Alessandro Gregucci is a Ph.D. candidate in Materials, Sustainable Processes and Systems for the Energy Transition at the Department of Chemistry “Giacomo Ciamician”, University of Bologna, within the National Ph.D. Program supported by Ferrari in collaboration with the Politecnico di Torino (DISAT). His research activity is carried out mainly at the E-Cells Lab, LEME, and ENERCube laboratories. His expertise lies in advanced cell design and electrochemical characterization of Li-ion battery systems. He has developed significant experience on anode active materials—particularly silicon, the main focus of his work, and graphite—as well as on high-Ni NMC cathode materials. His competencies extend across electrode manufacturing processes, from slurry rheology to electrode formulation and fabrication, up to pouch-cell assembly. He is highly skilled in the application of electrochemical analysis techniques such as EIS and GITT, and in the interpretation of the resulting data. He is also proficient in scientific programming and data analysis using Python. He has presented his research at several national and international conferences, contributing with two oral communications and two poster presentations. He also contributed to a poster that was awarded the ACee – Gisel Young Poster Award. He spent a research period of 6 months at ZSW (Ulm, Germany).
Experiences & Education
PhD in Materials, Sustainable Processes and Systems for the Energy Transition - 38th Cycle,
Nov 2022 – TBD 2026
Polytechnic of Turin “DISAT” – University of Bologna “Department of Chemistry “Giacomo Ciamician””
Supervisor: Prof. Francesca Soavi, PhD Congcong Shang
PhD founded by Ferrari S.p.A. The objective of the PhD was the investigation and development of cell-design solutions tailored for high-performance electric vehicles. The doctoral work was structured into three main phases. In the first phase, the most critical cell parameters influencing battery performance were systematically studied, followed by an extensive electrochemical characterization (CV, GITT, EIS, etc.) of the materials commonly employed in Li-ion batteries. In the second phase, the research focused on the development of high-silicon-content anodes, with particular attention to the impact of electrode formulation and slurry rheology on the final electrochemical performance. During an abroad research period of 6 months at ZSW (Ulm), work was further extended to silicon-based anodes designed for low-temperature cell operation, achieving pouch-cell scale fabrication.
R&D Specilist, Medical Devices, Apr 2022 – Oct 2022
Biomed Device s.r.l., Modena (MO)
The activity focused on the development of medical devices within a quality-regulated environment. The role included the preparation and management of Design Control documentation—such as Design Inputs, Design Outputs, Design Reviews, and Design Transfer—while ensuring alignment with ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 requirements. I provided support to the Regulatory & Quality Manager in the drafting of the V&V Plan, V&V Matrix, Technical File, IFU, and technical data sheets. The position also involved regular interactions with suppliers for component evaluation, technical discussions, and coordination throughout the development process.
Master’s Degree in Chemical Sciences (LM-54), Oct 2019 – Feb 2022
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), “Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences”
Final mark: 110/110
Supervisor: Prof. Monica Caselli, Prof. Davide Vanossi
Thesis: Experimental and theoretical study of the electronic and spectroscopic properties of benzodithiophene derivatives
The derivatives of benzodithiophene are promising materials for the development of photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices, in particular they can be used as photosensitizers in organic solar cells and in photoelectrochemical cells for water splitting. The analysis was conducted using both stationary and time-resolved UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence emission spectroscopy. The theoretical-computational study was carried out using methodologies such as DFT and TDDFT (solvent effect included through the continuum theory). We obtained a good agreement between the experimental data and the calculated ones, furthermore it was possible to clarify the nature of the electronic transitions involved in the lower energy transitions.
Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry (L-27), Oct 2016 – Sept 2019
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), “Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences”
Final mark: 110/110
Supervisor: Prof. Francesco Faglioni
Thesis: Computational study of the electrochemical decomposition of PEO / LiPF6
Lithium-metal rechargeable batteries can weigh less than a fifth of lithium-ion batteries that are currently on the market with the same capacity; this makes them ideal for use in cars and airplanes. Unfortunately, the prototypes are still plagued by several problems. Many of these can be solved by using as electrolyte a salt dissolved into a polymer that allow the conduction of lithium ions. In order to extend their lifespan, it is important to understand which chemical reactions are responsible for their degradation. In this thesis the decomposition of a particular electrolyte, LiPF6 in PEO, has been studied with computational methods. From the calculations, we have been able to find a degradation mechanism that could explain the experimental observations reported in the literature for these batteries.
