Monica Bertoldo (MB), born in Rovigo in 1973, graduated in Chemistry (with honors) at the University of Ferrara in 1997. She obtained the specialization in Materials Science (equivalent to Ph.D) with honor at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa in 2003 discussing a thesis entitled "Small molecules migration from polypropylene based materials" under the supervision of prof. F. Ciardelli. In the period 1997-1998 she worked at the “G. Natta” of Montell-Basell S.p.A., on the polymerization of olefins. In 2002 she joined the group of prof. F. Ciardelli at the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry of the University of Pisa with a grant from the National Institute of Physics of Matter for the development and chemical-physical characterization of new polymeric materials for food packaging applications. In 2007 she was hired as a fixed-term researcher at the PolyLab-INFM-CNR where she started a new reasearch line about the preparation of innovative materials based on polysaccharides and proteins. From 12/2012 to 12/2019 she was a permanent researcher at the CNR, first at the Institute for Chemical-Physical Processes (IPCF) in Pisa and then from June 2018 at the Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF) in Bologna. Since 2008 she has been lecturer in Polymer Chemistry (CHIM/05) at the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry of the University of Pisa, where she held the course of Polymeric Materials Technology in the academic years 2015/16, 2016/17, and 2017/18. Currently (from 31/12/2019) she is associate professor of Industrial Chemistry (Chim/04) at the University of Ferrara, Department of Chemistry, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, where she held the course of “Polymer chemistry” and of “Modern characterization methods of organic and polymeric materials”.
MB’s research activity in recent years has focused on the development of sustainable and smart polymeric materials that are obtained mainly from renewable resources. The approaches used are based both on mixing natural polymers with additives and on the development of chemical methods of polymer fucntionalization that must fit the green chemistry criteria. Concepts belonging to nanotechnology, colloidal systems and polymer chemistry have been combined to reach different projects objectives. The most relevant results are: i) development of a method to produce water based coatings of biodegradable polyesters that complies with the requirements for food packaging application, ii) formulations of thermoplastic proteins based materials for the production of agricultural films and pots by using legume waste from the food industry as raw material, iii) the modular use of “click chemistry approaches” to modify polysaccharides so to obtain photoresponsive coatigns, self assembling anphiphilic copolymers and pH responsive hydrogel, iv) the use of stimuli-responsive microgels to prepare thin smart films, v) the exploitation of polysaccharides from algae to prepare transparent, flexible and conductive films.
MB is the author of 56 publications in ISI journals, a chapter of a book and a book entitled "Polymers from Fossil and Renewable Resources" published by Springer International in 2019. She was the author of 20 oral communications at national conferences and Internationals, 3 of which by invitation, has presented 7 posters and is co-author of more than 50 contributions to conferences. She is also the author of an Italian patent extended to the European level an of an Italian patent request presented in November 2020.
MB was winner of Sabic Innovation 2013
H index: 17
Total citations: 899
Projects results: MS was:
Scientific coordinator of project and of unit in:
• BioWool - Sviluppo di un processo chimico innovativo per riciclare fibre di lana -Call: POR FERS 2014-2020, bando 2: progetti di ricerca e sviluppo delle PMI of Toscany Region, Italy. Starting and ending dates: 1/09/2016 - 31/12/2018
Coordinator of unit and WP leader in:
• SHERPACK - Innovative structured polysaccharides-based materials for recyclable and biodegradable packaging – Call: H2020-BBI-R05 2016. Starting and ending dates: 1/06/2017 - 30/11/2020.
• EcoReLabel - Etichette ecologiche distaccabili e riciclabili – Call: POR FERS 2014-2020, bando 1: progetti strategici di ricerca e sviluppo of Toscany Region, Italy. Starting and ending dates: 12/09/2016 - 31/08/2019.
Reference person for the material preparation in.
• CNR unit of PRIN 2012-B project SMART- Nuovi gel 'intelligenti' dalla materia soft
Scientific coordinator of the research projects funded by the following private companies:
-Sabic Spa; -Tessiltoschi Srl; -DIAB Spa.
Scientific coordinator of the project proposals:
• GRENDIOLS submitted to H2020-BBI-JTI-2017 evaluated 13.5/15.0, placed in the reserve list but finally not founded.
• BLUCHIP project proposal submitted to Call Snsvs 2 – 2019 – Ministero dell’Ambiente of Italy receiving 86.60/100 but not funded
MB’s research activity in recent years has focused on the development of sustainable and smart polymeric materials that are obtained mainly from renewable resources. The approaches used are based both on mixing natural polymers with additives and on the development of chemical methods of polymer fucntionalization that must fit the green chemistry criteria. Concepts belonging to nanotechnology, colloidal systems and polymer chemistry have been combined to reach different projects objectives. The most relevant results are: i) development of a method to produce water based coatings of biodegradable polyesters that complies with the requirements for food packaging application, ii) formulations of thermoplastic proteins based materials for the production of agricultural films and pots by using legume waste from the food industry as raw material, iii) the modular use of “click chemistry approaches” to modify polysaccharides so to obtain photoresponsive coatigns, self assembling anphiphilic copolymers and pH responsive hydrogel, iv) the use of stimuli-responsive microgels to prepare thin smart films, v) the exploitation of polysaccharides from algae to prepare transparent, flexible and conductive films.
MB is the author of 56 publications in ISI journals, a chapter of a book and a book entitled "Polymers from Fossil and Renewable Resources" published by Springer International in 2019. She was the author of 20 oral communications at national conferences and Internationals, 3 of which by invitation, has presented 7 posters and is co-author of more than 50 contributions to conferences. She is also the author of an Italian patent extended to the European level an of an Italian patent request presented in November 2020.
MB was winner of Sabic Innovation 2013
H index: 17
Total citations: 899
Projects results: MS was:
Scientific coordinator of project and of unit in:
• BioWool - Sviluppo di un processo chimico innovativo per riciclare fibre di lana -Call: POR FERS 2014-2020, bando 2: progetti di ricerca e sviluppo delle PMI of Toscany Region, Italy. Starting and ending dates: 1/09/2016 - 31/12/2018
Coordinator of unit and WP leader in:
• SHERPACK - Innovative structured polysaccharides-based materials for recyclable and biodegradable packaging – Call: H2020-BBI-R05 2016. Starting and ending dates: 1/06/2017 - 30/11/2020.
• EcoReLabel - Etichette ecologiche distaccabili e riciclabili – Call: POR FERS 2014-2020, bando 1: progetti strategici di ricerca e sviluppo of Toscany Region, Italy. Starting and ending dates: 12/09/2016 - 31/08/2019.
Reference person for the material preparation in.
• CNR unit of PRIN 2012-B project SMART- Nuovi gel 'intelligenti' dalla materia soft
Scientific coordinator of the research projects funded by the following private companies:
-Sabic Spa; -Tessiltoschi Srl; -DIAB Spa.
Scientific coordinator of the project proposals:
• GRENDIOLS submitted to H2020-BBI-JTI-2017 evaluated 13.5/15.0, placed in the reserve list but finally not founded.
• BLUCHIP project proposal submitted to Call Snsvs 2 – 2019 – Ministero dell’Ambiente of Italy receiving 86.60/100 but not funded
