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09/09/2025 - A recent study, carried out in collaboration between CNR, the Universities of Brescia and South-Ukrainian, and Sapienza University of Rome (Departments of Physics and SBAI), introduces a novel strategy to control the kinetics of redox reactions on WO3 surfaces by exploiting structural polymorphism, without relying on conventional doping or composite-based approaches. We synthesized monoclinic/orthorhombic WO3 polymorphic nanomaterials through a controlled precipitation process. Experimental characterization, supported by theoretical modeling, revealed that the solvent composition plays a key role in determining both the morphology and the phase evolution of WO3. The addition of PEG as a surfactant enhance structural disorder, suppress hydrate formation, and modify the oxide lattice. These structural changes enable the development of monoclinic/orthorhombic n–n junctions within the WO3 nanostructure, thereby improving the gas sensor’s sensitivity. Given the novelty and potential impact of this research, the findings have been published in the prestigious Journal of Material Chemistry A.
link: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2025/ta/d5ta04439a
14/07/2025 - Through a collaborative effort led by Prof. Stefano Lupi and Dr. Salvatore Macis from the Department of Physics at Sapienza University and teams from the Minnesota University and other institutions, the optical properties of PdCoO2 and PdCrO2 have been investigated. These delafossites exhibit a unique feature, a dual optical hyperbolicity, a phenomenon where two distinct spectral regions support hyperbolic behavior in their dielectric response. Specifically, both materials display a narrow Drude–Lorentz hyperbolic regime in the mid-infrared and an exceptionally broad Drude–Drude hyperbolic region that extends from the infrared into the visible. The optical measurements reveal record values of hyperbolic quality factors and dielectric anisotropy. Such characteristics enable efficient propagation of hyperbolic phonon and plasmon polaritons. Given the novelty and potential impact of this research, the findings have been published in the prestigious journal Advanced Functional Materials.
This publication was supported by the European Union under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) of Next Generation EU partnership PE0000023-NQSTI, and MUR PRIN project PHOtonics Terahertz devices based on tOpological materials (PHOTO) 2020RPEPNH. All work at the University of Minnesota (crystal growth and characterization) was supported by the US Department of Energy through the University of Minnesota (UMN) Center for Quantum Materials under DE-SC0016371. Parts of this work were conducted in the UMN Characterization Facility, which is partially supported by the US National Science Foundation through the MRSEC program under DMR-2011401. The authors acknowledge support through the PRIN 2022 MUR Project No. 20223T577Z.
link: https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adfm.202512820
04/07/2025 - SapienzaTerahertz at EBSA Annual Meeting in Rome 30 June - 04 July, 2025.
Dr. T. Mancini has discussed the experimental results obtained in the framework of her PhD mobility project in collaboration with University of Graz (Austria). Data concern the development of a new and ultrasensitive optical infrared biosensor for monitoring airborne pathogens. The work received the Best Poster Award at EBSA 2025 with a poster entitled "Optical sensing and structural investigation of mutants SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins via infrared spectroscopy coupled with MOF-based sensor platform ".
07/05/2025 - Minerva Prize is awarded annually by the Roma Sapienza Foundation, in agreement with Sapienza University of Rome, to PhD students and PhD graduates whose scientific activities significantly contribute to the advancement of research in their respective fields, for each macroarea.
Dr. Tiziana Mancini, PhD in Physics (37th cycle) and research fellow at SapienzaTerahertz Laboratories, was awarded Minerva Prize for Scientific Research, V Edition (May 7, 2025), in Macroarea A, in the PhD student category. Dr. Mancini received the award for her interdisciplinary and highly technological research and results in the field of IR spectroscopy applied to the development of new, and highly sensitive sensor systems for the detection and automatic discrimination/recognition of chemical and viral contaminants.
link: https://www.phys.uniroma1.it/it/minerva-prize-scientific-research-awarded-tiziana-mancini
30/04/2025 - Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is a significant public health and workplace safety issue. While several gold-standard analytical techniques exist for VOC detection, most of them work ex-situ and often lack sufficient sensitivity and molecular chemical specificity.
