Daniela Pappalardo

Daniela Pappalardo's research activity concerns polymer chemistry and includes the synthesis of new polymeric materials, the development of new catalysts, as well as the microstructural characterization and the study of the applications of the polymeric materials. Initial studies focused on polyolefins, which constitute the most important class of commercial synthetic polymers. The recent political and economic pushes towards the development of "green" materials, as an alternative to polymers of petrochemical derivation, have stimulated research in the area of ​​polymers deriving from renewable raw materials, such as aliphatic polyesters. In this context, the research activity was aimed at the design and synthesis of high activity single-site initiators with good stereochemical control. More recent studies have concerned the synthesis of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers suitably functionalized for applications in the biomedical field. These studies were carried out in collaboration with the Department of Fiber and Polymer Technology of the KTH, Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, where Daniela Pappalardo was project leader of the project financed by VINNOVA entitled "Biodegradable functionalized materials for applications in tissue engineering "(2014-2017).