Fisica del DIsordine nei Sistemi Condensati e Applicazioni

Line 1. Experimental study of mechanical properties of solid materials, including glasses and polymers and segmental dynamics in polymeric systems This research activity is centered on the experimental analysis, theoretical understanding and predictive modeling of the mechanical response of glassy and polymeric materials as a function of their microstructure, with particular interest in the physics of deformations, and the temperature dependence of structural relaxation times (fragility) as a function of the composition (glasses), the length of the constituent polymer chains and their segmental mobility (polymers). Line 2. Experimental study of low energy vibrational dynamics and thermal properties at low temperatures in disordered glasses and solids. The aim is to link the atomic and molecular vibrational dynamics of disordered systems to macroscopic mechanical and thermal behavior. Current projects are focused on the description of phononic, vibrational and thermal properties in amorphous materials with a degree of disorder controlled by compositional changes or densification processes (annealing at high temperatures and / or application of high pressures). Line 3. Experimental study of the dynamic and microreological properties of “smart systems”. The aim of this research is the understanding of the basic mechanisms of the diffusion processes of polysaccharide hydrogels and the "self assembling" polymeric systems which (thanks to their high degree of biocompatibility, combined with a particular sensitivity to variations in physical and chemical quantities such as temperature, pH and ionic strength) lend themselves effectively to their use in the field of biomaterials. The use of experimental methods such as dynamic light scattering and diffusive correlation spectroscopy allows not only a microstructural characterization of the systems considered but also the monitoring of phase changes and the gelation of materials. In particular, microreology makes it possible to probe the heterogeneities in the structures and mechanics that may be at the basis of non-linear behavior of materials. Line 4. Detection and Identification of microplastics in fish species and marine waters. Microplastics are the major problem linked to contamination by synthetic polymers present in the sea. These microparticles have the ability to enter and bioaccumulate in the food chain, which makes them highly toxic for organisms and humans, potentially causing chronic effects such as genetic mutations, endocrine dysfunctions and possible carcinogenesis.The aim of the interdisciplinary research is the characterization of the microplastics and microfibers identified in demersal fish species in the Central Mediterranean area, in order to identify their composition to distinguish plastic fibers from non-plastic ones. The use of specific analytical techniques is an essential tool for acquiring a view of the level of pollution from microplastics The studies described in Lines 1, 2, 3 and 4 are carried out with calorimetry and thermal conductivity techniques at low temperatures, DSC techniques, ultrasonic spectroscopy, Raman and infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light diffusion, rheometric and microreometric techniques, elastic diffusion techniques and inelastic of neutrons at international facilities. The research is conducted with a large national and international cooperation and is supported by the Cryogenics Center of the University of Messina (https://www.unime.it/it/centri/criogenia) Activities and products of Lines 1, 2, 3 and 4: publications, conference communications, graduate and doctoral theses, seminars, research projects, experiments at international facilities, laboratories for upper secondary schools, organization of conferences.