Publications
A. Gregucci, A. Staffolani, F. Soavi - ChemElectroChem (2025) “Influence of Surface Area Calculation Methods on the Interpretation of Lithium-ion Diffusion Coefficient in Graphite Electrodes” – Under Review
A. Gregucci, F. Maroni, A. Staffolani, F. Soavi, M. Marinaro - Journal of The Electrochemical Society (2025) “Evaluation of a Si/NMC811 full cell and its electrodes at Low-Temperatures” – Submitted
A. Staffolani, F. Mascetti, A. Trebbi, A. Gregucci, S. Mojthaedi F. Soavi, - ChemElectroChem (2025) “Sustainable and Direct Recovery of Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes from production scraps” – To be submitted
N. Albanelli, A. Gregucci, S. Mojtahedi, A. Staffolani, S. Ratso, E. Karu, S. Pohlmann, C. Arbizzani, F. Soavi Adv. Energy Sustainability Res. 2025, 2400217, DOI: 10.1002/aesr.202400217 - “Exploiting CO2‐Derived Carbon in Lithium‐Ion Batteries”
Conference Presentations
Oral Presentations
A. Gregucci, F. Maroni, A. Staffolani, F. Soavi, M. Marinaro “Evaluation of Silicon-Rich Anodes for Low Temperature Applications”
1st Joint Conference of “Gruppo Interdivisionale di Chimica per l’Accumulo e la Conversione Elettrochimica dell’Energia” – GISEL (ACee – GISEL), 21-23 July 2025 – Padova (PD), Italy
A. Gregucci, A. Staffolani, F. Soavi “Effect of Surface-Area Estimation Techniques on Measured Lithium-Ion Diffusivity in Graphite Electrodes”
GIORNATE DELL’ELETTROCHIMICA ITALIANA 2025 (GEI2025), 15-19 September 2025 – San Benedetto del Tronto (AP), Italy
Poster Presentations
A. Gregucci, A. Staffolani, V. Pennazzi, M. Rizzotti, C. Shang, F. Soavi “Influence of Surface Area Calculation Methods on the Interpretation of Lithium-ion Diffusion Coefficient in Graphite Electrodes”
37th Topical Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry, 9-12 June 2024 - Stresa, Italy
A. Gregucci, F. Maroni, A. Staffolani, F. Soavi, M. Marinaro “Investigation of Silicon-Rich Anodes Under Low-Temperature Conditions”
76th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry, 7-12 September 2025 – Mainz, Germany
Contributed Presentations
Staffolani, Antunes; Trebbi, Andrea; Ashir, Aishabibi; Mascetti, Federico; Giovannucci, Monica; Petri, Elisabetta; Samorì, Chiara; Rombolà, Gregucci, Alessandro; D’Agostino, Simone; Manyala, Ncholu; Soavi, Francesca. “Development of Sustainable Processes for LIBs Recycling”
International Symposium on Beyond Li-Ion Batteries 2024 - BeLI24, Padova, 1-6 September 2024.
Staffolani, Antunes; Trebbi, Andrea; Gregucci, Alessandro; Capodarca, Francesco; Soavi, Francesca. “Sustainable and Direct Recovery of Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes using a Green Solvent”.
75th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry, Montreal, Canada, 18-23 August 2024.
Contributed Posters
Staffolani, Antunes; Trebbi, Andrea; Ashir, Aishabibi; Mascetti, Federico; Giovannucci, Monica; Petri, Elisabetta; Samorì, Chiara; Rombolà, Gregucci, Alessandro; Giorgetti, Marco; Manyala, Ncholu; Soavi, Francesca. “Designing Sustainable Processes for Lithium-ion Battery Recycling”.
37th Topical Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry, 9-12 June 2024 - Stresa, Italy
Mascetti, Federico; Staffolani, Antunes; Trebbi, Andrea; Gregucci, Alessandro; Capodarca, Francesco; Soavi, Francesca. “Sustainable and Direct Recovery of Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes using a Green Solvent”.
1st Joint Conference of “Gruppo Interdivisionale di Chimica per l’Accumulo e la Conversione Elettrochimica dell’Energia” – GISEL (ACee – GISEL), 21-23 July 2025 – Padova (PD), Italy
Awarded with the “Acee – GISEL Young Poster Award”
Schools Participation
POLYSTORAGE - European Winterschool & Workshop on solid-state energy conversion & storage, Sestriere (TO), 19-24 March 2023
Educational Learning Modules on Li-ION batteries (ELMO-LION) – Online - 2023
Third Mission
Notte dei Ricercatori – Bologna (BO) – 2023 – 2025
Thesis Co-supervision:
Lorenzo Vagnoni – “Ottimizzazione di un sistema trifasico di binder per anodi al silicio” - (CHIM/03 Inorganic chemistry) – “Chemistry and Materials Chemistry” (L-27) – University of Bologna
Supervisor: Prof. Antunes Staffolani
Tutoring Activities
University of Bologna – Electrochemical energy storage and conversion, 2022-2025
Electric vehicle engineering (LM 28), Electrical energy engineering (LM 28), Advanced automotive engineering (LM 33)
Type: Laboratory & Exam commission
