccia, A. Ahluwalia, E. Traversa, M. Minieri, P. Di Nardo: Cooperation of biological and mechanical signals in cardiac progenitor cell differentiation. Advanced Materials, 2011, 23, 514-518

♦   A. Rinaldi, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa: Nanomechanics for MEMS: A Structural Design Perspective. Nanoscale, 2011, 3, 811-824

♦   C. P. Brown, F. Rosei, E. Traversa, S. Licoccia: Spider Silk as a biomaterial: tailoring mechanical properties via structural modifications. Nanoscale, feature article, 2011, 3, 870-876

♦   M. Stefanelli, S. Nardis, L. Tortora, F. R. Fronczeck, K. M. Smith, S. Licoccia, R. Paolesse: Nitration of iron corrolates: further evidence for non-innocence of the corrole ligand. Chemical Communications, 2011, 47, 4255-4257 

♦   D. Pergolesi, E. Fabbri, A. D’Epifanio, E. Di Bartolomeo, A. Tebano, S. Sanna, S. Licoccia, G. Balestrino, E. Traversa: High Proton Conduction in Grain Boundary Free Yttrium-Doped Barium Zirconate Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition. Nature Materials 2010, 9, 846 – 852

♦   S. Sanna, V. Esposito, A. Tebano, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa, G. Balestrino: Enhancement of ionic conductivity in DSC/YSZ heteroepitaxial structures. Small 2010, 6, 1863-1867

♦   E. Fabbri, A. D’Epifanio, S. Sanna, E. Di Bartolomeo, G. Balestrino, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa: A novel single chamber solid oxide fuel cell based on chemically stable thin films of Y-doped BaZrO₃ proton conducting electrolyte. Energy and Environmental Science 2010, 3, 618-621

♦   A. Rinaldi, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa, K. Sieradzki, P. Peralta, A. Davila-Ibanez, M. Correa-Duarte, V. Salgueirino: Radial Inner Morphology Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Amorphous Composite Cobalt Boride Nanoparticles. The Journal of Physical Chemistry 2010, 114, 13451-13458

♦   E. Fabbri, D. Pergolesi, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa: Does the Increase in Y-Dopant Concentration Improve the Proton Conductivity of BaZr_1-xY_xO_3-δ Fuel Cell Electrolytes? Solid State Ionics, 2010, 181, 1043-1051

♦   C. Mandoli, F. Pagliari, S. Pagliari, G. Forte, P. Di Nardo, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa: Stem cell aligned growth induced by CeO₂ nanoparticles in PLGA scaffolds with improved bioactivity for regenerative medicine. Advanced Functional Materials 2010, 20, 1617-1624

♦   D. Marani, A. D’Epifanio, E. Traversa, M. Miyayama, S. Licoccia: Titania Nanosheets (TNS)/Sulfonated Poly Ether Ether Ketone (SPEEK) Nanocomposite Proton Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cells. Chemistry of Materials, 2010, 22 1126-1133

♦   A. D’Epifanio, M. A. Navarra, F. C. Weise, B. Mecheri, J. Farrington, S. Licoccia, S. Greenbaum: Composite Nafion/sulfonated zirconia membranes: effect of the filler surface properties on proton transport characteristics. Chemistry of Materials 2010, 22, 813-821

♦   C. de Bonis, A. D’Epifanio, M. L. Di Vona, B. Mecheri, E. Traversa, M. Trombetta, S. Licoccia: Proton Conducting Electrolytes based on Silylated and Sulfonated Polyetheretherketone: Synthesis and Characterization. Journal of Polymer Science, Part A, Polymer Chemistry 2010. 33, 2178-2186

♦   A. Rinaldi, P. Peralta, C. Friesen, D. Nahar, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa, K. Sieradzki: Super-hard nanobuttons: constraining crystal plasticity and dealing with extrinsic effects at the nanoscale. Small 2010, 6, 528-536

♦   A. Rainer, M. Centola, C. Spadaccio, G. Gherardi, J. A.Genovese, S. Licoccia, M. Trombetta: Comparative study of different techniques for the sterilization of poly-L-lactide electrospun microfibers: effectiveness vs. material degradation. International Journal of Artificial Organs 2010, 33, 76-85

♦   C. Mandoli, B. Mecheri, G. Forte, F. Pagliari, S. Pagliari, F. Carotenuto, R. Fiaccavento, A. Rinaldi, P. Di Nardo, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa: Thick soft tissue reconstruction on highly perfusive biodegradable scaffolds. Macromolecular Bioscience 2010, 10, 127-138

♦   S. Soliman, S. Pagliari, A. Rinaldi, G. Forte, R. Fiaccavento, F. Pagliari, O. Franzese, M. Minieri, P. Di Nardo, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa: Multiscale three-dimensional scaffolds for tissue engineering via multimodal electron spinning. Acta Biomaterialia 2010, 6, 1227-1237

♦   D. Mirabile Gattia, M. Vittori Antisari, L. Giorgi, R. Marazzi, E. Piscopiello, A. Montone, S. Bellitto, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa: Study of different carbon supports for catalysts: Fuel Cells application. Journal of Power Sources 2009, 194¸243-251

♦   B. Mecheri, A. D’Epifanio, L. Pisani, F. Chen, E. Traversa, F. C. Weise, S. Greenbaum, S. Licoccia: Effect of a proton conducting filler on the physico-chemical properties of SPEEK-based membranes. Fuel Cells 2009, 9, 372-380

♦   C. de Bonis, A. D’Epifanio, M. L. Di Vona, C. D’Ottavi, B. Mecheri, E. Traversa, M. Trombetta, S. Licoccia: Proton conducting hybrid membranes based on aromatic polymers for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Applications. Fuel Cells 2009, 9, 387-393 

♦   E. Fabbri, T. Oh, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa, E. D. Wachsman: Mixed Protonic-Electronic Conductors as Cathode Materials for Proton Conducting Electrolytes in Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (IT-SOFCs) Journal of The Electrochemical Society 2009, 156, B38-B45

♦   S. Sanna, V. Esposito, D. Pergolesi, A. Orsini, A. Tebano, S. Licoccia, G. Balestrino, E. Traversa: Fabrication and Electrical Properties of Epitaxial Samarium-Doped Ceria Films Onto SrTiO₃-Buffered MgO Substrates. Advanced Functional Materials 2009, 19, 1713-1719

♦   E. Fabbri, S. Licoccia, E. Traversa, E. D. Wachsman: Composite Cathodes for Application in Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (IT-SOFCs) Based on Proton Conducting Electrolytes. Fuel Cells 2009, 9, 128-138

♦   M. Zunic, L.Chevallier, F. Deganello, A. D’Epifanio, S. Licoccia, E. Di Bartolomeo, E. Traversa: Electrophoretic deposition of dense Ba Ce_0.9Y_0.1O_3-x electrolyte thick-films on Ni-based anodes for Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (IT_SOFCs). Journal of Power Sources 2009, 190, 417-422

♦   A. Orsini, P.G. Medaglia, S. Sanna, E. Traversa, S. Licoccia, A. Tebano, G. Balestrino: Epitaxial Superlattices of Ionic Conductor Oxides. Superlattices and Microstructures 2009, 46, 223-226

♦   A. Rinaldi, B. Mecheri, V. Garavaglia, S. Licoccia, P. Di Nardo, E. Traversa: Engineering materials and biology to boost performance of microbial fuel cells: a critical review. Energy and Environmental Science 2008, 1, 417-429

Dr. W. Meyer-Klaucke

(EMBL – Hamburg)

Related Information
EMBL

The synergism of structural techniques in live sciences plays an increasingly important role these days. in x-ray absorption spectroscopy mainly collaborations with NMR or protein crystallography have let to a better understanding of the systems under study. Based on a series of projects the synergism of these methods will be highlighted and the future options discussed.

One example is FurB from /Mycobacterium tuberculosis/. Iron, zinc and other transition metals are essential elements for almost all living organisms as they play important roles in a wide range of cellular processes. They act either as structural components or as obligate co-factors in various functions ranging from respiration to DNA replication. A balanced efflux/influx of these metal ions has to be achieved in order to satisfy the requirements of the cell and to avoid toxicity. Organisms have therefore developed highly sophisticated systems to reach homeostasis based on storage, export, and uptake of metals. Members of the ferric/zinc uptake regulator (Fur/Zur) family are the central metal-dependent regulator proteins in many gram-negative and positive bacteria. They are responsible for the control of a wide variety of basic physiological processes and the expression of important virulence factors in human pathogens. Therefore Fur has gathered significant interest as a potential target for novel antibiotics.

The initial EXAFS experiments in which the protein sample was first dialyzed against an Fe(II) containing solution and afterwards dialyzed against metal-free buffer did not show any significant Fe-fluorescence.These results further supported the microPIXE and gel shift experiments which both indicated no iron binding. The EDTA treated sample was used to record the Zn-EXAFS to determine the chemical environment of the strongly bound Zinc cation. In order to investigate the nature of the exchangeable metal site(s) a protein sample was incubated with Co^2+ . The divalent cobalt ion can occupy the site(s) normally reserved for the Zn^2+ ion.By projecting the local environments for the strongly bound Zn-ion and the exchangeable metal on the crystal structure of FurB, which was determined by multiwavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD) at the Zn-edge, the different role of the metal binding sites were determined.

