Gianluca CICALA

Contact Information

 

Prof. Ing. Gianluca Cicala, PhD

Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture (DICAR)-Polifunzionale 6 Piano

V.le A.Doria, 6 - 95125 Catania, Italy

E_mail : gcicala@unict.it

Off. : +39(0) 957382760

Home | P&C Lab UniCT (wixsite.com)

 

Education

Prof.Cicala received the PhD title in “Polymeric materials for special uses” from the University of Catania on February 25 2004 being advised by Prof.A.Recca. The title of the thesis was “ Study and development of novel technologies for the production of advanced composites by RTM”.

He received the Laurea Degree Summa cum laude in Mechanical Engineering on July 20, 2000. 

 

Professional experience

Since September 2025 He was elected as President of the Italian Association of Materials Engineering (AIMAT).

Since Ocober 2023 He was appointed as vice-director of the Department DICAr.

Since November 2017 He was appointed as Full Professor of Materials Science and Technology at the University of Catania.

In 2009 he has been nominated in the Scientific Board of INSTM (Consorzio Interuniverisitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali).

In the academic year 2007/2008 he has been nominated in the scientific board of the consortium “Consiglio Catania Ricerche”. 

In the academic year 2007/2008 he has been nominated as Scientific Coordinator of the project Bridgeconomies approved within the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework (11/04/08, prot.25/08).

In the academic year 2007/2008 he has promoted the Spin Off called “Spin Tech Srl” within the University of Catania. 

He has participated to the Organization Comitee of  XVIII Convegno Italiano di Scienza e Tecnologia delle Macromolecole.

From 07/07/2008 to 31/08/2008 visiting scientist at institute PUK of TU Clausthal for a cooperative research entitled “Development of thermoplastic interleaf films which build up a controlled morphology for toughening of RTM resins” with the group directed by Prof.Ziegmann.

From 02/06/2003 to 29/08/2003 he has worked in the product development group of Cytec Engineered Materials (Wrexham, Galles(UK)) within his PhD project. During this stage he has worked with Cytec research scientists and technologists on the development of production process to integrate stitching technologies with RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding) techniques.

From 08/01/2001 to 31/01/2002 he has worked at the Wilton International Centre within the research group of Cytec Engineered Materials. This stage was carried out within his PhD project. During the stage his research was focalized on the development of thermoset formulations for advanced composite applications in the aerospace and F1 sectors. In particular, most of the research was focused on epoxy resins for low temperature curing, on impact resistance of fibrereinforced composites and RTM techniques.

From 10/04/200 to 20/12/2000 he has worked on a contract as experimental scientist within the research group of ICI-Strategic Technology Group. His work was focused on the development of epoxy formulations as protective coatings and matrices for fiber reinforced materials.

From 11/07/1999 to 10/01/2000. He has worked within an industrial training scheme within the research laboratory of I.C.I. (Imperial Chemical Industries) – Strategic Technology Group. Within this stage he has filed his master degree thesis. During this stage he also got experienced on several experimental techniques such as: rheometry, hot stage microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, tensile and fracture mechanics testing.

 

Funded projects

Prof.Cicala has received funding within national funded research program and through grants funded by private industries:

• (2024-2025) Local Coordinator of the project AUDI Audi: towards an abilitant-ubique SME’s designed productive island (Granted 450.000 €)
• (2024-2027) Local Coordinator of the project MIMIT Accordo Innovazione RE-COMP (Granted 3.900.000 €)
• (2023-2025) Local Coordinator of the project PRIN2022 Mustang (Granted 80.000,00 €)
• (2023-2025) Local Coordinator of the project PRINPNRR 2022 3DCircle (Granted Unita 80.270,00 €)
• (2019-2022) National Coordinator of the project PRIN MAMMA (Multiple Advanced Materials Manufactured by Additive technologies) funded by Italian MIUR (granted 986.667,00€);
• (2019-2022) Local Coordinator of the project POR 1.1.5 SIMARE (granted 249.845,00€);
• (2019-2022) Local Coordinator of the project POR 1.1.5 TiSento (granted 296.695,29€);
• (2019-2021) Local Coordinator of the project PON PNR TecHnology And materials for safe Low consumption And low life cycle cost veSSels And crafts funded by Italian MIUR (granted 323.000,00€);
• (2016-2018) Local Coordinator of the project COMMAND (COMposites Materials for Additive Manufacturing) funded by INSTM-Regione Lombardia;
• (2012-2016) Local Coordinator of the project of the TEMPUS project “Development and innovation: a new postgraduate Curriculum for engineering PDI” Codice 530703-TEMPUS-2012-1-DE-TEMPUS-JPCR.;
• (2011-2014) Local Coordinator of the PON0700 project entitled “Ambition Power” (granted 250.200,00€)
• (2011-2014) Local Coordinator of the PON01750 project entitled “Advanced components for drag reduction” (granted 651.200,00€);
• (2011-2014) Local Coordinator of the PON02239 project entitled “MATRECO – Advanced materials for eco-sustainable transports” (Granted 711.450,00€)
• (2011-2013) National Coordinator of the PRIN project entitled “Nanofilled soluble textiles for RTM composites” (granted  170.300,00€)
•  (2008-2010) National Coordinator of the project entitled “Development of selective polymeric membranes for gas separation: optimization by the integrated use of the synthesis, the characterization and the multiscale molecular modeling techniques.” (PRIN prot. 2007CNJTAH, granted  56.777,00€ )

