Numerous global challenges involve the manipulation and capture of small gaseous molecules. A significant example is the need to reduce anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), which harms the climate and the environment. Other issues include the possibility of capturing water vapour (H2O) from the atmosphere, transforming it into purified water accessible to all, and the potential for storing and transporting gases of industrial interest, such as methane (CH4) and hydrogen (H₂), in a safer manner.

A recent study published in Sustainable Energy & Fuels reports an alternative strategy to enhance the stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), a key challenge still limiting their large-scale application. The research was conducted by Elisa Fabbretti, Dr Vanira Trifiletti, Dr Giorgio Tseberlidis, Dr Alessandro Minotto, Prof.

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is widely used for its high refractive index and UV absorption properties, particularly in pigments and sunscreens. Surface silanization improves the dispersion of TiO₂, its compatibility with various matrices, and reduces the formation of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Loris Sallaku and Ilaria Rosa, recently graduated in Materials Science and Nanotechnology at the Department of Materials Science of the University of Milan Bicocca, won an award for their theses recognized within the Thesis Program of Scientifica Venture Capital.

Every year the Ermenegildo Zegna Foundation awards scholarships to deserving students pre-selected by its Italian partner universities. The Foundation's selection committee decided to award a scholarship to Carolina Crosta, PhD student in Materials Science and Nanotechnology, as financial support for her six-month period abroad at the Quantum Photonics Laboratory of the University of Maryland.

Alpha tin (α), also known as gray tin, is a particular crystalline phase of ordinary tin which, under appropriate conditions, may exhibit extraordinary electronic properties. For example, the mechanical compression exerted by the lattice of specific substrates stabilizes the electron structure of a topological Dirac semimetal, similar to the one observed in graphene. This unusual quantum phase of matter is characterized by intriguing properties.