Center for Materials Interfaces

The center is an interdisciplinary R&D center dedicated to the investigation, development, characterization, and exploitation of materials at the nanoscale, with particular attention to the biomedical and technological sectors, and with a special focus on interface effects. The center is highly multidisciplinary, and materials science, physics, chemistry, life science and engineering merge to find how innovative materials and interfacial processes can be developed and exploited for specific applications. The activities are organized into three main research areas: (i) Bio-Interfaces, focused on the development and exploitation of physically-active nanoparticles and nanostructured materials, able to provide appropriate instructive cues to cells and tissues. Smart nanomaterials are investigated as both intracellular "nanotransducers" and as innovative platforms for theranostics. (ii) Functional Material Interfaces, investigating materials science and technologies to create smart and/or bio-inspired surfaces and interfaces, with advanced functionalities for a broad range of applications. Two approaches are considered: creation of functional surface via micro-nano-structuring of polymeric active materials, and exploitation of ultra-thin conformable functional systems to be coupled with arbitrary surfaces; Functionalization of biological surfaces and related interfaces are also matter of study. (iii) Structures and Interface Characterization, investigating the structure of nanocrystalline materials (inorganic, organic, and of biological origin) with 3D electron diffraction.