Until now, it was believed that cysteine, one of the basic amino acids in proteins, bonded to surfaces mainly through its carboxylic group. A team at DESY NanoLab (Germany), led by Heshmat Noei in collaboration with Cristiana Di Valentin’s group (University of Milano-Bicocca), has now discovered that the molecule actually uses all three of its “chemical arms” − amine, carboxylic, and thiol − to adhere to oxide surfaces, particularly titanium dioxide (TiO2).

The lithium batteries we use today—so-called third-generation batteries—still rely on graphite-based anodes. While effective, graphite limits how quickly batteries can be recharged, posing one of the main obstacles to the wider adoption of electric vehicles. High charging currents can indeed cause lithium metal to deposit on the anode surface, reducing battery life and potentially creating safety risks. Finding alternative materials that can match graphite’s performance but allow for safer, faster charging is therefore a key challenge in battery research.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called "forever chemicals," have been widely used for decades in everything from waterproof clothing and food packaging to firefighting foams and non-stick cookware due to their exceptional ability to repel water and oils. However, these chemicals persist in the environment for centuries and accumulate in human bodies, with growing evidence linking them to serious health problems including cancer, developmental delays in children, and reproductive issues.

Starting from the 2025/2026 academic year, the University of Milano-Bicocca will participate in the International Physicists' Tournament (IPT).

3D Printing by photopolymerization is one of the simplest strategies to print and build polymeric materials. Nonetheless, printing process reproducibility requires that photosensitive resins are correctly characterized via the so-called working curve, that provides information on the energy necessary to induce photopolymerization. It sounds easy, but data in the literature and lab experience suggest a significant data scattering, limiting 3D printing reproducibility.

Hydrogen is a clean and sustainable energy carrier that supports the large-scale integration of intermittent renewable energy sources, provides renewable fuels for heavy-duty transportation, and enables deep decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial sectors. Among various water electrolysis technologies, anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEM-WEs) offer several actual or anticipated advantages.