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Papers by Fabrizio De Cesare
Proceedings IMCS 2018, 2018
Environmental Science: Nano, 2020
Creation of beads-and-fibres 3D nanoscaffolds mimicking the typical architecture of soils at micr... more Creation of beads-and-fibres 3D nanoscaffolds mimicking the typical architecture of soils at microscale and nanoscale for the development of bacterial biofilms for agricultural and environmental applications.
Sensors, 2020
Passive air samplers (PASs) have been used for mapping gaseous mercury concentration in extensive... more Passive air samplers (PASs) have been used for mapping gaseous mercury concentration in extensive areas. In this work, an easy-to-use and -prepare gold nanoparticle (NP)-based PAS has been investigated. The PAS is constituted of a microfibrous quartz disk filter impregnated of gold NP photo-growth on TiO2 NPs (Au@TiO2) and used as gaseous mercury adsorbing material. The disk was housed in a cylinder glass container and subjected to an axial diffusive sampling. The adsorbed mercury was measured by thermal desorption using a Tekran® instrument. Different amounts of Au@TiO2 (ranging between 4.0 and 4.0 × 10−3 mg) were deposited by drop-casting onto the fibrous substrate and assessed for about 1 year of deployment in outdoor environment with a mercury concentration mean of about 1.24 ± 0.32 ng/m3 in order to optimize the adsorbing layer. PASs showed a linear relation of the adsorbed mercury as a function of time with a rate of 18.5 ± 0.4 pg/day (≈1.5% of the gaseous concentration per da...
Nanomaterials, 2018
Passive sampling systems (PASs) are a low cost strategy to quantify Hg levels in air over both di... more Passive sampling systems (PASs) are a low cost strategy to quantify Hg levels in air over both different environmental locations and time periods of few hours to weeks/months. For this reason, novel nanostructured materials have been designed and developed. They consist of an adsorbent layer made of titania nanoparticles (TiO2NPs, ≤25 nm diameter) finely decorated with gold nanoparticles. The TiO2NPs functionalization occurred for the photocatalytic properties of titania-anatase when UV-irradiated in an aqueous solution containing HAuCl4. The resulting nanostructured suspension was deposited by drop-casting on a thin quartz slices, dried and then incorporated into a common axial sampler to be investigated as a potential PAS device. The morphological characteristics of the sample were studied by High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Optical Microscopy. UV-Vis spectra showed a blue shift of the membrane when exposed to Hg0 vapors. The adsorbed ...
Due to their unique size-dependent physicochemical properties, nanostructured thin films are used... more Due to their unique size-dependent physicochemical properties, nanostructured thin films are used in a wide range of applications from smart coating and drug delivery to electrocatalysis and highly-sensitive sensors. Depending on the targeted application and the deposition technique, these materials have been designed and developed by tuning their atomic-molecular 2D- and/or 3D-aggregation, thickness, crystallinity, and porosity, having effects on their optical, mechanical, catalytic, and conductive properties. Several open questions remain about the impact of nanomaterial production and use on environment and health. Many efforts are currently being made not only to prevent nanotechnologies and nanomaterials from contributing to environmental pollution but also to design nanomaterials to support, control, and protect the environment. This Special Issue aims to cover the recent advances in designing nanostructured films focusing on environmental issues related to their fabrication processes (e.g., low power and low cost technologies, the use of environmentally friendly solvents), their precursors (e.g., waste-recycled, bio-based, biodegradable, and natural materials), their applications (e.g., controlled release of chemicals, mimicking of natural processes, and clean energy conversion and storage), and their use in monitoring environment pollution (e.g., sensors optically- or electrically-sensitive to pollutants
<p>The damage and risk to the environment and human health consequent to tr... more <p>The damage and risk to the environment and human health consequent to traditional agricultural practices urged the development of innovative techniques and more environmentally friendly processes and compounds. Nanotechnology can improve the precision in the processes and the coordination of the management strategies of agricultural production. Therefore, innovative and groundbreaking tools have recently been developed employing natural and engineered nanomaterials to deliver agrochemicals to plants for both improving nutrition, stimulate plant growth, improve the quality of the soil and protect plants, while reducing the impact of these compounds on the environment and human health. Electrospinning (ES) is a highly versatile and