Featured researches
UNDERSTANDING HOW CARNIVOROUS PLANTS CATCH PREY HELPS DEVELOP NEW MATERIALS
An international team of researchers, coordinated by the University of Milan and with the collaboration of the ICMATE Institute, studied how the leaf of the carnivorous plant Drosera Capensis is able to bend when it is stimulated, for example, with a drop of milk. The interdisciplinary approach has combined biophysical studies with structural microscopy of the leaf, quantitative analysis of factors such as auxin involved in cell growth and computer simulations that allowed the creation of a metamaterial that encompasses all biological properties observed in the plant. This study, in addition to allowing the creation of a new metamaterial, led to the understanding of the mechanism used by the leaf to bend over the prey, correlating it to the structural properties of the cells that make up the leaf itself.
News & Events
Marco Musiani appointed Honorary Member of the International Society of Electrochemistry
Marco Musiani, research director at ICMATE CNR Padova, has been appointed Honorary Member of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) by the Executive Committee of the Society, which has approved a proposal of the seven ISE Presidents in charge from 2005 to 2018. ISE Honorary Members are appointed primarily in recognition of their contribution to the Society. The ISE By-Laws limit to ten their maximum number, at any time.
KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION
Editor’s choice in Journal of Cultural Heritage, Volume 35C, 2019
The definition of the authenticity of artworks has undergone a slow process of development: with time, connoisseurship — the traditional practice of attributing detailed artistic identities to works of art on the basis of a comparative analysis of stylistic and formal components — has lost its position of technical leadership. In fact, currently, trust in the expert eye is increasingly subjected to the “objective” outcomes ensured by new and more rigorous techniques of scientific analysis of materials. However, this approach risks being somewhat reductive and incomplete.
THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS
Nowadays, more than 90% of hydrogen production comes from fossil fuels, as estimated by the US Department of Energy (DOE). Therefore, the systems of purification of hydrogen from by-products such as CH4, H2O, CO and CO2 represent a crucial step of the entire manufacturing process.
Applications of functional materials in technologies and methods for neurorehabilitation and neuroscience
Neurorehabilitation can be looked at as a strategic research field because of its tight interconnections with topics of great economic and social relevance, such as healthy and active ageing, wellbeing and the social inclusion of people with disabilities.
The introduction of innovative materials and technologies in this field is leading to a better and more sustainable management of care
Particles at liquid interfaces and micro / nanostructured materials
The activity is focused on the interfacial properties of complex systems in presence of surfactants and solid micro-nanoparticles.
