Some research activities currently in progress concern:
- Synthesis of new polymers and copolymers from renewable sources, starting from molecules extracted or produced from biomass, such as 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, and their characterization
- Development of new multifunctional materials, for example with antibacterial properties, obtained by reactive or physical blending
- Preparation and characterization of new bio-composites with vegetable fibers; study of the improvement of adhesion between fiber and matrix; correlations with final properties
- Study of the crystallization process as well as thermal, structural and morphological characterization of polymers and polymeric composites
- Use of Diels-Alder reactions in order to obtain new sustainable monomers and polymers
- Synthesis of polycondensates characterized by very high gas barrier properties for food packaging applications
- Study of the end of life of commercial polymers having a huge environmental impact: recycling and upcycling, mainly considering the sustainability of the entire process.
More recently, due to the participation in the European projects Horizon 2020 NoAW and Prolific, the research activities have been addressed to the valorization of biomass, in particular of agro-industrial waste, from which can be extracted molecules suitable for use as additives, fillers in polymeric formulations, and as monomers for the synthesis of new biopolymers, according to the principles of the circular economy.