Recently we developed an ultrasensitive approach for detecting and analyzing toxic VOCs in workplaces by combining Infrared (IR) spectroscopy with Machine Learning (ML) models. Focusing on six aromatic VOCs, we produce a fully comprehensive gas-phase IR spectral database further introducing, for the first time, universal IR calibration curves. Through these, ML-based system enables automatic, real-time detection of VOCs at concentrations below 1 ppm, supporting long-term exposure monitoring, and identifying multiple gases simultaneously present in atmosphere. This research was carried out by the SapienzaTerahertz group in collaboration with INFN, INAIL, and University of Roma Tre, and published on Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering.
15/01/2025 - Dr. Annalisa D'Arco successfully defended her PhD thesis in Physics entitled "Optical Applications of Terahertz/Infrared Spectroscopy for the Detection of Biomolecules". The entire work was highly evaluated by the examination committee, with a final grade of Excellent with Honors. This is Dr. D'Arco's second PhD in her carrier. We extend our warmest congratulations to her.
13/11/2024 - A delegation from the Physics Class of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recently embarked on a journey through some of most significant scientific institutions in Rome. The delegation visited the Dept. of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome and on November 13th, for a tour of the scientific cutting-edge laboratories, including SapienzaTerahertz Laboartories.
They were welcomed in Sapienza Terahertz laboratories by Prof. Lupi and our young scientific team . During the delegation's visit, Prof. Lupi highlighted the main research areas of SapienzaTerahertz in the field of THz/IR spectroscopy and photonics, such as THz and optical spectroscopy and photonics of quantum matter, and innovativeTHz/IR-based diagnostic methods for pathogen detection.
16-18/09/2024 - In the framework of NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme, SapienzaTerahertz Labs is pleased to announce the organization of an international Advanced Research Workshop on 16-18 September 2024 at University of Rome La Sapienza (Rome), Italy.
This advance research workshop "Multi-Messenger Monitoring for occupational health & safety" is organized in the framework of a SPS Multi-Year Project supported by NATO Science for Peace and Security programme seeing a collaboration between Sapienza University of Rome (Italy) and Graz University of Technology (Austria) for joining forces to strengthen health and safety in workplaces.
The aim of research workshop "Multi-Messenger Monitoring for occupational health & safety" is to promote new research and international scientific collaborations in the field of monitoring pathogens, VOCs and other chemical/organic hazards by innovative techniques, and provides a forum for scientists, industry practitioners, and involved institutions to discuss the state of the art and a possible roadmap of the sensing in the monitoring for occupational health & safety.
13/09/2024 - SapienzaTerahertz at EOSAM 2024 Annual Meeting in Naples 9-13 Septembr 2024.
Dr. R. Mosetti presented our results, obtained as consequence of PhD mobility (Dr. T. Mancini) concerning the development of a new and ultrasensitive optical Infrared biosensing for monitoring of airborne pathogens, receiving the Best Poster award at EOSAM 2024 with poster entitled "Optical Infrared biosensig for ultrasenstive monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants".
12/07/2024 - The knowledge of the secondary structural characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 S protein and their components is of primary importance to understand the mechanisms occurring in the viral process and to address specific actions aimed at developing prevention actions. In a collaborative framework coordinated by SapienzaTerahertz group, SARS-CoV-2 Viral Protein domains, from Receptor Binding Domain to Spike Protein, are investigated through infrared vibrational spectroscopy. Experimental data in combination with MultiFOLD predictions, Define Secondary Structure of Proteins (DSSP) web server and Gravy value calculations, provide a comprehensive understanding of RBD, S1, S2, and S proteins in terms of their secondary structure content, conformational order, and interaction with the solvent. The results are published on Advanced Science .