Office: Physics Department

Tel: +39 06 72594547

Lab: +39 06 72594532

Fax: +39+06 2023507

web page

Research Activity

From 1979 his research activity has been focused on the study of the structural and electronic properties of surfaces (clean and interacting with chemisorbed species), and of metal/semiconductor interfaces by means of spectroscopic techniques such as Auger, XPS and Energy Loss in reflection and STM (Scanning Tunneling Microscopy) microscope.
During these years he has contributed actively to the development of some electron spectroscopic techniques as local surface structural tool, as the EELFS (Extended Energy Loss Fine Structure) and the EXFAS (Extended Fine Auger Structure). He has received for this several invited talks and oral presentations at topic Surface Science Conferences.
He has investigated the growth of nanostructures of Germanium/Silicon and Fe/Cu/Si ultrathin films through MBE process. Recently he has synthetized nanotubes of carbon and other materials, such as silicon, and they have been visualized through STM and AFM microscopy.He has been co-author or author of more than 200 international publications concerning electronic and structural properties of the condensed matter and applications of different electron scattering and absorption spectroscopies. He has written a book entitled: ”Electron Scattering and Related Spectroscopies” (World Scientific 1996) providing an overview of all spectroscopic techniques related to electron scattering phenomena. He is in the board of editors of the following international reviews: Journal of Physics (Condensed Matter), Surface Review and Letters, Journal of Electron Spectroscopy.

Recent Publication

[1] P. Castrucci, N. Pinto, L. Morresi, R. Gunnella, R. Murri, M. Scarselli, M. De Crescenzi, “Magnetic properties of thin MnGe films investigated by magnetic force microscopy”, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 272-276, 1541 (2004).

[2] F. Ratto, F. Rosei, A. Locatelli, S. Cherifi, S. Fontana, S. Heun, P.-D. Szkutnik, A. Sgarlata, M. De Crescenzi, N. Motta, “Composition of Ge(Si) islands in the growth of Ge on Si(111) by x-ray spectromicroscopy”, Journal of Applied Physics 97, 043516 (2005).

[3] M. De Crescenzi, P. Castrucci, M. Scarselli, M. Diociaiuti, P. S. Chaudari, C. Balasubramanian, T. M. Bhave, S. V. Bhoraskar, “Experimental images of silicon nanotubes”, Applied Physics Letters 86, 231901 (2005). Paper selected to appear on June 1, 2005 of “Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology“.

[4] P. Castrucci, M. Scarselli, M. De Crescenzi, M. Diociaiuti, P. Chistolini, M. A. El Khakani, F. Rosei, “Packing-induced electronic structure changes in bundled single-wall carbon nanotubes”, Applied Physics Letters 87, 103106 (2005).

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Prof. Teruo Okano

(Tokyo Women’s Medical University)

Related Information
Tokyo Women’s Medical University

My research group develops polymeric “intelligent surfaces” proven useful and published for applications in medicine [1-4] and biotechnology [5-8]. We have synthesized several temperature-responsive polymers of N-(isopropylacrylamide), and have attached these polymers to various surfaces. This new surface modification technology demonstrates several intelligent functions, including dramatic, reversible surface property alterations with slight temperature changes, useful for new applications. We use temperature-responsive cell culture to prepare novel living cell sheets [9, 10] that represent attractive, interesting new alternatives to tissue as scientific models and as living clinical tissue replacements.

Ocular trauma commonly causes corneal opacification and visual loss because of limbal stem cell deficiency and inability to regenerate the ocular surface. Although corneal transplantation is required in these cases, numbers of donor corneas are very limited. We have initiated clinical treatment to transplant our engineered ocular epithelial cell sheet cultured either from a patient’s biopsied limbal stem cells or oral mucosal cells. With intact native adhesive matrix, cell sheets bind structurally and functionally to eye stroma [11, 12] without sutures. In more than 30 human patients, significant improvement of visual acuity is observed beyond 36months to date.

Using cardiomyocyte heart muscle cells, we have demonstrated a novel tissue engineering methodology layering harvested cell sheets to construct 3-D functional cardiac tissues. When two pulsing cell sheets are layered,, the two sheets synchronize their pulsations through gap junctions between the sheets. We have succeeded in demonstrating long-term survival in vivo for these engineered pulsatile cardiac grafts [13-15]. Analogous cell sheet patches fabricated from autologous skeletal myoblasts are now on-going in large animal models. Cardiac tissue engineering based on our “Cell Sheet Engineering” [16-19] should prove useful for heart model fabrication and clinical cardiovascular tissue repair.

These new cell sheet manipulation techniques are promising for many cell types and tissue structures, and device shapes. We believe that two- and three-dimensional cell sheet manipulation – Cell Sheet Engineering – represents a useful, fundamental, generalized technique for next-generation tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

References

1. M. Yamato and T. Okano, “Cell Sheet Engineering”, Materials Today, 7 (5), 42-47(2004).

2. J. Yang, M. Yamato and T. Okano, “Cell-sheet engineering using intelligent surfaces”, MRS Bulletin, 30(3), 189-193 (2005).

3. J. Yang, M. Yamato, C. Kohno, A. Nishimoto, H. Sekine, F. Fukai, T. Okano, “Cell sheet engineering: recreating tissues without biodegradable scaffolds”, Biomaterials, 26 (33), 6415-6422 (2005).

4. J. Yang, M. Yamato, K. Nishida, Y. Hayashida, T Shimizu, A. Kikuchi, Y. Tano and T. Okano, “Corneal epithelial stem cell delivery using cell sheet engineering: Notlost in transplantation”, Journal of Drug Targeting, 14 (7) 471-482 (2006).

5. A. Kikuchi, and T. Okano, “7. Hydrogels :Stimuli-sensitive hydrogels”, Polymeric Drug Delivery Systems, Drugs and the pharmaceutical sciences, 148, 275-322, Edited by Glen S. Kwon, Taylor & Francis (2005),

6. H. Kanazawa, Y. Matsushima and T. Okano, “Temperature-responsive chromatography”, Advances in Chromatography, Edited by P. R. Brown, E. Grushka, Marcel Dekker, Inc., 41, 311-336 (2001).

7. N. Idoda, A. Kikuchi, J. Kobayashi, Y. Akiyama, K. Sakai and T. Okano, “Thermal modulated interaction of aqueous steroids using polymer-grafted capillaries”, Langmuir, 22 (1), 425-430 (2006).

8. K. Itoga, J. Kobayashi, M. Yamato, A. Kikuchi and T.Okano, “Maskless liquid-crystal-display projection photolithography for improved design flexidility of cellular micropatterns”, Biomaterials, 27 (15), 3005-3009 (2006).

9. N. Yamada, T. Okano, H. Sakai, F. Karikusa, Y. Sawasaki and Y. Sakurai, “Thermo-Responsive Polymeric Surfaces; Control of Attachment and Detachment of Cultured Cells”, Macromol. Chem. Rapid Commun., 11(11), 571-576 (1990).

10. T. Okano, N. Yamada, H. Sakai and Y. Sakurai, “A Novel Recovery System for Cultured Cells Using Plasma-Treated Polystyrene Dishes Grafted with Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)”, J. Biomed. Mater. Res., 27(10), 1243-1251 (1993)

11. K. Nishida, M. Yamato, Y. Hayashida, K. Watanabe, N. Maeda, H. Watanabe, S. Nagai, A. Kikuchi, Y. Tano and T. Okano, “Functional bioengineered corneal epithelial sheet grafts from corneal stem cells expanded ex vivo on a temperature-responsive cell culture surface”, Transplantation, 77(3), 379-385 (2004).

12. K. Nishida, M. Yamato, Y. Hayashida, K. Watanabe, K. Yamamoto, E. Adachi, S. Nagai, A. Kikuchi, N. Maeda, H. Watanabe, T. Okano and Y. Tano, “Corneal reconstruction with tissue-engineered cell sheets composed of autologous oral mucosal epithelium”, N. Engl. J. Med., 351 (12), 1187-1196 (2004).

13. T. Shimizu, M. Yamato, A. Kikuchi and T. Okano, “Two-dimensional manipulation of cardiac myocyte sheets utilizing temperature-responsive culture dishes augments the pulsatile amplitude”, Tissue Engineering, 7(2), 141-151 (2001).

14. T. Shimizu, M. Yamato, Y. Isoi, T. Akutsu, T. Setomaru, K. Abe, A. Kikuchi, M. Umezu and T. Okano, “Fabrication of pulsatile cardiac tissue grafts using a novel 3-dimensional cell sheet manipulation technique and temperature-responsive cell culture surfaces”, Circ Res. 90:e40-e48 (2002).

15. Y. Haraguchi, T. Shimizu, M. Yamato, A Kikuchi and, T. Okano, “Electrical coupling of cardiomyocyte sheets occurs rapidly via functional gap junction formation”, Biomaterials, 27 (27), 4765-4774 (2006).

16. H. Sekine, T. Shimizu, S. Kosaka, E. Kobayashi and T. Okano, “Cardiomyocyte bridging between hearts and bio-engineered myocardial tissues with mesenchymal transition of mesothelial cells”, J. Heart Lung Transplant., 25 (3), 324-332 (2006).