• (2007-2008) Project “Design and testing of protective materials for robot used for inspection purposes in critical areas” Research Grant funded by EUROCONSULT s.a.s e GESIND srl. (Role Scientific Coordinator)
• (2007-2009) Project “High Tg Thermoplastic Block-Copolymers” Research Project funded by Cytec Engineered Materials (Role: Scientific Supervisor)
• (2006-2009) Project PLAST_Ics “Laboratorio pubblico-privato per lo sviluppo di tecnologie di processo e dimostratori di circuiti elettronici ad alte prestazioni e basso costo di fabbricazione realizzati su substrati plastici” Obiettivo OR1.1 “Ricerca ed individuazione di film polimerici con funzioni di barriera per dispositivi TFT on Plastic” (Unit Coordinator)
• (2006-2007) “Polymeric Materials and Technologies for RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding) production”  Research Grant funded by Holson Impianti Spa (Role: Scientific Coordinator).

• (2004-2006) “Synthesis and development of nanocomposites for packaging based on novel functionalised copolymers of PET and PEN” National Project PRIN prot. 2004099185_004 (Role: Local Coordinator, granted  54.300,00€).

 

Principal scientific activities

Prof.Cicala has authored and/or co-authored 163 papers indexed on Scopus, 5 papers on national journals with editorial board, 6 chapters on books, 115 proceedings on national and international conferences, 1 National Patent and 1 International patent. The papers published by the Prof.Cicala have received a total of 3525 citationsand his h-index is equal to 33. 

The research activity of Prof.Cicala is focused on:

• Additive Manufacturing;
• Development of novel production process for composites;
• Polymeric blends;
• Eco-composites;
• Auxetics;
• Material characterization.

 

Awards

He has been awarded with his team with the Polymer Challenge 2008 award for the innovative technology for the RTM manufacturing of cellular auxetic composites. 

 

Referee Activity

He acts as referee for the following international journals: Polymer; Polymer Engineering and Science; Macromolecular Rapid Communication; Macromolecular Materials and Engineering;       Journal of Applied Polymer Science; Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics;Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research;European Polymer Journal;Polymer Bulletin;  Material and Design; Macromolecular Chemistry & Physics.

 

 

Editorial Board activity in ISI Journals

Since 2020 He is a member of the Editorial Board of Science and Engineering of Composite Materials (IF 0.700) https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/secm/secm-overview.xml?tab_body=editorialContent-79174

 

Since 2019 He is a member of the Editorial Board of Polymers edited by MDPI.

 

Since 209 He is a member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Composites Science edited by MDPI

 

Special Issue Editors for the Special Issue “Polymer Matrix Composites for Advanced Applications” on the ISI Journal Polymers.

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers/special_issues/polymer_matrix_composites”

 

 

Since 2015 He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Advances in Materials Science and Engineering(Impact Factor 0.744 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/amse).

 

Since 2016 He is a Section Editor of the International Advisory Board of the Journal Journal of Applied Biomaterials & Functional Materials (Impact Factor 1.5 http://www.jab-fm.com)

 

Invited lecture

Invited Speaker for the “International Conference on Design and Technologies for Polymeric and Composite Products”, Bucharest, 10-11 October 2019.

Invited Speaker at the Institut für Polymerwerkstoffe und Kunststofftechnik, TU Clausthal with a talk on “ENGINEERING POLYMERS FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING: FROM LABORATORY TO INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS” Clausthal, 5 July 2019. 

