Industrial and Materials Engineer (Esame di STATO per l’abilitazione alla Professione di Ingegnere Industriale e dei Materiali, Sezione A (set 2021)
Contact mail –
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovanna-molinari-1a3884196/?originalSubdomain=it
Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Giovanna-Molinari-2
Ciclo: XXXVI
Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering
Curriculum: Chemical and Materials Engineering
Title of the PhD Project:
Supervisor(s): Dr. Mauro GEMMI, Prof. Andrea LAZZERI and Dr. Maria Cristina RIGHETTI
In collaboration with: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Abstract of the PhD project:
The PhD research activity is aimed at understanding how the structural and morphological characteristics of biopolymers shape and/or influence their intrinsic macroscopic properties. This is with a view to gaining relevant information that could be used to optimize various parameters, such as relative performance, industrial processing, and future development. In addition to the well-known polymer characterization techniques, the research is also carried out through new investigation methodologies. Among these, the most innovative one is performed with the electron pair distribution function (ePDF) technique, which allows to get structural information on the semi-crystalline state from electron diffraction data collected over areas of a few ten of nanometres. Moreover, the characterization of crystalline polymeric phase is carried out by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) which a global view of the crystallinity of the samples and allows to estimate the amorphous vs. crystalline ratio. These data are supported by the morphological investigation through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging. Furthermore, temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) is jointly employed to get macroscopical thermal insights directly related to micro- and nano-structural data. By using a linear temperature scan superimposed on a low-frequency sinusoidal perturbation (0.001 and 0.1 Hertz), TMDSC has significant advantages related to signal resolution and increased sensitivity, as well as the possibility of detecting overlapping phenomena, specifics of biopolymers. These results are essential for the resolution of the intrinsic polymer structure, with particular emphasis on the different amorphous (RAF and MAF) and crystalline (CRY) phases. Finally, an appropriate tuning of the industrial processing as well as the related processed samples engineering characterizations generally provide information on many aspects of the mechanical behaviours exhibited by the material. All together, these data would enable the development of new analytical theoretical models to be used to predict typical features and behaviours with the aim of improving their relative use and production.
Teaching experience:
- Cultore della Materia Insegnamento ‘‘Tecnologia dei Materiali e Chimica Applicata’’ – ING-IND/22, CdS: 467II, Università di Pisa (A.A. 2021-2022, A.A.2022-2023, A.A.2023-2024).
- Fondo Giovani 2023/2024 per l’incentivazione delle attività di tutorato, didattiche-integrative, propedeutiche e di recupero, Codice: DICI 83, Insegnamento: LABORATORY OF MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION, CdL: LM. Materials and Nanothecnology (10h).
- Fondo Giovani 2023/2024 per l’incentivazione delle attività di tutorato, didattiche-integrative, propedeutiche e di recupero, Codice: DESTEC- 5, Insegnamento: TECNOLOGIA DEI MATERIALI E CHIMICA APPLICATA, CdL: LT. Ingegneria Edile-Architettura (10h).
Publications
- Molinari, G., Gigante, V., Fiori, S., Aliotta, L. & Lazzeri, A. Dispersion of Micro Fibrillated Cellulose (MFC) in Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) from Lab-Scale to Semi-Industrial Processing Using Biobased Plasticizers as Dispersing Aids. Chem. 3, 896–915 (2021).
- Mallegni, N. et al. Sensing Devices for Detecting and Processing Acoustic Signals in Healthcare. Biosensors 12, 1–44 (2022).
- Aliotta, L., Gigante, V., Molinari, G., D’Ambrosio, R., Botta, L., La Mantia, F.P., & Lazzeri, A. Effect of biobased plasticizers, used as dispersing aids, on mechanical, rheological and thermal properties of micro fibrillated cellulose (MFC)/poly (lactic acid) (PLA) biocomposites over the time: how MFC controls the plasticizer migration? Cellulose. 30(7) (2022).
- Molinari, G., Parlanti, P., Aliotta, L., Lazzeri, A. & Gemmi, M. TEM Morphological Analysis of Biopolymers: The case of Poly (Lactic Acid) (PLA). Mater. Today Commun. 107868 (2023) doi:10.1016/j.mtcomm.2023.107868.
- Molinari, G., Aliotta, L., Gemmi, M., Lazzeri, A. & Righetti, M. C. Constrained amorphous interphase in plasticized poly(lactic acid): Composition and tensile elastic modulus estimation. Polym. Test. 131, 108325 (2024).
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6142-9922
Conferences
- ePDF Workshop Bestätigung – Uulm University – September 8th-9th, 2021 (Workshop).
- IIT-SSSA DAYs – Polo Sant’ Anna Valdera - May 16th-17th, 2022 (Poster Session).
- “Ultramicrotomy: The Cutting Edge of Sectioning” - Leica Microsystems – September 29th, 2022 (Seminar).
- Giovanna Molinari, Mauro Gemmi, Maria Cristina Righetti, Paola Parlanti, Vito Gigante, Laura Aliotta and Andrea Lazzeri: “MICRO AND NANOSTRUCTURE OF POLY (LACTIC ACID) WITH THERMAL, MECHANICAL, TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY AND X-RAY DIFFRACTOMETRY ANALYSES” - XVIII Convegno Nazionale AIMAT – Plaza Hotel Catania (CT) – May 28th-June 1st, 2023 (Conference).
- Giovanna Molinari, Laura Aliotta, Vito Gigante, Roberto D’Ambrosio, Luigi Botta, Francesco Paolo La Mantia and Andrea Lazzeri: “Effect of Microfibrillated Cellulose (MFC) on the Migration of Biobased Plasticizers in Poly (lactic acid)(PLA) Biocomposites.” - 6th International Conference on Natural Fibers - Funchal/Portugal, June 19th-21st, 2023 (Poster Session).