At the end of September UniTS will be illuminated in gold to mark Gold September, the international awareness campaign on childhood and adolescent cancer Light it up gold / Go Gold, promoted worldwide by Childhood Cancer International.

The Italian campaign is organised by FIAGOP (Italian Federation of Parents’ and Survivors’ Associations in Paediatric Haematology and Oncology) and is supported in Trieste by AGMEN, the association that provides help to families of children with cancer treated at the Burlo Garofolo Research Hospital.

From 21st to 28th September, associations and families across Italy will take to the streets with the symbol of the Gold Ribbon, representing the strength and resilience of children with cancer. Wearing it is a sign of solidarity with young patients and their families, and a way of shining a light of hope.

This year, the campaign coincides with a long-awaited milestone: the final approval of the law on the right to be forgotten in oncology. This will allow more than 45,000 former paediatric patients to access banking, insurance, employment and adoption without discrimination.

Every year, more than 400,000 children and adolescents worldwide are diagnosed with a malignant tumour – one every three minutes. While survival rates in high-income countries approach 80%, in middle- and low-income countries they remain below 20%. In Italy, around 2,400 new cases are diagnosed annually, with recovery rates close to 80% and peaks of nearly 90% for some conditions. These figures point to significant progress, while also highlighting the urgent need for increasingly personalised treatments with fewer side effects.

The Euclid Consortium has published the largest simulated galaxy catalogue to date, making it available to researchers worldwide. It includes 3.4 billion galaxies, each modelled with numerous properties such as brightness, position, velocity and shape. The work was developed by eight European institutions, led by the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC) and the Port d’Informació Científica (PIC) in Barcelona, Spain.

The new catalogue is available on the CosmoHub platform.

The University of Trieste contributed to the project by validating the catalogue, ensuring its suitability for cosmological analysis.

In parallel, Pierluigi Monaco, Professor of Astrophysics and Cosmology, and his team produced a set of thousands of simulations using a fast approximate method called PINOCCHIO (PIN-pointing Orbit Crossing Collapsed HIerarchical Objects). The 4,500 simulations replicate the sample that Euclid will observe through spectroscopy, with the aim of calculating the uncertainties in determining cosmological parameters.

To learn more, the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) interviewed Prof. Monaco, first author of the article recently accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics on these simulations.

Read the interview “Thousands of Simulations: One Universe Is Not Enough” – MEDIA INAF

Federico Rosei, professor of Industrial Chemistry at the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Trieste, recently elected Member of the Italian Academy of Engineering and Technology, has been elected Foreign Member of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering - ATSE.

The election of prof. Rosei recognises his pioneering contribution in the field of nanomaterials and his international leadership in research, innovation and training of young people. The ATSE Class of 2025 brings together 35 leading scientists and engineers who represent the cutting edge of technological progress and applied sciences worldwide. Among them, Federico Rosei is the only Foreign Member.

This recognition by the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering further highlights prof. Rosei's achievements as a world-renowned scientist.

The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) is an independent academy founded in Melbourne that brings together over 900 of Australia's leading engineers, technologists and scientists.

The entire academic community extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Marta Gianelli at this time of great sorrow. We share below the tribute written by Professor Barbara Milani, who supported her in the first steps of her research career.

Marta studied Chemistry at the University of Milan, where she graduated with top marks in February 2024. In September 2024 she won a research fellowship competition at the University of Trieste and, from the following month, joined the group of Professor Barbara Milani in the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutics as a young research assistant.

Marta was a brilliant young researcher, full of enthusiasm and eager to continue her academic journey with a doctorate. In July she had been awarded a scholarship to pursue a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Trieste, but had decided to take up her doctoral studies at another European university and was in the middle of interviews in recent days.

Although at the very beginning of her post-graduate career, she contributed actively to the life of the group, with ideas and great initiative, and was immediately held in deep affection by us all. She often spoke about her projects and, even though we were able to share only a few months with her, I am certain that a bright future as a scientist and as a woman awaited her.

‘Once again this year, UniTS and its community are at the forefront of Trieste Next, a festival that, like our university, promotes basic research by placing it in dialogue with applied research, innovation and, as a result, relations with businesses and the local area. Today more than ever, multidisciplinarity is a value, and the cross-fertilisation between the life sciences, technological, social and human sciences plays a strategic role. This year, UniTS is present at the festival not only with over 200 volunteers who make the event possible, but also with numerous talks designed and led by students, doctoral students and technical and administrative staff.’

With these words, Donata Vianelli, Rector of the University of Trieste, presented the 2025 edition of Trieste Next at the Urban Center. The festival will be dedicated to the theme ‘Life Within. Dialogues Between Science and Technology’.

Under the scientific direction of UniTS, from 26th to 28th September 2025 the Festival of Scientific Research will once again transform Piazza Unità into a great stage for science: for three days, more than 100 events and hundreds of scientists from all over the world will engage with the public, reflecting on the challenges of our time and debating the frontiers of technological innovation.