17. T. Shimizu, H. Sekine, J. Yang, Y. Isoi, M. Yamato, A. Kikuchi, E. Kobayashi and T. Okano, “Polysurgery of cell sheet grafts overcomes diffusion limits to produce thick, vascularized myocardial tissues”, FASEB J., 20 (6), 708-710 (2006).

18. H. Hata, G. Matsumiya, S. Miyagawa, H. Kondo, N. Kawaguchi, N. Matsuura, T. Shimizu, T. Okano, H. Matsuda Hikaru and Y. Sawa, “Grafted skeletal myoblast sheets attenuate myocardial remodeling in pacing-induced canine heart failure model”, J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., 132 (4) 918-924 (2006).

19. Y. Miyahara, N. Nagaya, M. Kataoka, B. Yanagawa, K. Tanaka, H. Hao, K. Ishino, H. Ishida, T. Shimizu, K. Kangawa, S. Sano, T. Okano, S. Kitamura and H. Mori, “Monolayered mesenchymal stem cells repair scarred myocardium after myocardial infarction”, Nature Med., 12 (4), 459-465 (2006).

Contact details

Office: Department of Physics

Tel:  +39 06 72594549

Fax: +39 06 2023507

R. Senesi is an experimental physicist with a background in condensed matter and material science. The main Research Topics are: Neutron Scattering, Monoatomic and Molecular Quantum Fluids and solids in bulk and confinement. Experimental determination of the atomic momentum distributions and microscopic structure and dynamics of these systems are carried out using neutron scattering and x-ray and techniques. Relevant examples are: 1) Momentum distribution and kinetic energy in fluid and solid He-3, He-4 and He-3/He-4 mixtures; 2) Kinetic energy of He-4 in nanoporous xerogels; 3) Static structure factor of binary fluid mixtures. R. Senesi has been involved in the design and construction of neutron scattering instruments at the ISIS pulsed neutron facility (UK), such as VESUVIO and e.VERDI, as well as research and development of neutron detection systems for neutrons in the energy range 1- 100 eV. R. Senesi has published more than 60 papers on international journals and presented about 20 scientific contributions at international conferences and schools.

Recent Publications

• R. Senesi, A. Pietropaolo, A. Bocedi, S. E. Pagnotta, F. Bruni, Proton Momentum distribution in a protein hydration shell, Physical Review Letters, 98, 138102 (2007), also in Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research, 13, issue 7 (2007).

• R. Senesi, D. Colognesi, A. Pietropaolo, T. Abdul-Redah, Deep inelastic neutron scattering from orthorhombic ordered HCl: short-time proton dynamics and anomalous neutron cross-sections, Physical Review B, 72, 054119 (2005).

• C. Andreani, D. Colognesi, J. Mayers, G. Reiter, R. Senesi, Measurement of Momentum Distribution of Light Atoms and Molecules in Condensed Matter Systems Using Inelastic Neutron Scattering, Advances in Physics, 54, 377 (2005).

• C. Andreani, G. Gorini, E. Perelli-Cippo, A. Pietropaolo, N. Rhodes, E. M. Schooneveld, R. Senesi, M. Tarocchi, A resonant detector for high-energy inelastic neutron scattering experiments, Applied Physics Letters, 85, 5454, (2004).

• C. Andreani, C. Pantalei, R. Senesi, Mean kinetic energy of helium atoms in fluid 3He and 3He-4He mixtures, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 18, 5587 (2006).

• R. Senesi, C. Andreani, A. L. Fielding, J. Mayers, W. G. Stirling, Kinetic energy of He atoms in liquid 4He-3He mixtures, Physical Review B, 68, 214522 (2003).

• R. Senesi, C. Andreani, D. Colognesi, A. Cunsolo, M. Nardone, Deep Inelastic Neutron Scattering determination of the single particle kinetic energy in solid and liquid 3He Physical Review Letters, 86, 4584, (2001).

Contact details

Physics Department “G. Occhialini”

University of Milan “Bicocca”

Tel: +39 02 6448 2302

Research activity

AP is an experimental physicist whose research interests concern the dynamics of condensed matter systems and the investigation of the high energy neutron-induced soft errors in electronics, using neutron scattering techniques, and the development of instrumentation for epithermal neutron scattering for applications on materials of cultural heritages interest (epithermal neutron imaging). As far as neutron instrumentation is concerned, AP worked on the development of gamma detectors for the Resonance Detector configuration at the VESUVIO spectrometer at ISIS spallation neutron source and the design and realization of the Very Low Angle Detector (VLAD) bang for High-energy Inelastic Neutron Scattering (HINS) on VESUVIO. In the field of condensed matter, recent experimental studies concerned the short time proton dynamics in bulk and confined water at different thermodynamic states, as well as the sub-femtosecond dynamical properties of the structural hydrogen (silanols) in porous silica xerogels of different porosity. Within the EU-funded ANCIENT CHARM project, AP is developing ancillary equipment and gamma detectors to be used for Neutron Resonance Capture Imaging (NRCI) and neutron tomography on objects of cultural and archaeological interest. A recent experimental activity is related to the test of the new Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) coupled to YAP scintillators crystals. Very recently AP, within a joint collaboration of Italian academic institutions and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), performed the first irradiation experiments on silicon-based Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) on the VESUVIO beam line, that assessed the suitability of the ISIS source for this kind of investigation.

Recent publications

• R.Senesi, A. Pietropaolo, A. Bocedi, S.E. Pagnotta, F. Bruni, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 138102 (2007);
• M. Violante, L. Sterpone, A. Manuzzato, S. Gerardin, P. Rech, M. Bagatin, A. Paccagnella, C. Andreani, G. Gorini , A. Pietropaolo, G. Cardarilli, S. Pontarelli, C. Frost, IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 54, 1184 (2007);
• E. M. Schooneveld, J. Mayers, N. J. Rhodes, A. Pietropaolo, C. Andreani, G. Gorini, E. Perelli-Cippo, R. Senesi, M. Tardocchi, Rev. Sci. Instr. 77, 095103 (2006);
• S. Imberti, C. andreani, V. Garbuio, G. Gorini, A. Pietropaolo, R. Senesi, M. Tarocchi, Nucl. Instr. Meth. A 552, 463 (2005);
• C. Andreani, G. Gorini, E. Perelli-Cippo, A. Pietropaolo, N. Rhodes, E. M. Schooneveld, R.Senesi, M. Tardocchi, Appl. Phys. Lett. 75, 5454 (2004).

Notes: AP is author of about 40 publications on international journals and presented about 20 scientific contributions at international conferences and meetings.

———————————————–
Ufficio Stampa di Ateneo
via O. Raimondo 18 00173 ROMA
tel. 0672592709
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Responsabile: dr. Sandro Lomonaco
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The Variable Temperature STM/AFM

Characteristics

Stainless steel UHV system (Standard pressure 6 10-11mbar).Turbo molecular pump for roughing: 240 l/sec – Ionic pump: 500 l/sec – Titanium sublimator.X-Y-Z manipulator with direct current or resistive heating. Tmax=1500 K.STM/AFM (piezoresistive).Heating at the STM position: up to 1500 K.Cooling at the STM position: down to 25 K.E-beam evaporators at the STM position: Ge and Si.Reverse view LEED-Auger with LaB6 filament.

Some Results

Ge/Si(111) – experiments performed were related to the visualization of the growth by Physical Vapour Deposition of Ge nanostructures on 7×7 Si(111) reconstructed surfaces. By evaporating Ge on Si(111) at T=500°C the formation ofwetting layers have been studied by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy in situ. The evolution of the Ge islands appearing after the wetting layer (completed at 3 ML). The 3D islands appear as truncated tetrahedrons (7×7 reconstructed on the top) and evolves into rounded shape, flat islands with a central hole. An erosion of the substrate around the islands has been also evidenced and measured. The island have lateral dimensions in the range 200 – 500 nm. The statistical distribution of the islands shapes and contact angles has been analysed. On Si step bunched surfaces (obtained by flashing at 1200°C in proper condition the Si substrate) the self aggregation and ordering of the islands has been evidenced. These results have been published in several papers and conference or school proceedings [1-6].

Fig 1. Ge islands grown on Si(111) observed by STM and AFM at various stages of evolution. Top left, a) an island after the nucleation (STM: 236x236x8 nm), top rigth, b) new facets (100 and 117) appear (STM: 230x230x38 nm); bottom left, c). First stage of ripening. (STM: 527x527x12 nm) bottom rigth, d) final stage of ripening (AFM image: 527x527x10 nm). Ge flux was 1 Å/min. The substrate temperature was 530 °C for a), 450 °C for b) and 500 °C for c) and d).