Invited Speaker on invitation of Dr. Brendan Kneafsey at the Henckel research centre with a talk “ENGINEERING POLYMERS FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING: FROM LABORATORY TO INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS” Dublin, 18 June 2019. 

Invited Speaker on invitation of Prof.Maurice Collins for a talk entitled “Engineering Polymers for Additive Manufacturing:  From Laboratory to Industrial Applications” Bernal Institute, Limerick University, 6 February 2019.

Plenary Speaker on invitation by Prof.Romeo Ciobanu for a talk entitled “Electrical Engineering materials for additive manufacturing: from laboratory to industrial applications” at the EPE2018 10th International Conference and Exposition on Electrical and Power Engineering, IASI, Romania 18-19 October 2018.

Invited lecture at Queen’s University by Prof.Brian Falzon, Head of School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Queen’s University, Belfast (UK)), on  “Advanced thermoset blends for Composites” dal 24 al 25 Ottobre 2016.

Invited Speaker at the Composites Forum “A Composite future: Enabling automotive design with FRP technologies” nell’ambito del Composite Europe 2016, 24.09.2016, Stoccarda (DE) with the talk  “Natural fiber reinforced composites processed by 
HP-RTM  with bio-based thermoset matrix” .

Invited Lecture on “I materiali compositi per l’aeronautica: l’evoluzione dalle matrici termoindurenti di prima generazione ai materiali con modulo di Poisson negativo” within the XVI Scuola Nazionale di Scienza dei Materiali. 27 Settembre/2 Ottobre 2010, Bressanone.

Patent

1. G.Meli, G.Recca, Cicala G, S.Ursino (2012)  “Device for the production of cellular materials”US 2013/0171409 A1.
2.  G.Cicala, J.Grima, B.Ellul, G.Ruben, L.Oliveri, D.Attard, G. Recca (2010) “Costruzione multistrato per l'ottenimento di dispositivi con coefficiente di espansione termica controllabile” CT20100000002.
3. G.Meli, G.Recca, G. Cicala, S.Ursino (2009) “Device and method for the production of cellular materials” WO 2009/109863 A2.

 

Book Chapters

1.         Mannino S., Latteri A., Saccullo G., Banatao R, Pastine S., Cicala G. (2017) “High Pressure Resin Transfer Moulding of Epoxy Resins from Renewable Sources”. In: Handbook of Composites from Renewable Materials Vol.2, Eds Vijay Kumar Thakur, Manju Kumari Thakur and Micheal R. Kessler, pp.475.487, ISBN:978-1-119-22365-8.

2.         Cicala G. and Mannino S. (2016) “Applications of Epoxy/Thermoplastic Blend”. In: Handbook of Epoxy Blends, Eds. J. Parameswaranpillai, N. Hameed , J. Pionteck,        E. M. Woo, Springer International Publishing, pp.1-25, ISBN: 978-3-319-18158-5.

3.         Cicala G. (2014) “Comparison of Epoxy/Rubber Blends with Other Toughening Strategies: Thermoplastic and Hyperbranched Modifiers”. In: Micro- and Nanostructured Epoxy/Rubber Blends, Eds. S.Thomas, C. Sinturel and R.Thomas ,Wiley, pp. Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, Germany. doi: 10.1002/9783527666874.ch18

4.         Cicala G. and  Lo Faro C. (2012) “Material Selection: Polymeric Composites Matrix”. In: International Encyclopedia of Composites Eds. L.Nicolais and A.Borzachiello, Wiley, pp.1-38 , DOI: DOI: 10.1002/9781118097298.weoc132. 

5.         Cicala G., A.Mamo, G.Recca and C.L.Restuccia (2009) “Thermoset/Thermoplastic blends: The effect of block copolymers”. In: Special Topics on Materials Science and Technology – An Italian Panorama eds. D. Acierno, D. Caputo, R. Cioffi, A. D’amore. LEIDEN: Brill, p. 117-124. ISBN/ISSN: 978 90 04 17224 1.

6.         Cicala G., G.Cristaldi, G. Recca and A. Latteri (2010) “Composites based on natural fibre fabrics” In: Woven Fabrics eds. Polona Dobnik Dubrovski. REIJKA: Sciyo, p. 317-342, ISBN: ISBN 978-953-307-194-7

Last edit: 09/24/2025