Jacopo Barberi

Ph.D. in Scienza E Tecnologia Dei Materiali , 34th cycle (2018-2021)

Ph.D. obtained in 2022

Dissertation:

Exploring proteins in Roughland: on the adsorption of proteins on biomaterials for osseointegration (Abstract)

Tutors:

Silvia Spriano Enrica Verne' Sara Ferraris

Profile

Research topic

Surfaces interaction with biological fluids: from material science to surface and tissue engineering

Research interests

Glasses / Vetri
Materials for biomedical applications / Materiali per applicazioni biomediche
Materials characterization / Caratterizzazione di materiali
Surfaces / Superfici
Metals / Mettalli

Biography

My name is Jacopo Barberi and my background is in Materials engineering. I achieved my Master degree in Politecnico di Torino, in 2018. During Master courses I gained interest in the field of biomedical materials, in particular for bone and orthopedic application. In fact, decided to develop my master thesis about bone substitution materials. I’ve exploited the feasibility of 3D-printing of fully amorphous bioactive glass scaffolds, with monodispersed and graded porosity. I started from the manufacturing of raw materials, such as glass by melting and quenching, and thermal characterization of it, then I optimized the printing process, at the Tampere University of Technology (Tampere, Finland), to obtain precise dimensional control and fine structure. In the end, I’ve also characterized the devices in terms of bioactivity and mechanical properties. During this period, I gained knowledge of glass fabrication process and characterization (microstructure and thermal properties) and on bioactivity tests of materials. After that I decided to continue my path within the university and I applied for PhD, always regarding biomaterials but with slightly changing the topic. The focus of my research is on the interaction between biomaterials surfaces and biological fluids, in particular the study of adsorption of proteins on materials for orthopedic and dental implants. This is a fundamental step of the implantation of a medical device, since proteins are among the first biological moieties that came in contact with the implant and may determine the final outcome of the treatment. Therefore, the aim of my PhD, which started in the end of 2018, is to investigate the mechanisms of protein adsorption and how material properties influence it, in terms of proteins amount, type and bonds with the surface, since it can lead to denaturation of proteins themselves. To do so, I’m using, or planning to, several different characterization techniques, such as zeta potential, XPS, Raman spectroscopy or Kelvin Probe Fore microscopy, in order to investigate characteristics of different substrates before and after protein adsorption. Materials of interest are intended to be used in bone repair or dental implants, such as bioactive glass and Ti alloys with different surface treatment. I hope to increase the knowledge about mechanisms of proteins adsorption in order to improve the design of medical devices for an always better outcome.

Teaching

Teachings

Bachelor of Science

MostraNascondi A.A. passati

Publications

Works published during the Ph.D. View all publications in Porto@Iris

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