SPECIALIZATION AND RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Low and high velocity impact response of composite materials for structural applications

• Carbon-based nanocomposites for electromagnetic shielding and strain sensing applications

• Fibre/matrix interfacial modification and assessment

• Use of plant fibres in biopolymers (biodegradable or from renewable resources) for designing biocomposites with reduced environmental impact

• Combination of natural fibres (mineral and vegetal) in hybrid composites for designing sustainable composites for semi-structural applications

• Valorization of agro-industrial wastes as fillers in thermoplastic matrices (micro- and nanoscale)

• Durability of composite materials based on thermoplastic and thermoset matrices

• Structural Health Monitoring of composite structures through Acoustic Emission

Most research activities benefit from national and international collaborations. Main collaborations are as follows:

• Prof. Hom Nath Dhakal, University of Portsmouth, UK

• Prof. Brian L. Wardle, MIT, Boston, USA

• Dr. Christina Scheffler, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Germany

• Prof. Hazizan Md. Akil, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

• Prof. Wesley Cantwell, Khalifa University, UAE

• Prof. Fabienne Touchard e Laurence Chocinski-Arnault, Institut Pprime, Poitiers, France

• Prof. Pierre-Jacques Liotier, École des Mines de Saint-Etienne, France

• Prof. Monica Francesca Pucci, IMT Mines Alès, France

• Prof. Enrique Barbero e Sonia Sánchez Sáez, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain

• Prof. Carlo Santulli e Dr. Simonetta Boria, Università di Camerino, Italy

• Prof. Debora Puglia, Università di Perugia, Italy

• Dr. Pietro Russo e Luigi Sorrentino, IPCB-CNR, Italy

• Prof. Stefano Sfarra, Università dell'Aquila, Italy

• Prof. Gianluca Cicala, Università degli Studi di Catania, Italy

• Prof. Vincenzo Fiore, Università di Palermo, Italy