ONGOING ACTIVITIES

Physical characterization of materials:
- Bioplastics, such as succinate derivatives, in sheets as well as in films. Study of degradation mechanisms and the influence of irradiation treatments to enhance biodegradability.
- Composites from natural and renewable sources, such as sepia melanin and lignin, to form suitable functional hybrids of interest as adsorbent materials for the removal of organic pollutants.
- Polymer blends, with applications to coatings for drugs preparations. Graphene oxide and dependence of its properties on functional groups.
The main techniques used in the above studies are positron annihilation spectroscopies and thermal analyses (differential scanning calorimetry and dilatometry).

Antihydrogen production, within the framework of the AEGIS collaboration at CERN. Goals: to check the formation of the antiatom through a charge exchange reaction, to carry out gravity measurements on antimatter (test of the equivalence principle) and to perform quantum interferometry experiments. Also positronium in highly excited states will be generated to study its behavior under the action of electric and magnetic fields.
Participation to the AUGER collaboration, to detect cosmic rays of ultra high energy. An upgrade of the experiment plans the building of new muon detectors, their calibration, validation and subsequent deployment in Malargue (Argentina), where the experiment takes place.

FUTURE PLANS

Irradiation studies on materials for space applications using a low energy electron beam (up to 20 keV) specifically designed to this purpose and in phase of commissioning. Aim: to test the damage of surfaces to increasing radiation doses. Surfaces will be characterized by means of traditional techniques (FTIR, EPR, DSC) as well as by positron annihilation.

ERC KEYWORDS

PE27 Atomic, molecular physics
PE417 Characterization methods of materials
PE9_10 High energy and particles astronomy – X rays, cosmic rays, gamma rays, neutrinos

FREE KEYWORDS

Antihydrogen
Cosmic rays
Polymers
Porous materials
Positron annihilation
Thermal analysis