Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials, ISMN—CNR, URT of Messina, c/o Department of ChiBioFarAm, University of Messina, Messina, Italy;In 1997, Maria Rosaria Plutino received a Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences from the Univ. of Messina. In March 1996, she won a 24-month post-doctoral grant (Human Capital and Mobility), funded by the European Community, for a PhD which she began to carry out in 1996-1998, leading her research activity at the Dep. Oorganisk of the Lund Chemical Center (Sweden). In 1999, she had a temporary research contract (art.36) at the Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Natural Products of the National Research Council (ICTPN-CNR), UniMe. In 2001, she started working as a permanent researcher at the Ist. for the Study of Nanostructured Materials of the CNR (ISMN) in Palermo (c/o Dip ChiBioFarAm, UniMe). Since 2021, she has been a senior researcher-II level. Her initial research targeted the synthesis of organometallic complexes of platinum (II) and other transition metals, as well as the study of the kinetic and spectroscopic behavior of these molecular species, acting as building blocks for mesostructured supramolecular aggregates. In recent years, the scientific production of Dr. Plutino has turned to the rational design, development and structural study of organometallic complexes of transition metals, supramolecular systems and nanostructured functional hybrid materials, for different applications fields. Particular attention has been paid to the synthesis and characterization of the following: (i) colloidal metal nanoparticles (Au, Ag, Pt), core–shell or core–double-shell systems, and graphene oxide quantum dots; (ii) nanocomposites that include silicon or carbon nanotubes or nanofibers (CNTs, imogolite, halloysite), dispersed in sol–gel and resins matrices, and/or supported on textile fibers; (iii) sol–gel alkoxysilane functional polymeric systems used as coatings for changing/implementing surface properties. https://scholar.google.it/citations?hl=it&user=FZFrZJEAAAAJ&view_op=list_works).

CNR-Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Rome, Italy;Antonella Macagnano is a senior research scientist and scientific leader at the Institute of Technologies and Environmental Intelligence of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-ITIAm). She graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Lecce and obtained her PhD in Sciences, Technologies and Biotechnologies for Sustainability from the University of Tuscia. Her research focuses on the design and development of bioinspired functional materials and nanostructured sensing platforms. In particular, she investigates electrospun and electrosprayed polymeric systems, molecularly imprinted polymers, conductive nanomaterials, and biological recognition elements for the selective detection of gases and volatile organic compounds. Her research addresses applications in environmental monitoring, human health, wearable sensing, agri-food systems, and safety. She has coordinated and contributed to several national and international multidisciplinary projects, promoting the translation of advanced materials into innovative sensor devices. Her scientific activity brings together biology, chemistry, materials science and nanotechnology, with particular emphasis on collaborative research and the development of young scientists.