Thanks to the support of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, top speakers of Trieste Next will form part of the university’s programme: science communicator David Quammen, author of the international bestseller ‘Spillover’, which in 2012 described the origin and evolution of pandemics, will present his new book ‘The Reluctant Mr. Darwin’ on Friday 26th September at 21:00. On Saturday 27th September at 21:00, Brian Kobilka, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2012, will illustrate his research that has opened new frontiers in understanding how cells communicate with each other, with fundamental implications for the development of new drugs.

These are the UniTS events at Trieste Next, day by day:

Friday 26th September
Saturday 27th September
Sunday 28th September

These are the ten UniTS exhibition spaces in its stand in Piazza Unità:

UniTS Stand, 26th–28th September

The stand will also host a point of sale for University merchandise:

• Friday 26th September: 16:00 – 22:00
• Saturday 27th September: 10:00 – 22:00
• Sunday 28th September: 10:00 – 20:00

Once again this year, most of the Trieste Next events will also be available via live streaming.

Sono 606 i candidati che concorrono quest’anno per l’accesso ai corsi di laurea triennali delle professioni sanitarie. Per l’anno accademico 2025/26 sono attivati dieci corsi di laurea in tre sedi (Trieste, Gorizia e Pordenone), con la novità del secondo corso di Igiene dentale a Pordenone, che si affianca a quello storico attivato nel capoluogo giuliano. 

POSTI PROGRAMMATI E NUOVE DISPOSIZIONI    
Nonostante la riforma dell’accesso a Medicina e Odontoiatria, con l’avvio del semestre aperto, l’attrattività delle professioni sanitarie si conferma con 660 iscrizioni alla prova di selezione (-79 rispetto al 2024, +74 in confronto al 2023, +30 rispetto al 2022), per 460 posti programmati (-40 rispetto allo scorso anno) così distribuiti: Infermieristica 200; Fisioterapia 40; Ostetricia (interateneo) 20; Igiene dentale – Trieste 25; Igiene dentale – Pordenone 25; Tecniche della prevenzione (sede Gorizia) 20; Tecnica della riabilitazione psichiatrica 30; Logopedia 30; Assistenza sanitaria (interateneo, sede Gorizia) 40; Dietistica (sede Pordenone) 30.

Le nuove norme, che regolano l’accesso ai corsi di laurea magistrale in Medicina e Odontoiatria e Veterinaria, prevedono anche riserve fino al 20% dei posti programmati nei corsi dichiarati affini delle professioni sanitarie, destinate a chi non risulterà in posizione utile nella graduatoria di merito al termine del semestre aperto. All'Università di Trieste saranno, quindi, disponibili fino a 40 ulteriori immatricolazioni in Infermieristica, 8 in Assistenza sanitaria e 4 in Tecniche della prevenzione nell’ambiente e nei luoghi di lavoro.

ATTRATTIVITÀ NEL COMPLESSO STABILE 
Il trend delle candidature, non sempre di facile lettura, è influenzato anche dalla variabilità dell’offerta dei corsi e dei posti disponibili, ma l’interesse sembra restare complessivamente stabile. Alcuni corsi di laurea interateneo con l’Università di Udine, ad esempio, si attivano ad anni alterni tra le due sedi: nel 2025 a Trieste è presente Ostetricia indicata come prima preferenza da 61 candidati, mentre non sono attivi Tecniche di Laboratorio Biomedico e Tecniche di Radiologia Medica per Immagini e Radioterapia, che nel 2024 avevano raccolto 111 prime opzioni. Considerata questa differenza, la diminuzione delle candidature rispetto allo scorso anno si riduce a 29 unità. Il confronto con il 2023, che aveva un’offerta molto simile all’attuale (escludendo Igiene dentale e Dietistica, allora non attivati), restituisce invece un saldo positivo di 8 iscritti alla prova di ammissione.

Inoltre, con 660 candidature, il 2025 segna il secondo miglior risultato di sempre a livello di interesse, dopo il record dello scorso anno, quando a iscriversi alla selezione furono in 739. 

Un altro aspetto molto positivo è rappresentato dalla distribuzione delle preferenze dei candidati. Ogni candidato infatti può indicare fino a tre corsi in ordine di preferenza che gli permetteranno di entrare nelle rispettive graduatorie e tutti i corsi di laurea raccolgono un numero complessivo di preferenze ampiamente superiore ai posti programmati: Infermieristica 331; Fisioterapia 343; Ostetricia (interateneo) 161; Igiene dentale – Trieste 111; Igiene dentale – Pordenone 72; Tecniche della prevenzione (sede Gorizia) 76; Tecnica della riabilitazione psichiatrica 134; Logopedia 218; Assistenza sanitaria (interateneo, sede Gorizia) 97; Dietistica (sede Pordenone) 210.

L’indicazione delle prime preferenze, invece, testimonia una sofferenza del corso di Infermieristica (118 opzioni rispetto alle 170 dello scorso), l’unico nel complesso a risentire della concorrenza del semestre aperto per l’accesso a Medicina. Contemporaneamente però quest’anno cresce l’interesse dei candidati nei confronti di Assistenza sanitaria (richieste quasi raddoppiate), Dietistica (+47% rispetto al 2024) e Logopedia (record storico con 86 prime scelte). 