Fig 2. Organization of the Ge islands on a Si(111) step-bunched substrate a) STM image of 2.5 nm Ge deposition on Si(111) at T=450 °C 2.7×3.7 μm2. The total height of the image is 56 nm. b) STM image of 6 nm Ge deposition on Si(111) at T=450 °C 10×10 μm2. The total height of the image is 82 nm.InAs/GaAs quantum dotsThe InAs quantum dots on GaAs were prepared ex-situ by MBE as follows: the GaAs(001) wafer was initially deoxidized in As flux at 640 °C until a weak 2×4 RHEED pattern appeared. Afterwards, the substrate temperature was lowered to 590 °C and an epitaxial GaAs buffer layer of approximately 0.75 mm was grown at a rate of 1 μm/h. After 10 min of annealing, the temperature was further lowered to 500 °C for the InAs growth. The deposition rate was 0.028 ML/s with an In/As flux ratio of 1/15. The InAs coverage was 3 ML (the 2D-3D transition occurs at 1.6 ML). A 50 nm As capping layer is grown on top of the quantum dots, in order to protect the surface during the transfer to the AFM/STM chamber if atomic resolution and reconstruction have to be obtained by STM. The other samples are grown on intrinsic GaAs exhibiting a resistance too high to be imaged by STM, so the measurements are normally performed by AFM. Many samples, with different InAs coverages and growth modes have been prepared and measured. The size and distribution of the dots obtained in various growth conditions have been measured. Two main growth modes have been analysed: Continuous (the In flux was never interrupted) and Migration Enhanced (the In flux was interrupted at regular intervals, in order to increase the atomic movements ad aggregation on the surface). The island size increases in the Migration Enhanced mode. The onset of the quantum dot formation has been evidenced by also by STM, by imaging 2D islands after which act as precursors. The results have been published in two papers [7-8]Fig 3. STM images at 1.3 ML of InAs on GaAs(001); a) 2D-islands of average height 0.4 nm (precursors); b) high resolution image of the wetting layer. The RHEED image has been acquired in the MBE system at the end of the growth.Fig 4. Needle-Sensor AFM of self-assembled quantum dots of InAs on GaAs(001) imaged using the VT SPM; dimensions: 300×300 nm. Height: 10 nm. The typical dot size is around 25 nm, and the height is 7 nm.

References on Ge/Si

[1] F. Boscherini, G. Capellini, L. Di Gaspare, F. Rosei, N. Motta and S. Mobilio, “Ge-Si intermixing in Ge quantum dots on Si(001) and Si(111)”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 76, 682 (2000).[2] F. Rosei, N. Motta, A. Sgarlata, G. Capellini and F. Boscherini, “Formation of the Wetting Layer in Ge/Si(111) studied by STM and XAFS”, Thin Solid Films 369 p29 (2000).[3] F. Boscherini, G. Capellini, L. Di Gaspare, F. Rosei, N. Motta and S. Mobilio, “Atomic intermixing in Ge Quantum Dots”,“ESRF Highlights” 1999, Surfaces and Interfaces (may be visualized on the web site www.esrf.fr).[4] F. Boscherini, G. Capellini, L. Di Gaspare, M. De Seta, F. Rosei, N. Motta A. Sgarlata and S. Mobilio, “Ge-Si intermixing in Ge quantum dots on Si”, Thin Solid Films 380, 173 (2000).[5] A. Sgarlata, F. Rosei, M. Fanfoni, N. Motta and A. Balzarotti, “STM/AFM study of Ge Quantum Dots grown on Si(111)”, IEEE Proceedings of the 11th International Semiconducting and Insulating Materials Conference, February 2000.[6] F. Rosei, N. Motta, A. Sgarlata and A. Balzarotti, “Growth and characterization of Ge nanostructures on Si(111)”, submitted for publication to Lecture Notes in Physics. (February 2001).[7] Nunzio Motta Self-assembled Quantum Dots studied by scanning probes and other structural techniques. Proc. Workshop on Nanotubes and Nanostructures 2000, S.M.Pula (CA), Ed. S.Bellucci, (Editrice Compositori 2001)[8] N. Motta, F. Rosei, A. Sgarlata, G. Capellini, S. Mobilio, F. Boscherini, Evolution of the intermixing process in Ge/Si(111) Self-assembled islands, submitted to Materials Science B

References on InAs/GaAs

[1] F. Patella, M. Fanfoni, F. Arciprete, S. Nufris, E. Placidi, and A. Balzarotti; Kinetic aspects of the morphology of self-assembled InAs quantum dots on GaAs(001) Applied Physics Letters 76 (2001) 320.[2] Arciprete, A. Balzarotti, M. Fanfoni, N. Motta, F. Patella, A. Sgarlata; Morphology of self-assembled quantum dots of InAs on GaAs(001) and Ge on Si(111) in Recent Research developments in Vacuum Science & Technology. Publisher: Transworld Research Network (2001).

Related Information
contact: Ernesto Placidi

Characteristics

(Mod.32; Riber)Stainless steel UHV system (Standard pressure 6 10-11 mbar). Turbo molecular pump for roughing: 240 l/sec – Ionic pump: 500 l/sec – Titanium sublimator. X-Y-Z manipulator with resistive heating.

Tmax=800 °C. Knudsen cells: Ga, As, In, Al, Si (as dopant). Rheed optics E= 10 KeV.

High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy

Related Information
contact: Fabrizio Arciprete

HREELS cross section

Characteristics

Related Information
contact: Fabrizio Arciprete

Stainless steel UHV system (Standard pressure 4×10-11mbar). Turbo molecular pump for roughing: 240 l/sec – Ionic pump: 200 l/sec – Titanium sublimator. X-Y-Z manipulator with resistive heating. T max=800 °C. Leed optics.

Contact details

Office: Physics Department

Tel: +39 06 72594441

Lab: +39 06 72594422

Fax: +39 06 72594089

webpage

Current Professional Positions

Full Professor in Condensed Matter at the Faculty of Science of the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

Research Experience

Carla Andreani, experimental physicist, received a Laurea Cum Laude in Physics in 1977 at the Università di Roma “La Sapienza” and is presently full professor in Condensed Matter at Department of Physics – Faculty of Science – at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. From 1981 – 1987 she worked at the A.E.R.E Harwell Laboratory, at the ISIS Spallation neutron Source – Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in UK, and at the IPNS pulsed Neutron source – Argonne National Laboratory, in US.  In those years she initiated a research program applying neutron spectroscopic methods to investigate structural and dynamical properties of quantum and molecular fluids and solids, complex systems and neutron science. These studies involved developing instrumental, technological and methodological tools for characterizing materials on a nanometer-length scale. These include:

• quantum fluids and solids – liquid ⁴He, liquid and solid ³He, in bulk and confined geometry, and ³He-⁴He mixtures;
• molecular fluids and solid – diatomic homonuclear fluids (Cl₂, Br₂, I₂, H₂, D₂) hydrogen halides (HCl, HBr, HI), H₂S and H₂O (in bulk – stable and metastable -and confined geometry);

CA employed a combination of diffraction and spectroscopy techniques (most notably, neutron and x-ray diffraction, neutron spectroscopy, combined with Raman spectroscopy). In particular neutron scattering represents an important tool for the study of the properties of matter at the nanoscale, the ideal probe of microscopic correlations in bulk sample in reciprocal space. Its provides relevant information for the understanding of microscopic physical properties of materials, which add and complement real space visualization and manipulation of matter on the nanometer scale.

CA has contributed to the design and realization of instrumentation for neutron diffraction and scattering: the DBSS diffractomer (PLUTO Reactor Harwell UK) -  “Neutron diffraction methods for the study of residual stress fields“, A. J. Allen, M. T. Hutchings, C. G. Windsor, C. Andreani, Advances in Physics 34, 445 (1985) – the 2-axis diffractometer at TRIGA Reactor (ENEA Casaccia, I),the Constant Q spectrometer (CQS) at HELIOS Linac (Harwell, UK), the PRISMA  spectrometer – “PRISMA – A unique phonon spectrometer”, C. Andreani, U. Steigenberger, C. G. Windsor Europhysics News 21, 147 (1990) and TOSCA spectrometer – “TOSCA: a world class inelastic neutron spectrometer”, S. F. Parker, C. J. Carlile, T. Pike, J. Tomkinson, R. J. Newport, C. Andreani, F. P. Ricci, F. Sacchetti, M. Zoppi, Physica B241, 154 (1998) - at ISIS pulsed neutron source (Rutherford Appleton Laboratory).

CA has designed and realized, with the ISIS team, the VESUVIO spectrometer – “VESUVIO: the double difference inverse geometry spectrometer at ISIS”, J. Mayers, J. Tomkinson, T. Abdul-Redah,  W.G. Stirling, C. Andreani, R. Senesi, M. Nardone, D. Colognesi, E. Degiorgi, Physica B 350, 659 (2004), and the e.VERDI spectrometer at ISIS – “Recent developments of the e.VERDI Project at ISIS”, T. Abdul-Redah, C. Andreani, A. D’Angelo, G. Gorini, S. Imberti, J. Mayers, R. J. Newport, A. Pietropaolo, N. J. Rhodes, E. M. Schooneveld, R. Senesi, M. Tardocchi, J. Tomkinson, Physica B350, 837 (2004) – for Deep Inelastic Neutron Scattering, to study of proton quantum dynamics (“Measurement of momentum distribution of light atoms and molecules in condensed matter systems using inelastic neutron scattering”).

She gave a significant contribution to the development of gamma detector concepts for DINS and neutron imaging.

She is currently studying the proton quantum effects in water – in normal and metastable phases – in bulk and confined geometry via the DINS measurement of the proton momentum distribution, n(p).

