The Nanostructured Magnetic Materials Laboratory (nM2-Lab) is a dynamic research unit combining expertise from the Institute of Structure of Matter – ISM – (Roma) of the Italian National Research Council and the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry – DCCI – of the University of Genova. With a multidisciplinary team of around 20 members (as of 2025) — including researchers, technicians, postdoctoral fellows, PhD candidates, and master's students — the lab drives cutting-edge advancements in the field of magnetic materials.
The nM2-Lab was established in 2018 as an evolution of the Nano-Magnetism Laboratory, founded by D. Fiorani in the late 1980s gaining a strong international reputation over the years on the investigation of fundamental aspects of magnetism in nanoparticles and thin film systems. Today, nM2-Lab is led by Prof. Davide Peddis and Dr. Gaspare Varvaro, with a focus on designing and investigating functional materials engineered at the nano- and microscale. These include single-phase magnetic materials, magnetic composites, and hybrid/multifunctional systems in various forms—nanoparticles, thin films, nano-patterned structures, fluids, and bulk materials—supporting both fundamental studies and applications across diverse fields, such as energy/environment, sensory/mechatronics and biomedicine, with a recent attention devoted to responsible and sustainable materials, processes and devices. Additionally, the lab explores natural and synthetic materials for research in the field of cultural heritage.
The research activity at nM2-Lab spreads over four cross-linked research lines:
Advanced materials and processes for sustainable bulk magnets
Members of the nM2-Lab are also involved in teaching and dissemination/outreach activities by training of high-school, master and PhD students, and the organization of scientific events targeting to large public and research professionals in the area of magnetism and material science.
ACTIVITY REPORTS
