Research activities

With the provision No. 31, February 28, 2014 the President of CNR decreed the creation of the Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials from the merging of the Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers and the Institute for Composite and Biomedical Materials. The constitution articles indicate that the new Institute refers to the Department of Chemical Sciences and Materials Technology and is headquartered in Pozzuoli.
The activities of the new Institute represent the confluence of the expertise of the merged institutions, with a vision projected on research developments at an European level:
1. Polymeric materials, composites and nanostructures with tailored structural and functional properties.
2. Multiphase polymeric materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
3. Processing technologies of synthetic and natural polymers, composites and nanostructures.
4. Synthesis and functional modification of polymers.
5. Structural characterization of natural macromolecules and development of innovative methods for the study of advanced materials.
6. Development of knowledge and technology transfer.
The Institute headquarter is in Pozzuoli, with branches (UOS) in Napoli/Portici, Catania, Pisa and Trento. Recently the decision to create a further UOS in Lecco has been approved. It is therefore clear that the new Institute locations were distributed on the whole Italian territory, configuring the new institute as a national reference for the research in science and technology of polymers, composites and biomaterials.
Currently the expertise of researchers belonging to the various branches of IPCB resulted in its participation in many research projects, funded by the European Community, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of University and Scientific Research, as well as by Regional administrations and several companies. An analysis of the thematic areas indicates a prevalence of projects for the sector of Advanced Materials and Enabling Technologies, at least in terms of number of projects.
Looking at the allocation of projects for each branch, in the area of Materials and Technologies for Health - Nanomedicine, the seat of Napoli-Portici is the most represented. This record originates from the intense activity carried out by the previous Institute of Composite and Biomedical Materials, especially by the research group led initially by the current President of CNR Prof. Luigi Nicolais and later by the current Head of Department, Ing. Luigi Ambrosio.
As for the distribution of funding in the area of advanced materials and enabling technologies, it is still the UOS of Naples-Portici that prevails, although to a smaller extent. This is a result of the long tradition of Napoli-Portici in research areas such as aerospace and automotive which strongly marked the lines of development of IMCB. Slightly higher is the presence of funding shared between the different branches.
A different situation is observed in the distribution of funding in the area of Green Chemistry. In this case the projects carried out by Pozzuoli and Catania equal that of Naples-Portici. Traditionally, ICTP always had a strong vocation for the research field of biodegradable and bio-based polymers and this prevalence remains even in the new institute. The participation of all branches to joint projects for these research lines is higher compared to the other two areas.