The Soft Matter Spectroscopy Laboratory ('SMS LAB') is a research group at the Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale of the University of Pisa. Several research topics are central in our research activities and projects.
Our 'traditional' research is related to the chemical-physical study of soft materials, such as Liquid Crystals (LCs) and Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) mainly by means of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Our aim is to understand the origin of LCs and LCEs peculiar properties at a molecular level, such as the orientational order, the conformational and dynamic properties. In addition, in the last ten years, we extended our expertises on other kinds of soft materials, such as nanoparticles' dispersions, colloidal systems and food.
Our expertises include NMR spectroscopy (1H, 13C, 2H, ...), 1H NMR relaxometry and 1H NMR diffusometry, front-face and right-angle fluorescence spectroscopy, development of new spectroscopic methods based on UV-vis absorption, FT-IR and fluorescence spectroscopies and development of portable spectroscopic devices.
Recent research projects concern the chemical-physical characterization of super-paramagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles to be used as contrast agents in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and the chemical-physical characterization of food and agricultural products, such as olive and other seed oils, honey and pollens, wine and other drinks.