Solid, liquid or gaseous: these are the different states that matter takes according to external parameters such as temperature and pressure. Let us think of water: in fluid states it cannot be handled like a material, instead ice can even be sculpted. However, when cold, all the matter freezes and stiffens: the molecules themselves move only minimally or very slowly, instead for a solid material to be active it must be endowed with a certain degree of mobility, typical of liquids.

Lithium batteries have changed and are changing our society: almost all the portable devices we know have been developed thanks to these power sources. However, this technology is destined for an increasingly limited use in the future due to the high costs and the scarce availability of some raw materials (such as lithium itself). A possible alternative is the development of rechargeable sodium batteries, a more abundant element in nature.

The material breathes in and out on command by means of a switch. Interestingly, the porous framework breathes by capturing and releasing carbon dioxide only when it receives a luminous stimulus at a specific wavelength. It is designed thanks to the collaboration of the research teams led by the Nobel Prize winner Ben Feringa, and by Prof. Sander Wezenberg of the University of Groningen and by Prof.

Effective and sustainable anti-icing technologies in the aeronautics, energy and automotive industry: these are the objectives of "SURFICE" - Smart surface design for efficient ice protection and control - supported through the MSCA - Innovative training networks call. The call belongs to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions of the European Framework Program for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020.

The average synthetic organic chemist consider water more of a problem than a resource. Many transformations of interest require the strict exclusion of water. When not harmful, this particular solvent is however considered to be of little use since most of the organic derivatives are hydrophobic.

Thermoelectric materials allow direct conversion of heat into electricity without moving parts - a feature that makes thermoelectric generators extremely reliable and, at the same time, allows for their miniaturization, particularly useful to power low-consumption electrical devices. In this direction, a collaboration between the University of Pisa (Prof. Giovanni Pennelli and Drs.