She is currently participating to the construction of CHIP  instrument at the ISIS neutron source, TS2 (UK)– for accelerated test of ‘‘single event effects’’  in electronic devices (Facility for fast neutron irradiation tests of electronics at the ISIS spallation neutron source) – instrument at the ISIS neutron source (UK).

Example of applications of eV techniques CA has proposed and developed:

• within the ANCIENT CHARM project the concepts and use of neutron spectroscopy at the eV energy to produce quantitative measurements and even 3D images of the elemental composition and physical structure of artefacts. This technique uses the “Neutron Resonant Capture Imaging” combined with “Neutron Resonance Transmission” (NRCI/NRT) as a non-invasive technique for 3D tomographic imaging and its use in cultural heritage research, i.e. http://ancient-charm.neutron-eu.net/ach, A non destructive stratigraphic and radiographic neutron study of Lorenzo Ghiberti’s reliefs from Paradise and North doors of Florence Baptistery  This technique uses the “Neutron Resonant Capture Imaging” combined with “Neutron Resonance Transmission” (NRCI/NRT) as a non-invasive technique for producing quantitative measurements and even 3D images of the elemental composition and physical structure of artifacts.
• the use of neutrons at the MeV for accelerated irradiation test on electronic devices.

Teaching Activities

CA is member of the Graduate School in Physics – PhD Program at the University of Roma Tor Vergata – and the Graduate School Nanostructure and Nanotechnology – a joint PhD program between University of Tor Vergata and  University of Milano-Bicocca. CA has a long-standing interest in teaching improvements in undergraduate and graduate physics also providing the students with a modern introduction to spectroscopic techniques. Much of this work has concentrated on the use of modern technology to improve the student’s conceptual understanding of basic experimental physical concepts.

Management and organizational experience

Chairperson of the Area Panel for Physical Sciences, Italian Research Council, Italian Research Council CNR (2009-2010)

Chairperson of the Advisory Board for the Roadmap  on Research Infrastructure, Italian Ministry of Research  (2010)

Delegate of President of CNR for European Spallation Source project (2010-present)

Member of the Neutron Committee of Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) (1994-present)

Member of the Executive Board of University of Rome Tor Vergata (2005-2008).

Member of the International Advisory Board of the International Advisory Board ESS Bilbao Initiative (2008-present)

Member of the Novel Neutron Instrumentation Think Tank (2005-2009)

Member of the Science Advisory Board del Studsvik Neutron Research Laboratory (NFL) – Svezia (2000-2002 )

Member of the OECD MEGASCIENCE FORUM: NEUTRON SOURCES WORKING GROUP Panel B: International cooperation in the development of neutron instrumentation and data evaluation (1996-1999)

Member (scientific secretary) of the Scientific Advisory Board for Physical Sciences of the Italian national research Council CNR (1994-1998)

Member of the Round Table on Neutron Sources, http://neutron.neutron-eu.net/n nmi3/n (1994-present)

Peer Review

CA served as:

• Referee for NSF (US), New Eurasia Foundation, Russia, European Commission FP7, Georgia National Science Foundation;
• Referee American Physical Society  journals, Phys. Rev. B e Phys. Rev. Letters) di J. Chem. Physics, Meas. Sci. Technology, ISRN Condensed Matter Physics.
• member of evaluation Area panel Physical Science, CIVR for Italian Ministry of Research (MIUR) (2003-2009)
• member of the ISIS Facility Access Panel (FAP 5), 2006-2008, 2011-present
• member of peer review panel for Material science for Georgia National Science Fundation (2007-2008, 2011-present)
• member of peer review panel for New Eurasia Foundation (FNE), Moscow, (2011-present)
• Chairperson of the Area Panel for Physical Sciences, Italian Research Council, CNR Italy (2009-2010)
• Chairperson of the Ministry of Research advisory board for the Italian Infrastructure Roadmap  (2010)
• member of review panel for research projects of Regione Lombardia  (2010)
• member of ISRN Condensed Matter Physics editorial board
• member of SNS neutron scattering science proposal Review Panel (2008-2010)
• chair board for ESS Italy (www.ess-italia.it)

I am currently supervising 6 scientists. I have significant experience in recruiting and interviewing. I have served as project scientist and, more recently, project sponsor in a variety of instrument development projects at ISIS (UK), SNS (US) and ESS Lund.

Membership of professional societies

• Italian Physical Society
• European Physical Society
• American Chemical Society
• School of Neutron Scattering “Francesco Paolo Ricci“
• Sociedad Española de Tecnicas Neutronicas

Editorial Roles

Editor of Notiziario Neutroni e Luce di Sincrotrone,  ISSN: 1592-7822m (from 1999), a journal supported by Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)

Selected Publications

[1] Temperature Dependence of Neutron-induced Soft Errors in SRAMs, M. Bagatin, S. Gerardin, A. Paccagnella, C. Andreani, G. Gorini, C. D. Frost, Microelectronics Reliability (2011)

[2] Spherical momentum distribution of the protons in hexagonal ice from modeling of inelastic neutron scattering data,  D. Flammini, A. Petropaolo, R. Senesi, C. Andreani, F. McBride, A. Hodgson,  M. Adams, L. Lin, R. Car, accepted for publication on J. Chemical Physics,  July (2011)

[3] Ground state proton dynamics in stable phases of water, C. Andreani, D. Colognesi, A Pietropaolo and R. Senesi, Chem Physics Letters  Frontier Physics, doi:10.1016/j.cplett.2011.09.036 (2011)

[4] Comment on “High energy neutron scattering from hydrogen using a   direct geometry spectrometer, J. Mayers, N. I. Gidopoulos, M. A. Adams, G. Reiter, C. Andreani and R. Senesi., r”, C Stock, R A Cowley, J W Taylor and  S. M. Bennington, Phys Rev B, 84, 056301 (2011)

[5] Non destructive neutron diffraction measurements of cavities, inhomogeneities and residual strain in bronzes of Ghiberti’s relief from the Gates of Paradise, G. Festa, R. Senesi, M. Alessandroni, C. Andreani,  G.Vitali, S. Porcinai, A. M. Giusti, T. Materna, A. M. Paradowska, Journal of Applied Physics 109, 064908 (2011)

[6] A non destructive stratigraphic and radiographic neutron study of Lorenzo Ghiberti’s reliefs from Paradise and North doors of Florence Baptistery                                                                                                                                                          G. Festa, C. Andreani, et al.,  J. Appl. Phys. 106, 074909 (2009)

[7] Characterization of the neutron field at the ISIS-VESUVIO facility by means of a bonner sphere spectrometer
R. Bedogni, A. Esposito, C. Andreani, R. Senesi, M. P. De Pascale, P. Picozza, A. Pietropaolo, G. Gorini, C. D. Frost, and S. Ansell, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, vol. 612, no. 1, pp. 143–148, (2009)

[8] Diamond detectors for fast neutron irradiation experiments                                                                                                      L. Giacomelli, C. Andreani, A. Fazzi, C. D. Frost, G. Gorini, E. Perelli Cippo, A. Pietropaolo, M. Rebai, H. Schuhmachere M. Tardocchi, C. Verona, G. Verona Rinati and A. Zimbal, Nuclear Physics B (Proceedings Supplements), 215, 242-246 (2011)

 [9] A silicon photomultiplier readout for time of flight neutron spectroscopy with γ -ray detectors
A. Pietropaolo, G. Gorini, G. Festa, C. Andreani, M. P. De Pascale, E. Reali, F. Grazzi, E. M. Schooneveld, Review of Scientific Instruments, vol. 80, no. 9, (2009)

[10] γ-Ray background sources in the VESUVIO spectrometer at ISIS spallation neutron source
A. Pietropaolo, E. Perelli Cippo, G. Gorini, M. Tardocchi, E. M. Schooneveld, C. Andreani and R. Senesi, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, vol. 608, no. 1, pp. 121–124, (2009)

[11] Pietropaolo et al Reply, A. Pietropaolo, R. Senesi, C. Andreani, A. Botti, M. A. Ricci, and F. Bruni, Physical Review Letters, vol. 103, no. 6, (2009)

[12] Quantum effects in water: Proton kinetic energy maxima in stable and supercooled liquid
A. Pietropaolo, R. Senesi, C. Andreani, J. Mayers, Brazilian Journal of Physics, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 318–321, (2009)

[13] Prompt gamma activation analysis and time of flight neutron diffraction on ‘black boxes’ in the ‘Ancient Charm’ project
Zs. Kasztovszky, Z. Kis, T. Belgya, W. Kockelmann, S. Imberti, G. Festa, A. Filabozzi, C. Andreani, A. Kirfel, K. T. Biró, K. Dúzs, Zs. Hajnal, P. Kudejova, M. Tardocchi, and the Ancient Charm Collaboration Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, vol. 278, no. 3, pp. 661–664, (2008)

[14] Neutron-induced soft errors in advanced Flash memories
G.Cellere , S. Gerardin, M. Bagatin, A. Paccagnella, A.Visconti, M. Bonanomi, S. Beltrami, P. Roche, G. Gasiot, R. H. Sørensen,  A. Virtanen, C. Frost, P.  Fuochi, C. Andreani, G. Gorini, A. Pietropaolo, S. Platt, International Electron Devices Meeting, IEDM, (2008)

