Technologies

NANOINCICLO is a technology based on the use of nanostructured cyclodextrins (CDs) for the targeted delivery of drugs such as anticancer drugs, photodynamic drugs, anti-inflammatories, antivirals, antibacterials, nutraceuticals and metals with therapeutic and diagnostic properties. Successful CDs for the proposed technology are FDA-approved or in advanced pre-clinical investigational stage and include natural and functionalized, polymeric, and amphiphilic monomeric CDs.

Combinations of several enzymes in a production chain are preferred to “first generation” enzymatic processes (where the "single reaction - single enzyme" principle was followed), for the synthesis of compounds with high added value starting from simple and cheap substrates. An important requirement for obtaining control in "cascade enzymatic reactions" is the ability to deliver from one biocatalyst to the next one the various intermediates, limiting as much as possible the diffusion of the latter in the solvent.

The metasurface optomechanical modulator is a device designed to modulate the amplitude, phase and polarization of a beam of electromagnetic radiation, independently, or simultaneously, according to prescribed paths in the parameter space (for example, as regards polarization, paths on the Poincaré sphere). The concept of our device can be applied to the entire spectrum of electromagnetic waves: from radio frequency, to microwaves (GHz), to millimeter waves (THz), to far and near infrared radiation, and to visible light.

The environment as well as the food production provide a number of both natural and synthetic compounds whose effects on human being as an organism have not yet been determined nor investigated.

The instrument which is under development is a non-conventional portable Raman spectrometer. Raman spectrometers provide the molecular composition of the material surfaces, essential for their identification. The instrument peculiarity relies in the simultaneous acquisition of Raman spectra at imaged position and at different micrometric distances (offset) from the laser illumination area.

We developed an hybrid organic-inorganic composite consisting of a 2D perovskite and a copolymer. At room temperature the composite is highly transparent in the visible region with transmittance > 90%. At higher temperatures, the movement of the polymer chains releases the precursors, allowing the perovskite formation, which results in a colored film. The color changes according to the ‘n’ value of the PVK. PVK with n=1 starts coloring at 70°C, achieving a ∆T_max = 91.5% at 510 nm.

The invention is a synthetic method to prepare colloidal nanomaterials of V-VI-VII semiconductors that do not contain toxic elements. This is the first method for the synthesis of mixed anion nanomaterials without toxic elements at large, which permitted to obtain, among others, bismuth chalcohalide nanocrystals that are arguably considered as one of main candidates to be the next big thing for light energy conversion.

The software is based on mathematical models able of simulating the time evolution of the different stages of a pest population starting from environmental data collected from weather stations located in an area of interest and information regarding the development stage of the host plant. The models are of two types: phenological, which provides information on the stages population as a function of time and demographic which also allows to know the abundance of each population stage.

Spark anemometry based on the analysis of an electrical discharge can be implemented in the automotive sector through measurements of the secondary circuit voltage. Actual applicability of this method is quite limited, given that it requires additional hardware that is not compatible with space requirements specific for production engines (e.g. fueled with gasoline, LPG or methane); furthermore, applying high voltage measurements is complex and entails increased cost.

The proposed technology is about the development of an innovative sunscreen obtained from cod fish bones, according to the principles of the circular economy. The sunscreen is a reddish powder, which is constituted of hydroxyapatite (a calcium phosphate main component of human bones) modified with iron. It is prepared with a simple and easily scalable process (treatment of the bones in Fe solution and successively at T = 700 oC) and could be adapted for bones of other fishes. 

Grape pomace, a by-product of wine-making, is rich in polyphenols, metals, organic acids and can become a functional ingredient in food and beverage. The stabilisation of the pomace has been optimised to preserve the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of the molecules present. Isolated grape skins have been reused in purity or in blends with other plant components as a base for: 1) herbal teas, 2) ready-to-drink functional beverages, 3) freeze-dried products.

Electrochromism is an optoelectronic characteristic of particular interest because it can be exploited in the creation of technologies such as smart windows (Smart Windows) to promote energy efficiency, automotive, sensor or visualization devices. Electrochromic materials change their optoelectronic characteristics, showing different colors depending on the applied electric field.

The invention concerns an apparatus for measuring the three-dimensional (3-D) sea surface elevation from moving and floating platforms. In particular, the invention consists of two or more synchronized digital video-cameras that frame, from distinct and remote points of view, a common portion of the sea surface. A triangulation process makes it possible to obtain a three-dimensional reconstruction of the sea surface from these images. The invention is particularly suitable for measuring sea waves.

EXPO is a software for the determination of the atomic structure of various materials (organic, metallorganic, inorganic), available in the form of microcrystalline powders, in order to derive the structure-property relationships. EXPO requires the molecular formula of the material, the experimental X-ray diffraction data and, in some cases, the expected molecular geometry.

QUALX is a software for qualitative and semi-quantitative phase analysis of materials (organic, metallorganic, inorganic), available in the form of microcrystalline powders. It uses a database distributed together with the software. QUALX identifies the crystalline chemical phase, one or more of than one, present in a material and determines approximately the weight percentages of each phase present in a mixture.