Ricerc@Sapienza

Electrochemical techniques for archeometry - application of electrochemical techniques to the study of artistic materials (in particular, pigments, metals and their corrosion products) exploiting the reduced invasiveness of microparticle voltammetry (VMP) which allows to analyze the constituents and products degradation by sampling only a few micrograms and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) which allows the non-invasive characterization of the surface of the artefact under examination; in this context, an electrochemical cell based on polymeric gel was developed and validated to perform electrochemical impedance analyzes on archaeological metals.

Study of degradation and innovative cleaning treatments - assessment of the impact of atmospheric pollution and weather conditions on limestone, copper and bronze and the risk of corrosion of cultural heritage materials; study and applications of innovative cleaning treatments based on soft matters: microemulsions and hydrogels containing phytochemical compounds.

Monitoring of pollutants in drinking water - speciation of Thallium (I)/(III) stratified along the internal surface of contaminated water pipes through the development and optimization of a sequential extraction procedure; development of an advanced analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 21 cyanotoxins (including Microcystins, Cyanopeptolins, Anabaenopeptins and Microginins) in drinking water based on Ultra Performance liquid chromatography coupled with a Q-TOF mass spectrometer.

Bioelectrochemistry, basic studies and applications - study of the properties of direct and mediated electronic transfer of redox proteins and bioelectrochemical characterization of enzymes in relation to the methods of immobilization (physical and / or chemical) and the nanostructuring of the electrochemical interface used. The main developments concerned the construction of (i) second and third generation electrochemical biosensors for environmental and food analyzes, (ii) prototypes of enzymatic biofuel cells for energy production and the construction of self-powered biosensors.

Functionalized and nanostructured electrode surfaces - realization and application of modified electrodes by (i) use of ferrocene as an electrochemical mediator suitably linked to molecular buildings suitable for the modification of electrode surfaces such as metallodendrimers or self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) mixed with ferrocene and cyclodextrin; (ii) electropolymerized mesoporous conductive polymers; (iii) DNA strands decorated with a redox probe for the determination of heavy metal ions; (iv) noble metal nanoparticles and nanostructures electrodeposited or synthesized using eco-friendly methods and materials.

Innovative enzyme immobilization techniques - study of innovative protein immobilization procedures based (i) on polymeric gels with reactive functional groups capable of increasing the stability of the immobilization while preserving the hydrophilic environment and the native structure of the enzyme, ( ii) on the "reactive soft landing" with which the deposition at low kinetic energies of specific ions on solid surfaces was obtained, through the use of an appropriately modified mass spectrometer, (iii) on composite nanomaterials capable of ensuring immobilization which preserves the native structure of the protein while favoring an efficient electron transfer with the electrode surface for the realization of transducers for second and third generation amperometric biosensors.