Antonino POLLICINO

Professor Antonino Pollicino was born in Catania on 04/04/58 and completed his university studies there, earning his degree in Chemistry with honors (110/110) on 08/04/83. He is a full professor of Materials Science and Technology at Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture (DICAr) of University of Catania. His scientific activity primarily focuses on the study of polymeric materials. He has spent several periods abroad conducting research on topics such as "Synthesis of advanced polymeric materials" (scholarship awarded by the New Science Group of the Wilton Materials Research Centre, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI)), "Optimization of mechanical properties of composite materials for the formation of high modulus chemical bonds between matrix and fibers" (semester-long scholarship abroad awarded by the CNR - Department of Chemistry, University of Queensland – Brisbane, Australia), and "Synthesis and characterization of new UV-protected copolymers" (University of Sheffield). He has also participated in research projects funded by the European Economic Community under the 'Stimulation' program (contract no. SCI-0025-C(A)) on the topic: "Surface photooxidation of polymeric materials. Stabilization and influence on volume degradation" and more recently on "Synthesis and properties of mechanically interlocked polymeric architectures." He represented the University of Catania on the Board of Directors of the "Interuniversity Consortium for Science and Technology of Materials" (INSTM) for the 2016-2020 term, and he was reappointed for the 2020-2024 term. He is a member of the Italian Association of Macromolecular Science and Technology (AIM) and was previously a member of the Italian Association of Materials Engineering (AIMAT). He served as a member of the National Scientific Qualification Committee for jurisdictional measures for the SSD ING/IND-22. He was a member of the Scientific Commission "Chemical Sciences" at the University of Catania and a member of the Teaching Committee for the Ph.D. program in "Materials Science and Nanotechnology" at the University of Catania. He was also a member of the scientific committee of the "Catania Research Consortium." He is the scientific coordinator of a research unit at the University of Catania within the "Interuniversity Consortium for Science and Technology of Materials" (INSTM). He served as the scientific coordinator of the research program at the INSTM operational unit at the University of Catania under the Network of Excellence (NoE) "Nanostructured and Functional Polymer-Based Materials and Nanocomposites" (Nanofun-Poly) funded by the European Community (contract no. FP6-500361-2) under the Sixth Framework Program, which led to the establishment of the "European Center for Nanostructured Polymers" (www.ecnp.eu.org) in 2008. He is a member of the editorial boards of Applied Sciences, Sensors, and Frontiers in Materials. His scientific activity focuses primarily on: High-performance polymeric materials, with particular attention to the relationship between molecular structure and functional properties; Surface chemical characterization, with specific expertise in X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) for the analysis of the chemical composition of the outermost surface layers of materials; Electronic devices based on organic, polymeric, and biopolymeric materials, in the context of organic and transient electronics, with potential applications in flexible electronics, sensing technologies, and biodegradable devices. Professor Pollicino is a co-author of over 135 original scientific papers published in international journals and over 150 presentations at national and international conferences. He collaborates with research institutions and industrial partners for the development of advanced materials and innovative technologies. (March 30, 2025)