inexpensive nanotechnology that allows to design and fabricate continuous non-woven polymer fibers with diameters ranging from micrometer to nanometer when a strong electrical field acts on a droplet of a solution with sufficient viscoelasticity. The resulting fibers can assume complex shapes, creating a multitude of structures with a broad spectrum of different properties (porosity, permeability, high fiber interconnectivity, nano-scale interstitial spaces, biomimetism and bioinspiration, etc.). <br />Since the limitation of iron availability is a crucial condition in plant nutrition, the polymer fabrics here proposed, mimicking the natural strategy adopted by nongraminaceous and graminaceous species (Strategy I and II, respectively), were designed to make available to the plants the insoluble iron (Fe III) widely present in ecosystems by releasing selected iron-chelating molecules. Therefore, we investigated a model system based on ES biodegradable nanofibrous textiles with different shapes capable of releasing natural iron-chelators into soil/water by controlled rates (depending on the membrane morphology). The present study first focused on the production and functionality of a biodegradable nanofibrous polymer (polyhydroxybutyrate-PHB) scaffold, that is naturally produced by microorganisms and algae).  Because of its fragility, PHB was then blended with another biodegradable polymer (polycaprolactone-PCL), and then properly bio-loaded. The resulting polymer blend, due to the physical properties of PCL, resulted softer and mechanically more resistant than the previous one (PHB) and it was poorly affected by sudden changes in temperature. Both polymers are water insoluble and present low environmental impact, and are commonly investigated and used in drug delivery structures. The effectiveness and toxicity of both functional systems mimicking Strategy I and II concepts and dynamics were tested in two different plant hydroponic cultures. Such regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices based on natural sources and waste reduction, inspired by the principles of a circular bio-economy (European Environment Agency, report n. 2/2016), aimed at replacing the use of chemicals and traditional raw materials, improving health and environmental conditions, as required by the original principles of a circular economy, and at facing the increasing risk level for our natural capital.</p>
Nanomaterials, 2019
Modern agriculture requires more efficient and low-impact products and formulations than traditio... more Modern agriculture requires more efficient and low-impact products and formulations than traditional agrochemicals to improve crop yields. Iron is a micronutrient essential for plant growth and photosynthesis, but it is mostly present in insoluble forms in ecosystems so that it is often limiting for plants. This study was aimed at combining natural strategies and biodegradable nanostructured materials to create environmentally friendly and low-toxic bioactive products capable of both supplying iron to Fe-deficient plants and reducing the impact of agricultural products on the environment. Consequently, free-standing electrospun nanofibrous polycaprolactone/polyhydroxybutyrate thin membranes loaded with catechol (CL-NMs) as an iron-chelating natural agent (at two concentrations) were fabricated on purpose to mobilize Fe from insoluble forms and transfer it to duckweed (Lemna minor L.) plants. The effectiveness of CL-NMs in providing iron to Fe-deficient plants, upon catechol release,...
Environmental Science: Nano, 2019
Correction for ‘A study on the dependence of bacteria adhesion on the polymer nanofibre diameter’... more Correction for ‘A study on the dependence of bacteria adhesion on the polymer nanofibre diameter’ by Fabrizio De Cesare et al., Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2019, 6, 778–797.
Frontiers in Chemistry, 2018
Nanomaterials, 2019
Structural and functional properties of polymer composites based on carbon nanomaterials are so a... more Structural and functional properties of polymer composites based on carbon nanomaterials are so attractive that they have become a big challenge in chemical sensors investigation. In the present study, a thin nanofibrous layer, comprising two insulating polymers (polystyrene (PS) and polyhydroxibutyrate (PHB)), a known percentage of nanofillers of mesoporous graphitized carbon (MGC) and a free-base tetraphenylporphyrin, was deposited onto an Interdigitated Electrode (IDE) by electrospinning technology. The potentials of the working temperature to drive both the sensitivity and the selectivity of the chemical sensor were studied and described. The effects of the porphyrin combination with the composite graphene–polymer system appeared evident when nanofibrous layers, with and without porphyrin, were compared for their morphology and electrical and sensing parameters. Porphyrin fibers appeared smoother and thinner and were more resistive at lower temperature, but became much more cond...