All these results allow us to clarify the role of each S component and their contribution to the whole S protein conformational order and interaction, contributing to shed light on their properties and functionalities. Moreover, those results are of primary importance for addressing specific actions aimed at the development of specific drugs and diagnostic tools, such as the design of optical-based biosensors.
28/06/2024 - SapienzaTerahertz at Rome Technopole Spoke 6 - International Young Researcher Workshop! This workshop was held at Sapienza University of Rome to share some of the cutting-edge research projects in the Spoke 6 framework.
Dr. A. D'Arco discussed the "FT-IR spectroscopy coupled with Machine Learning for highly sensitive detection and discrimination of gaseous Volatile Organic Compounds". This activity aims to the development of a new, and highly sensitive sensor system for VOCs monitoring based on ultrasensitive multi-messenger spectroscopy.
Dr. T. Mancini and R. Mosetti presented our results concerning the study of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Protein domains through IR spectroscoy and preliminary steps towards a IR optical biosensor for the monitoring of airborne pathogens in the poster session.
20/06/2024 - SapienzaTerahertz at XXVII Congresso Nazionale SIBPA 2024 Società Italiana di Biofisica Pura e Applicata 16-20 June 2024.
Dr. T. Mancini presented our results concerning the development of a new, and highly sensitive gas sensor system based on ultrasensitive multi-messenger spectroscopy for the detection and automatic discrimination/recognition of gaseous Volatile Organic Compounds, receiving the Best Poster award at XXVII Congresso Nazionale 2024 Società Italiana di Biofisica Pura e Applicata
10/06/2024- Through the scientific synergy between the teams led by Stefano Lupi from the Dept. of Physics at Sapienza University of Rome and Alessandro Molle from CNR-IMM Agrate Brianza, the generation of unconventional electronic dynamics on a new type of exotic material known as PtTe2, platinum ditelluride, has been investigated. This material is a three-dimensional Dirac semimetal with an electronic structure similar to graphene, i.e., a conductive system in which electrons show a linear energy/momentum dispersion due to their non-trivial electronic band topology. The class of materials to which PtTe2 belongs has enormous potential for photonic applications, especially in the infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) spectral regions. The exploitation of these intrinsic properties was the focus of the work conducted by the two teams: first, platinum ditelluride was "grown" as a thin film on a substrate using chemical vapor deposition methods, a technologically essential step to integrate the material into optoelectronic and photonic devices; second, the material's growth was engineered to have a "plasmonic pattern" a sequence of linear micrometric stripes designed to trigger plasmonic resonance when illuminated by THz and IR radiation. This pioneering observation is the basis for developing terahertz and infrared detectors and modulators whose efficiency will be highly increased due to the non-conventional electron topology of platinum ditelluride, Given the impact and originality of this work, which has been operationally conducted by Salvatore Macis (DepT of Physics at the University of Rome Sapienza) and Christian Martella (CNR-IMM, Agrate Brianza) the results have been recently published on Advanced Materials.
This publication has been supported by the European Union under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) of Next Generation EU partnership PE0000023-NQSTI, and “Telecommunications of the Future” (PE00000001 - program “RESTART”, Structural Project DREAMS) and MUR PRIN project PHOtonics Terahertz devices based on tOpological materials (PHOTO) 2020RPEPNH.
07/12/2023 - SNOM "Sapienza Nano Optical fabrication and spectroMicroscopy" project wins the public call Open Infrastructures for Research 2022 by Regione Lazio, aimed at creating an infrastructure for increasing the competitiveness of the regional research and innovation system. The aim of SNOM is the foundation of an open infrastructure for research in the field of characterization and fabrication of innovative materials and devices, through microspectroscopic techniques able to perform imaging and spectroscopy at the nanoscale.
The overall cost of the project is about € 3.4 Mln. Regione Lazio co-finances the project with an amount of approximately € 2.2 Mln. The grant will be devoted to upgrading of laboratories, instruments and equipment, and updating of technological systems and plants.
Info at: https://www.lazioinnova.it/bandi/infrastrutture-aperte-per-la-ricerca-2022/
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