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Curriculum
Enzo Menna received his Laurea Degree in Chemistry in 1995, cum laude at the University of Padova, where he gained his PhD in 1998 with a project concerning the study on hydrogen bond formation by NMR measurements and quantum chemical calculations.
His present activity concerns the synthesis of organic materials. In 1999, while completing his research about hydrogen bonding, he started working on the functionalization of fullerenes. Since then he developed a branch focused on the chemistry of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), an almost unexplored topic at that time, and of other carbon nanostructures (CNS) such as graphene based materials. Main goal of his research has been the realization of soluble and functional CNS derivatives. The products that were obtained have allowed the study of physico-chemical properties of CNTs in solution and the incorporation in solid matrices and have enhanced the possibility to use CNSs as nanofillers. The incorporation in biocompatible polymer matrices has also been used to obtain scaffolds for the growth of neuronal cells. In this frame, he has been involved in the European FP7 Small or Medium Scale Collaborative Research Project “DoubleNanoMem” where he was in charge of the functionalization and characterization of CNTs as nano-fillers for the polymeric membranes. He also established a collaboration with VenetoNanotech ScpA for the evaluation of the impact of carbon nanotubes on human health (ECSIN). His interest on CNS derivatives includes also supramolecular approaches and the encapsulation of fullerenes or photoactive organic molecules in the inner cavity of CNTs (project NanoSciERA).
A range of CNS-based composite and hybrid materials have been obtained and characterized for potential applications in the field of materials science and, in particular, photovoltaics (PV) and photoactive materials. Derivatives of CNTs, graphene and fullerenes have been investigated as components of third generation photovoltaics devices (organic and hybrid PV, such as Dye Sensitized and Perovskite Solar Cells) with the aim to improve PV conversion efficiency and stability over time.
The most recent research line, about water treatment and removal of pollutants, is focused on the study of the adsorption of pollutants by carbon nanotubes and graphene and how it is affected by chemical modification of CNSs, also in view of selectivity, recycling and reusability, including the recovery of both the adsorbent and the adsorbed molecules.
He is executive board member of the Centre for Mechanics of Biological Materials (CMBM) and of the Centre “Giorgio Levi Cases” for Energy Economics and Technology of the University of Padova, member of the Italian Chemical Society, of the American Chemical Society and of Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali - INSTM.