Environmental Science: Nano, 2019
Analysing the dependence of bacteria adhesion on the diameter of nanofibres to improve cell-to-ma... more Analysing the dependence of bacteria adhesion on the diameter of nanofibres to improve cell-to-material adhesion for target applications.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2017
![Research paper thumbnail of Corrigendum to “Elemental mercury vapor chemoresistors employing TIO 2 nanofibers photocatalytically decorated with Au-nanoparticles” [Sens. Actuators B 247 (2017) 957–967]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/111924947/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2017
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2017
Proceedings IMCS 2018, 2018
Environmental Science: Nano, 2020
Creation of beads-and-fibres 3D nanoscaffolds mimicking the typical architecture of soils at micr... more Creation of beads-and-fibres 3D nanoscaffolds mimicking the typical architecture of soils at microscale and nanoscale for the development of bacterial biofilms for agricultural and environmental applications.
Sensors, 2020
Passive air samplers (PASs) have been used for mapping gaseous mercury concentration in extensive... more Passive air samplers (PASs) have been used for mapping gaseous mercury concentration in extensive areas. In this work, an easy-to-use and -prepare gold nanoparticle (NP)-based PAS has been investigated. The PAS is constituted of a microfibrous quartz disk filter impregnated of gold NP photo-growth on TiO2 NPs (Au@TiO2) and used as gaseous mercury adsorbing material. The disk was housed in a cylinder glass container and subjected to an axial diffusive sampling. The adsorbed mercury was measured by thermal desorption using a Tekran® instrument. Different amounts of Au@TiO2 (ranging between 4.0 and 4.0 × 10−3 mg) were deposited by drop-casting onto the fibrous substrate and assessed for about 1 year of deployment in outdoor environment with a mercury concentration mean of about 1.24 ± 0.32 ng/m3 in order to optimize the adsorbing layer. PASs showed a linear relation of the adsorbed mercury as a function of time with a rate of 18.5 ± 0.4 pg/day (≈1.5% of the gaseous concentration per da...
Nanomaterials, 2018
Passive sampling systems (PASs) are a low cost strategy to quantify Hg levels in air over both di... more Passive sampling systems (PASs) are a low cost strategy to quantify Hg levels in air over both different environmental locations and time periods of few hours to weeks/months. For this reason, novel nanostructured materials have been designed and developed. They consist of an adsorbent layer made of titania nanoparticles (TiO2NPs, ≤25 nm diameter) finely decorated with gold nanoparticles. The TiO2NPs functionalization occurred for the photocatalytic properties of titania-anatase when UV-irradiated in an aqueous solution containing HAuCl4. The resulting nanostructured suspension was deposited by drop-casting on a thin quartz slices, dried and then incorporated into a common axial sampler to be investigated as a potential PAS device. The morphological characteristics of the sample were studied by High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Optical Microscopy. UV-Vis spectra showed a blue shift of the membrane when exposed to Hg0 vapors. The adsorbed ...
Due to their unique size-dependent physicochemical properties, nanostructured thin films are used... more Due to their unique size-dependent physicochemical properties, nanostructured thin films are used in a wide range of applications from smart coating and drug delivery to electrocatalysis and highly-sensitive sensors. Depending on the targeted application and the deposition technique, these materials have been designed and developed by tuning their atomic-molecular 2D- and/or 3D-aggregation, thickness, crystallinity, and porosity, having effects on their optical, mechanical, catalytic, and conductive properties. Several open questions remain about the impact of nanomaterial production and use on environment and health. Many efforts are currently being made not only to prevent nanotechnologies and nanomaterials from contributing to environmental pollution but also to design nanomaterials to support, control, and protect the environment. This Special Issue aims to cover the recent advances in designing nanostructured films focusing on environmental issues related to their fabrication processes (e.g., low power and low cost technologies, the use of environmentally friendly solvents), their precursors (e.g., waste-recycled, bio-based, biodegradable, and natural materials), their applications (e.g., controlled release of chemicals, mimicking of natural processes, and clean energy conversion and storage), and their use in monitoring environment pollution (e.g., sensors optically- or electrically-sensitive to pollutants