[15] Constant-q data representation in Neutron Compton scattering on the VESUVIO spectrometer
R. Senesi , A. Pietropaolo, C. Andreani, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, vol. 594, no. 2, pp. 244–252, (2008)

[16] The very low angle detector for high-energy inelastic neutron scattering on the VESUVIO spectrometer
Enrico Perelli Cippo, Giuseppe Gorini, Marco Tardocchi, Antonino Pietropaolo, Carla Andreani, Roberto Senesi, Nigel J Rhodes, Erik M Schooneveld, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, vol. 589, no. 2, pp. 296–303, (2008)

[17] Proton momentum distribution of liquid water from room temperature to the supercritical phase
C. Pantalei, A. Pietropaolo, R. Senesi, C. Andreani, S. Imberti, J. Mayers, C. Burnham, and G. Reiter, Physical Review Letters, vol. 100, no. 17, (2008)

[18] Advances on detectors for low-angle scattering of epithermal neutrons
E. Perelli Cippo, G. Gorini, M. Tardocchi, C. Andreani, A. Pietropaolo, R. Senesi, N. Rhodes, E. Schoonveld, Measurement Science and Technology, vol. 19, no. 4, (2008)

[19] Facility for fast neutron irradiation tests of electronics at the ISIS spallation neutron source , C. Andreani_, A. Pietropaolo, A. Salsano, G. Gorini,M. Tardocchi, A. Paccagnella,^, S. C. D. Frost, S. Ansell, S. P. Platt, Applied Physics Letters, vol. 92, no. 11, (2008)

[20] Excess of proton mean kinetic energy in supercooled water
A. Pietropaolo, R. Senesi, C. Andreani, A. Botti, M. A. Ricci, F. Bruni, Physical Review Letters, vol. 100, no. 12, (2008)

[21] Composition and corrosion phases of Etruscan Bronzes from Villanovan Age
G. Festa, P. A. Caroppi, A. Filabozzi, C. Andreani, M. L. Arancio, R. Triolo, F. Lo Celso, V. Benfante, S. Imberti, Measurement Science and Technology, vol. 19, no. 3, (2008)

[22] Structure and Single Proton Dynamics of Bulk Supercooled Water
A. Botti, F. Bruni, M. A. Ricci, A. Pietropaolo, R. Senesi, C. Andreani, Journal of Molecular Liquids, vol. 136, no. 3, pp. 236–240, (2007)

[23] Proton quantum coherence observed in water confined in silica nanopores
V. Garbuio, C. Andreani, S. Imberti, A. Pietropaolo, G. F. Reiter, R. Senesi, M. A. Ricci, Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 127, 154501, (2007)

[24] A new hardware/software platform and a new 1/E neutron source for soft error studies: Testing FPGAs at the ISIS facility
M. Violante, L. Sterpone, A. Manuzzato, S. Gerardin, P. Rech, M. Bagatin, A. Paccagnella, C. Andreani, G. Gorini , A. Pietropaolo, G. Cardarilli, S. Pontarelli, C. Frost, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, vol. 54, no. 4, pp. 1184–1189, (2007)

[25] ⁴He adsorbed in cylindrical silica nanopores: Effect of size on the single-atom mean kinetic energy , C. Andreani, C. Pantalei, R. Senesi, Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, vol. 75, no. 6, (2007)

[26] Resolution function in deep inelastic neutron scattering using the Foil Cycling Technique
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, vol. 570, no. 3, pp. 498–510, (2007)

[27] Mean kinetic energy of helium atoms in fluid 3He and 3He-4He mixtures
Journal of Physics Condensed Matter, 18, 5587 (2006)

[28] Advances in Physics, C. Andreani, D. Colognesi, J. Mayers, G. Reiter, R. Senesi, 54, 377 (2005)

[29] Measurement of momentum distribution of light atoms and molecules in condensed matter systems using inelastic neutron scattering
Advances in Physics, 54, 377 (2005)

[30] A resonant detector for high-energy inelastic neutron scattering experiments
Appl. Physics Letters, 85, 5454, (2004)

[31] Deep Inelastic Neutron Scattering determination of the single particle kinetic energy in solid and liquid ³He, R. Senesi, C. Andreani, D. Colognesi, A. Cunsolo, M. Nardone, Phys. Rev. Letts. 86, 4584, (2001)

Notes. CA has authored about 150 publications on international journals and about 180 scientific oral contributions at international conferences, meetings and schools.

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Joint venture between Italy and Canada-Quebec (decreto n-1744 del 28-05-2008). Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Silvia Licoccia.
Project foreign Coordinator: Prof. Federico Rosei

DESCRIZIONE DELL’INIZIATIVA

L’accesso a fonti di energia rinnovabili e sostenibili, la conservazione e protezione dell’ambiente e la possibilità di garantire una qualità di vita adeguata ad una popolazione con prospettive di vita media sempre più lunga sono le grandi sfide dell’umanità nel XXI secolo.
Questo progetto si propone di affrontare lo studio dello sviluppo e della stabilità di materiali nanostrutturati che possano trovare applicazione nel campo della sanità (ingegneria tissutale), dell’energia e dell’ambiente (celle a combustibile e catalisi) mediante l’istituzione di un laboratorio congiunto su “Advanced Nanostructured Materials for Energy, Catalysis, and Biomedical Applications (ANaMECaBA)” tra l’Università di Roma Tor Vergata e l’istituto INRS-EMT dell’ Université du Quebec, sita a Varennes, Quebec, Canada in collaborazione con il Prof. Federico Rosei.
E’ infatti oramai ampiamente riconosciuto che le proprietà dei materiali nanostrutturati sono sensibilmente diverse da quelle dei corrispondenti materiali massivi. La riduzione a livello nanometrico delle dimensioni di un materiale comporta una significativa alterazione delle sue proprietà chimiche, ottiche, elettroniche e meccaniche. Le attuali sofisticate tecniche di sintesi, processo e caratterizzazione di materiali nanostrutturati permettono di sviluppare nuove funzionalità e di sfruttarne le peculiari proprietà in numerose applicazioni, quali ad esempio celle a combustibile per produrre energia con basso impatto ambientale, catalizzatori innovativi, più economici ed efficienti, ed ingegneria tissutale per la medicina rigenerativa. Per tutte queste applicazioni è fondamentali ottenere materiali nanostrutturati di elevata stabilità chimica.
Si valuterà la reattività chimica e la stabilità dei materiali nanostrutturati per comprendere la loro interazione con l’ambiente mediante l’analisi delle superfici e delle interfacce. Si condurranno inoltre studi volti a comprendere le relazioni struttura/funzione e, dunque, le prestazioni dei materiali nelle varie applicazioni.
A tal scopo, è stato creato un gruppo dalle competenze fortemente interdisciplinari che prevede la partecipazione di chimici, fisici, biologi, ingegneri e medici. Grande attenzione sarà inoltre dedicata agli aspetti relativi alla formazione di studenti di dottorato e giovani ricercatori che verranno coinvolti nelle attività del laboratorio congiunto per sviluppare e diffondere le conoscenze nel settore delle nanotecnologie.
Tutti i gruppi coinvolti sono riconosciuti leaders a livello internazionale nelle loro rispettive aree di ricerca. E’ dunque prevedibile un effetto sinergico derivante dall’interazione tra i vari partners che porterà a significativi sviluppi nel settore delle nanotecnologie Poiché il progetto proposto è un Laboratorio Congiunto, è prevista la presenza di ricercatori italiani a Varennes per svolgere attività di ricerca comuni. Si prevede che due post-doc ed uno studente di Dottorato italiani svolgeranno la maggior parte della loro attività presso il laboratorio congiunto in Quebec. Tentativamente ognuno di tali ricercatori sarà coinvolto principalmente in una delle diverse linee di ricerca individuate: celle a combustibile, catalisi, applicazioni biomediche. Nell’ambito della tematica energia/ambiente, uno dei problemi che saranno studiati sarà lo sviluppo di catalizzatori a basso costo che possano sostituire il platino nelle celle a combustibile a elettrolita polimerico (PEMFCs). La necessità di utilizzare catalizzatori a base di platino, elemento prezioso e la cui disponibilità è limitata, è infatti uno dei maggiori ostacoli alla diffusione delle PEMFCs. Nell’ambito della tematica Salute, si studierà la possibilità di realizzare costrutti di tessuto ingegnerizzato (tissue-engineered constructs, TECs) abili a promuovere la riparazione e la rigenerazione dei tessuti mediante lo sviluppo e l’integrazione di un set di metodologie di sintesi e di tecnologie innovative per la prototipazione rapida di matrici di supporto (scaffold) 3D realizzate con biomateriali ibridi nanostrutturati da applicare nella medicina rigenerativa.
L’Istituto INRS-EMT dell’ Univ. du Quebec allestirà uno spazio dedicato al Laboratorio Congiunto. Il partner canadese fornirà non solo lo spazio, ma anche accesso a tutte le strumentazioni in dotazione, materiale di consumo e supporto logistico per gli studiosi italiani. Qualora il finanziamento sia approvato, si indirà al più presto un bando per due borse di studio post-doc i cui vincitori svolgeranno la loro attività a Varennes.

