• REFERENTS:
  FRANCESCA RAVERA
  

• UNITS:
  GENOA

• OTHER PARTICIPANTS:
  EVA SANTINI, LIBERO LIGGIERI, MICHELE FERRARI

• Dynamic properties and dilational rheology (interfacial tension, viscoelasticity) of mixed interfacial layers and liquid films.
• Relationship between the properties of a single interface and the characteristics of the relative dispersed systems: coalescence of drops and bubbles and destabilization of emulsions and foams in presence of nanoparticles.
• Formulation and characterization of biocompatible / biodegradable emulsions and foams.
• Foams stabilized by nanoparticles and applications to the formulation and design of porous materials with controlled morphology (solid foams at ceramic or carbonaceous matrix).
• Interactions of solid nanoparticles with adsorption interfacial layers or insoluble monolayers and effect on their rheological and thermodynamic properties.
• Mechanical, thermodynamic and structural characterization of mixed interfacial layers at liquid interfaces by using tensiometric techniques (drop / bubble tensiometers, Langmuir balance) and surface diagnostics (BAM, ellipsometry and AFM).
• Experimental methods to assess the impact of solid micro-nanoparticles on the mechanical and structural properties of model interfacial layers for biological systems (pulmonary surfactant, cell membranes) and conditions for the capture and interface crossing.

The above reported research can find application in the following fields:

• Emulsions and foams for industrial applications (ex. oil industry, foods, cosmetics & healthcare, separation technologies, printing)
• Porous materials at high specific area for functional applications, such as gas adsorption (ex. CO2 capture), catalysis, thermal/acoustical insulation, electromagnetic screaming.
• Self-assembling of surfactants and nanoparticles to liquid surfaces: templating of microcapsules on the surface of liquid drops, stimuli-responsive nanocapsules, two-dimensional nanostructured membranes.
• Production of micro-nanocapsules and two-dimensional membranes for the medical and pharmaceutical field (drug delivery).
• Nanotoxicology and risk assessment in vitro.