<p>The damage and risk to the environment and human health consequent to tr... more <p>The damage and risk to the environment and human health consequent to traditional agricultural practices urged the development of innovative techniques and more environmentally friendly processes and compounds. Nanotechnology can improve the precision in the processes and the coordination of the management strategies of agricultural production. Therefore, innovative and groundbreaking tools have recently been developed employing natural and engineered nanomaterials to deliver agrochemicals to plants for both improving nutrition, stimulate plant growth, improve the quality of the soil and protect plants, while reducing the impact of these compounds on the environment and human health. Electrospinning (ES) is a highly versatile and inexpensive nanotechnology that allows to design and fabricate continuous non-woven polymer fibers with diameters ranging from micrometer to nanometer when a strong electrical field acts on a droplet of a solution with sufficient viscoelasticity. The resulting fibers can assume complex shapes, creating a multitude of structures with a broad spectrum of different properties (porosity, permeability, high fiber interconnectivity, nano-scale interstitial spaces, biomimetism and bioinspiration, etc.). <br />Since the limitation of iron availability is a crucial condition in plant nutrition, the polymer fabrics here proposed, mimicking the natural strategy adopted by nongraminaceous and graminaceous species (Strategy I and II, respectively), were designed to make available to the plants the insoluble iron (Fe III) widely present in ecosystems by releasing selected iron-chelating molecules. Therefore, we investigated a model system based on ES biodegradable nanofibrous textiles with different shapes capable of releasing natural iron-chelators into soil/water by controlled rates (depending on the membrane morphology). The present study first focused on the production and functionality of a biodegradable nanofibrous polymer (polyhydroxybutyrate-PHB) scaffold, that is naturally produced by microorganisms and algae).  Because of its fragility, PHB was then blended with another biodegradable polymer (polycaprolactone-PCL), and then properly bio-loaded. The resulting polymer blend, due to the physical properties of PCL, resulted softer and mechanically more resistant than the previous one (PHB) and it was poorly affected by sudden changes in temperature. Both polymers are water insoluble and present low environmental impact, and are commonly investigated and used in drug delivery structures. The effectiveness and toxicity of both functional systems mimicking Strategy I and II concepts and dynamics were tested in two different plant hydroponic cultures. Such regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices based on natural sources and waste reduction, inspired by the principles of a circular bio-economy (European Environment Agency, report n. 2/2016), aimed at replacing the use of chemicals and traditional raw materials, improving health and environmental conditions, as required by the original principles of a circular economy, and at facing the increasing risk level for our natural capital.</p>
Nanomaterials, 2019
Modern agriculture requires more efficient and low-impact products and formulations than traditio... more Modern agriculture requires more efficient and low-impact products and formulations than traditional agrochemicals to improve crop yields. Iron is a micronutrient essential for plant growth and photosynthesis, but it is mostly present in insoluble forms in ecosystems so that it is often limiting for plants. This study was aimed at combining natural strategies and biodegradable nanostructured materials to create environmentally friendly and low-toxic bioactive products capable of both supplying iron to Fe-deficient plants and reducing the impact of agricultural products on the environment. Consequently, free-standing electrospun nanofibrous polycaprolactone/polyhydroxybutyrate thin membranes loaded with catechol (CL-NMs) as an iron-chelating natural agent (at two concentrations) were fabricated on purpose to mobilize Fe from insoluble forms and transfer it to duckweed (Lemna minor L.) plants. The effectiveness of CL-NMs in providing iron to Fe-deficient plants, upon catechol release,...
Environmental Science: Nano, 2019
Correction for ‘A study on the dependence of bacteria adhesion on the polymer nanofibre diameter’... more Correction for ‘A study on the dependence of bacteria adhesion on the polymer nanofibre diameter’ by Fabrizio De Cesare et al., Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2019, 6, 778–797.
Frontiers in Chemistry, 2018
Nanomaterials, 2019
Structural and functional properties of polymer composites based on carbon nanomaterials are so a... more Structural and functional properties of polymer composites based on carbon nanomaterials are so attractive that they have become a big challenge in chemical sensors investigation. In the present study, a thin nanofibrous layer, comprising two insulating polymers (polystyrene (PS) and polyhydroxibutyrate (PHB)), a known percentage of nanofillers of mesoporous graphitized carbon (MGC) and a free-base tetraphenylporphyrin, was deposited onto an Interdigitated Electrode (IDE) by electrospinning technology. The potentials of the working temperature to drive both the sensitivity and the selectivity of the chemical sensor were studied and described. The effects of the porphyrin combination with the composite graphene–polymer system appeared evident when nanofibrous layers, with and without porphyrin, were compared for their morphology and electrical and sensing parameters. Porphyrin fibers appeared smoother and thinner and were more resistive at lower temperature, but became much more cond...
Environmental Science: Nano, 2019
Analysing the dependence of bacteria adhesion on the diameter of nanofibres to improve cell-to-ma... more Analysing the dependence of bacteria adhesion on the diameter of nanofibres to improve cell-to-material adhesion for target applications.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2017
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2017
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2017