CURRICULUM VITAE DEL RESPONSABILE SCIENTIFICO Prof. SILVIA LICOCCIA

Professore Ordinario di Fondamenti Chimici delle Tecnologie, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche & NAST: Centro Interdipartimentale per Le Nanoscienze, Nanotecnologie e Strumentazione Avanzata
Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Roma
Tel: 06-7259-4386: Fax: 06-7259-4328; e-mail: licoccia@uniroma2.it

S. Licoccia ha ottenuto la Laurea Summa cum Laude in Chimica presso l’Università di Roma nel 1978. Ha frequentato le seguenti Scuole post-laurea: Chimica Teorica (1979, Pisa, CNR Fellow), Coordination Chemistry of Metalloenzymes (1982, San Miniato, NATO Fellow), Spettrocopia NMR (1986, Roma).
Ha successivamente ricoperto le seguenti posizioni accademiche: 1979-1981: Postdoctoral fellow, York University, Toronto, Ont., Canada; 1981-1983: Professore a contratto, Università della Calabria; 1983-1984: Borsista AIRI (Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca Industriale) Università di Roma La Sapienza; 1984-1992: Ricercatore (SSD: Chimica), Facolta’ di Ingegneria, Università di Roma Tor Vergata; 1987: Visiting Professor, University of California, Davis, CNR Fellow; 1992: Professore Associato di Chimica Generale ed Inorganica, Facoltà di Farmacia, Università di Siena; 1993-2001: Professore Associato di Chimica, Facoltà di Ingegneria, Università di Roma Tor Vergata; dal 2001: Professore Ordinario di Fondamenti Chimici delle Tecnologie, Facoltà di Ingegneria, Università di Roma Tor Vergata
Dal 1995 al 2001 ha fatto parte del Senato Accademico dell’Universita’ di Roma Tor Vergata.
Dal 2001 è Membro del Collegio dei Docenti del Corso di Dottorato di Ricerca Internazionale in Materiali per l’Ambiente e l’Energia. Il corso prevede corsi di dottorato congiunto con la University of Florida e la Ehime University, Matsuyama, Giappone, ed è stato istituito grazie a finanziamenti MiUR nell’ambito di progetti di internazionalizzazione (University of Florida ed Ehime University).
Dal 2002 è Vice Presidente dell’AICIng (Associazione Italiana di Chimica per l’Ingegneria)
Membro del Comitato esecutivo della sezione Europea dell’Electrochemical Society, della Materials Research Society, dell’International Sol-Gel Society e della Royal Society of Chemistry.
L’attività scientifica, documentata da 2 brevetti, 2 libri, e più di 230 lavori, di cui 145 pubblicazioni su riviste internazionali, è attualmente principalmente rivolta allo sviluppo di procedure sintetiche ed alla caratterizzazione di nuovi materiali per applicazioni nei settori dell’ambiente, dell’energia e della medicina. Tra le tematiche studiate al momento ci sono materiali nanostrutturati per celle a combustibile polimeriche e a ossidi solidi e per sensori chimici di gas per il monitoraggio ambientale, materiali compositi per l’ingegneria tissutale ricostruttiva, per lo sviluppo di elettrodi per la registrazione di segnali elettrofisiologici in condizioni estreme (emergenze, pazienti non collaboranti, condizioni di microgravità) e per il rilascio, per via topica, di sostanze farmacologicamente attive, composti modello di sistemi biologici.
E’ stata invitata a tenere conferenze su invito a diversi congressi internazionali e a tenere seminari sia in Italia che all’estero. Ha ricevuto diversi contributi dall’Università di Roma Tor Vergata per Professori Visitatori.
Svolge attività di Peer Review per numerose riviste scientifiche internazionali tra cui: J. of the American Chemical Society, Chemistry of Materials, J. of Electroceramics, J. of Electrochemical Society, J. of Sol-Gel Science and Technology, Solid State Ionics, J. of the European Ceramic Society, Advanced Functional Materials, J. of Power Sources, European Polymer Journal. Ha coorganizzato diverse Conferenze e Simposi nell’ambito dei Congressi della Materials Research Society, Electrochemical Society e European Ceramic Society.
E’ Responsabile di Unità Operativa del progetto FISR NUME: Sviluppo di membrane protoniche composite e configurazioni elettroniche innovative per celle a combustibile a elettrolita polimerico (€ 620,000), Coordinatore Nazionale del Progetto di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale: Materiali ibridi organici/inorganici da assemblaggio di unita’ molecolari nanostrutturate per applicazioni multifotoniche (€ 367,000) e Responsabile di Unità Operativa del Progetto di Azione Coordinata dell’Unione Europea CARISMA: Coordination Action for Research on Intermediate and high temperature Specialised Membrane electrode Assemblies (€ 20,000).

Pubblicazioni significative più recenti:

1. S.Licoccia, M.L.Di Vona, A.D’Epifanio, D.Marani, M.Vittadello, J.R.P.Jayakody, S.G.Greenbaum Ormosil/Sulfonated Polyetheretherketone-based hybrid composite proton conducting membranes. J. Electrochem. Soc. 2006, 153, A1226-A1231
2. S.Licoccia, M.L.Di Vona, P.Romagnoli, L.Narici, M.Acquaviva, S.Carozzo, S.Di Marco, M.Saturno, W.G.Sannita, E.Traversa Nanocomposite polymeric electrolytes to investigate human electrophysiological brain signals in prolonged, unconventional or extreme conditions. Acta Biomaterialia 2006, 2, 531-536
3. S.Licoccia, E.Traversa Increasing the operation temperature of Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Fuel Cells: from nanocomposites to hybrids. J. Power Sources 2006, 159, 12-20
4. A.D’Epifanio, B.Mecheri, E.Fabbri, A.Rainer, E.Traversa, S.Licoccia Composite Ormosil/Nafion Membranes As Electrolytes For Direct Methanol Fuel Cells. J. Electrochem. Soc. 2007, 154, B1148-1151
5. M.Trombetta, A.Rainer, S.Giannitelli, F.Abbruzzese, E.Traversa, S.Licoccia Fabrication of bioactive glass-ceramic foams mimicking human bone portions for regenerative medicine. Acta Biomaterialia, 2007, in press

DESCRIZIONE DELLA STRUTTURA PROPONENTE

L’iniziativa è proposta dal gruppo Chimica ed Ingegneria dei Materiali, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università di Roma Tor Vergata.
Il gruppo è costituito da una trentina di unità di personale, di cui 8 di personale dipendente, comprendenti 2 professori di I fascia (Silvia Licoccia ed Enrico Traversa), 3 ricercatori (Alessandra D’Epifanio, Elisabetta Di Bartolomeo e Riccardo Polini), ed 1 tecnico (Cadia D’Ottavi); in questo momento sono presenti 4 post-doc (Laure Chevallier, Vincenzo Esposito, Barbara Mecheri, Antonio Rinaldi), 20 studenti di dottorato (Chiara Abate, Zakarya Ahmed, Serafina Bellitto, Francesco Bozza, Marco Fronzi, Daniele Mirabile Gattia, Francesco Basoli, Catia de Bonis, Emiliana Fabbri, Chen Fang, Corrado Mandoli, Andrea Orsini, Francesca Pagliari, Stefania Pagliari, Michele Russo, Simone Sanna, Alma Santibanez Mendieta, Alessia Santucci, Sherif Soliman, Milan Zunic), e alcuni studenti di Laurea e di Laurea Specialistica.
Le competenze del gruppo sono fortemente interdisciplinari e coprono dalla sintesi dei materiali per vie innovative alla loro applicazione. Infatti i docenti sono di 3 raggruppamenti disciplinari diversi, Fondamenti Chimici delle Tecnologie, Chimica Generale ed Inorganica e Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali. Il gruppo dispone di tutte le apparecchiature necessarie allo svolgimento delle ricerche proposte.
Negli ultimi 5 anni il gruppo ha potuto contare in media su finanziamenti annuali di circa 300.000 euro. Tra gli altri finanziamenti, il gruppo proponente ha ora a disposizione un finanziamento biennale del MUR (PRIN) di 367.000 euro (fino al 2008), su materiali nanostrutturati per applicazioni ottiche, e di due finanziamenti triennali FISR (PNR) di circa 200.000 e 620.000 euro rispettivamente (fino al 2008), su tematiche concernenti celle a combustibile ad ossidi solidi per operazione a temperature intermedie e celle a combustibile polimeriche per temperature intermedie; quindi tutti i progetti sono in relazione al programma proposto.
Il gruppo è molto attivo in collaborazioni internazionali, ed in particolare con il Giappone e gli Stati Uniti. Il proponente è membro del Collegio dei Docenti di un corso internazionale di Dottorato di ricerca in Materiali per l’Ambiente e l’Energia, che prevede curriculum congiunti con la University of Florida, la Ehime University e la Université de Provence – Marseille.
Collabora o ha collaborato con i seguenti gruppi, tra gli altri:
* Institute for Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Japan (Prof. M. Miyayama)
* Dept. of Mater. Sci. Engineering, Ehime Univ., Japan (Prof. Y. Sadaoka)
* Dept. of Mater. Sci. Engineering, Nagasaki Univ., Japan (Prof. Y. Shimizu)
* Dept. Física de la Materia Condensada, Univ. of Cádiz, Spain (Prof. Luis M. Esquivias)
* Lab. MADIREL, UMR 6121, Université de Provence, Marseille, France (Prof. P. Knauth)
* Dept. of Chemistry, University of Arizona, USA (Prof. F.A.Walker)
* Dept. of Physics, University of Uppsala (Prof. S. Svensson)
* Dept. of Psychiatry, State University of New York, Usa (Pro. W.G. Sannita)
* Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, City Univ. of New York, USA (Prof. S.G.Greenbaum)
* Dept. of Chemistry, University of Luisiana, USA (Prof. M.G.Vicente)
* Inst. of Physics, University of Lubeck, Germany (Prof. A.X.Trautwein)
* National High Magn. Field Lab., Florida State University, USA (Prof. J. Krzystek)

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Dr Antonio Cricenti

(CNR, Italy and Vanderbilt University, USA)

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CNR, ISM
Vanderbilt University

An overview of research activity in the field of Scanning Probe Microscopy taking place in Rome, Lausanne and at Vanderbilt is presented. Several applications in Material Science and Biology will be presented as well some recent developments in instrumentation.

Prof. Silvia Morante

(Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata)

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Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata

Molecular biology is nowadays strongly overlapped with supramolecular chemistry. An important aspect of supramolecular chemistry, which has recently come to the attention of the scientific community, is the structural role played by metals in intra-molecular and inter-molecular interactions.

Metals are essential elements for many of the fundamental activities of cells and their storing, metabolism and trafficking is mediated by many proteins via well tuned mechanisms because of the toxicity of free ions.
Recently the high sociological impact of neuro-degenerative diseases (like Alzheimer disease, BSE, Parkinson disease, etc.) has pushed the attention of researchers, both from the Biophysical and Biomedical point of view, towards the problem of mis-folding that is a common phenomenon in all amyloidosis pathologies and is regarded as a possible cause of aggregation of protein and plaque formation.

It has been observed that very often plaques contain large amounts of transition metal ions (like Cu+2, Fe+3 and Zn+2). None of the experimental techniques used so far, has been able, however, to unambiguously reconstruct the local structure around the metal ions and elucidate the role they possibly play in the mis-folding process.
I will show the contributions we have given in this direction by using both X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and ab initio Car-Parrinello Molecular Dynamics in two very much studied systems: Prion Protein and Aβ-amyloids.

Prof. Mauro Rovere

(Università Roma Tre)

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Università Roma tre

Water plays an important role in many natural processes where it is confined or at contact with substrates. Examples can be found in different fields of geology, biology, chemical engineering. Changes in the static and dynamical properties of water are expected to take place for the geometrical constraints and the interaction with the different substrates. In particular it has been shown that confined water can be more easily supercooled in experiments.
The presentation summarizes Molecular Dynamics results obtained for water confined in a silica pore and presents recent results on water embedded in a hydrophobic matrix. For water confined in a silica pore it is found that the interaction with the hydrophilic surface and the geometrical constraints give rise to layering effects of great relevance in modifying static and dynamical properties with respect to the bulk phase. For water at contact with an hydrophobic matrix a study of the thermodynamical behaviour upon supercooling shows modifications in the limit of stability of water. The hydrophobic effect however does not change the general trends of the liquid spinodal.

Prof. Maurizio De Crescenzi

(Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata)

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Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata

Photovoltaic effect has always relied on semiconductors p-n junctions based on doped silicon or III-V-semiconductors. Recently, however, the use of carbon nanotubes has evoked large promises to increase the potential of light conversion and current generation (1). Carbon nanotubes in fact possess extended π-electron systems and characteristic van Hove singularities, which in combination with photoexcitable electron donors can provide the basic structural element for efficient photovoltaic conversion devices as demonstrated by Lee et al. (2) and by Guldi et al. (3). However single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have shown a low efficiency (0.2%). Relative to SWCNTs, multi wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) present a number of important applicative advantages. In particular, they are slightly easier to process than SWCNTs, because they generally do not form bundles and are found to be straight. Moreover, due the large number of concentric graphitic inner shells, they appear more suitable for achieving charge transfer and charge transport. Remarkably, also MWCNTs can be good light converters as shown by our own recent measurements reported in Ref. (4). We have demonstrated in fact the ability of multi wall carbon nanotubes to generate photocurrent upon the whole visible and ultraviolet spectral range.
Photocurrent measurement of MWNTs/SiO2 electrode, put in an electrochemical cell, was excited with visible light and a solution of 0.5 M NaI and 0.01M I2 in acetonitrile has been used as electrolite. The maximum photon-to-current conversion efficiency is approximately 7%, about 50 times higher than that reported for single wall carbon nanotubes.
Our experience shows that the lifetimes of the charge separated species are enough long to consider nanotubes excellent candidates for the fabrication of photovoltaic nanodevices and solar energy conversion applications.

Photocurrent generation of nanometric Ge droplets has been also investigated by using the same electrochemical photocurrent apparatus. Ge dots have been grown depositing by MBE several nominal thicknesses of Ge (ranging from 0.5 to 15 nm) on clean SiO2 surface at room temperature and then annealed to reach full crystallization. The photocurrent signals always show a feature located at about 280 nm. This peak can be ascribed to the bulk direct electronic transitions located at X point of the Brillouin zone. Only in the case of 0.5 nm Ge film a broad and intense feature at 550 nm has been observed while the peak due to the bulk direct electronic transitions results to be dramatically reduced. Since this last sample is characterized by 5 nm nanodots medium size (the smallest among the measured samples) this broad band in the photocurrent can be due to quantum confinement effect. On the other hand we have already reported for this sample a significant increase of the energy band gap to approximately to 1.8 eV from STM I-V measurements (5). This means that only for very small quantum dots an efficient electron-hole separation occurs thus generating a significant photocurrent in the visible range. This result is of particular relevance for photovoltaic nanodevices and quantum dot based lasers.

(1) S.Barazzouk, S. Hotchandani, K. Vinodgopal, P. V. Kamat, J. Phys. Chem. B 108, 17015 (2004).
(2) J.U. Lee, Appl. Phys. Lett. 87, 073101 (2005).
(3) D.M.Guldi, G.M.A.Rahman, M.Prato, N.J.Jux, S.Qin, W.Ford, Angew.Chem.Int.Ed.44, 2015 (2005).
(4) P.Castrucci, F. Tombolini, M. Scarselli, E. Speiser, S. Del Gobbo, W. Richter, M.Diociaiuti,
M. De Crescenzi, Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 253107 (2006).
(5) I.Berbezier, A. Karmous, A. Ronda, A. Sgarlata, A. Balzarotti, P. Castrucci, M. Scarselli,
M. De Crescenzi, Appl.Phys.Lett.89, 063122 (2006).

Prof. Svante Svensson

(Uppsala University, Sweden)

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Uppsala University

An overview of the activities at the HIKE facility at the KMC1 beamline at BESSY will be given. This facility gives possibility to perform electron spectroscopy studies at energies from 2-12 keV. The KMC1 beamline is based on a double crystal monochromator with possibilities to use Si(111) and Si(422) reflexes and the higher orders of these. At backscattering conditions the resolution is very high, notably in the higher orders.

The electron spectrometer is a high energy upgrade of the state of art R4000 spectrometer from Scienta AB.
In the seminar results from metallic multilayers, CIGS solar cells and from conducting polymer devices will be presented. For the first cases a depth profile down to 10-20 nm can be achieved. In the case of a porous polymer we show a depth profile up to 80 nm!It is my hope that we may have a fruitful discussion of the future use of these types of experiments crossing applied science and fundamental science as well as the line between physics and chemistry.

Prof. Rita Grandori

(Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca)

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UNIMIB

The possibility to preserve non-covalent interactions during mass spectrometric detection of macromolecules has opened exciting new perspectives in folding and binding studies. Although the forces that act on molecular structures in the gas phase are different from those in aqueous solutions, experiments and theory indicate that it is possible to detect native-like protein conformers and assemblies after ionization and desolvation by mass spectrometry. Results by nano-electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry (nano-ESI-MS) on these topics will be presented.
Reference proteins such as cytochrome c, myoglobin, ubiquitin and lysozyme have been used for the investigation of conformational effects in protein spectra.
Three other systems will be discussed as examples of non-covalent complexes: the hexameric arginine repressor (ArgR), the dimeric beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), and the tetrameric flavodoxin-like protein WrbA. The first one illustrates detection of complexes that are stabilized in solution exclusively by hydrophobic interactions. The second one describes the pH-dependent behavior of the protein in the pH range 2-11. The third one shows analysis of linked protein-protein and protein-ligand binding equilibria.

Dr. Simone Melchionna

(SOFT-INFM, Università degli studi di Roma La Sapienza)

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We present a computational method to model nano-sized systems, such as colloidal suspensions and DNA in solution. As compared to existing literature our model includes i) a new treatment of solid-fluid boundary conditions ii) effective potentials specific to gel-forming fluids iii) fluctuating hydrodynamics with stochastic forcing of the kinetic modes.
On the colloidal side, some preliminary results regarding deep quenching scenarios and gel-formation are presented. Regarding DNA, we expound a numerical study of DNA translocation across nanopores mimicking devices for automatic sequencing.

Dr. Leonardo Guidoni

(Universita’ di Roma La Sapienza)

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Università di Roma La Sapienza