PROVENIENZA E GENERE        
L’offerta formativa delle professioni sanitarie di UniTS si conferma attrattiva oltre i confini regionali: anche quest’anno, infatti, il 22% dei candidati non proviene dal Friuli Venezia Giulia. E se le candidature dei residenti a Trieste sono poco più di 1/3 del totale, il 44% è residente nelle altre province della Regione (Udine, 19%, Gorizia 13%, Pordenone 12%): un quadro che testimonia la validità della proposta didattica per la formazione dei professionisti sanitari. Si conferma anche il grande interesse femminile verso questi percorsi professionali: le candidate sono il 74%, ancora in crescita (+1%) rispetto alle prove di ammissione del 2024.

PROSPETTIVE OCCUPAZIONALI        
L’interesse verso i corsi delle professioni sanitarie è sostenuto da prospettive occupazionali molto positive: a un anno dal titolo, secondo Almalaurea, il 90% dei laureati UniTS nelle professioni sanitarie lavora, con tempi medi di inserimento di circa due mesi. Lo stipendio medio si attesta intorno ai 1.800 euro mensili.

LA PROVA   
La prova unica per tutti i corsi di laurea prevede 60 quesiti a risposta multipla: 23 di biologia, 15 di chimica, 13 di fisica e matematica, 5 di ragionamento logico e 4 di competenze di lettura e conoscenze acquisite negli studi. L’esito sarà pubblicato all’Albo ufficiale dell’Università di Trieste (www.units.it/ateneo/albo) entro 15 giorni dallo svolgimento.

On Friday 26th September the European Researchers’ Night returns to Trieste, an event promoted by the European Commission which every year involves thousands of researchers, scholars and institutions in hundreds of European cities. It is the largest communication and outreach event on research taking place in the EU and Horizon Europe-associated countries, engaging more than 1.5 million people.

In Trieste, where the event was presented today, the highlight will take place on Friday 26th September in Piazza Unità d’Italia and the surrounding areas, which for the occasion will be transformed into an open-air laboratory with meetings, shows, experiments, demonstrations and games for all ages. The aim, once again, is to spread a culture of science and knowledge of research professions in an informal and stimulating setting.

Many events will run alongside the Trieste Next science research festival, hosted in Piazza Unità d’Italia and other venues in the city centre. Other activities will anticipate the Night starting on Thursday 11th September. From 22nd September there will also be meetings in schools.

The Old Port will come to life with the special opening of the Immaginario Scientifico Science Museum from 16:00 to 20:00. A shuttle bus will link Piazza Unità with the museum premises in Magazzino 26: on board a researcher will talk about topical issues and answer questions and curiosities.

In Trieste, the lead partner of the SHARPER – Sharing Researchers’ Passion for Evolving Responsibilities project is the Immaginario Scientifico, which organises the European Researchers’ Night together with the Municipality of Trieste and the scientific institutions of the Trieste City of Knowledge Memorandum of Understanding, of which the University of Trieste is also a member.

All activities are free of charge (some require booking).

Full details here: https://www.sharper-night.it/trieste/

Below is the programme curated by the University of Trieste:

Preview events:

Thursday 11th and 18th September, 18:00-19:30 | ITS Arcademy
 IO VEDO ALTRO. When science looks at fashion

A journey through art, fashion and design via neuroscience, artificial intelligence, physics and materials, to discover – thanks to the words of researchers – the hidden links between creativity, innovation and knowledge.
 Booking required.

Organised by Area Science Park and ITS Arcademy, in collaboration with the University of Trieste, SISSA and CNR-IOM

Friday 12th and 19th September, 18:00–19:00 | Aqvedotto Caffè
SUMO SCIENCE

Late-summer evenings, sitting at tables under the trees to enjoy a lively contest between researchers from different disciplines, each passionately defending their own field of research. The audience will decide the winner.

Organised by Science Industries with researchers from ICGEB, INAF, OGS and the University of Trieste

Sunday 14th September, 11:00 and 16:00 | Immaginario Scientifico
TEN YEARS OF GRAVITATIONAL WAVES

Two talks retracing the stages of a revolutionary discovery that opened a new window on the Universe: how do the detectors work? What have we learned in a decade? What mysteries remain to be solved?

Organised by INFN Trieste and the University of Trieste

Thursday 25th September, 17:00-18:30 (meeting point 16:50, Piazza Dalmazia – tram stop)
 DON’T MISS THE SCIENCE TRAM: A JOURNEY THROUGH RAILS, RESEARCH AND WIND

A unique experience on the historic Opicina tram line. On board, passengers will hear fascinating stories of science and innovation told directly by those who live research every day. In Opicina, they will then visit the new Bora Museum, a short walk from the tram terminus, with interactive stations, curiosities, memories and stories about Trieste’s famous wind.

Free activity (participants pay only the tram ticket). Booking required (from 10th September).

Organised by the University of Trieste, INAF Trieste, INFN Trieste, Borarium

The programme for Friday 26th September

Piazza Unità d’Italia, Trieste Next university marquee
 15:00-22:00

PLAYING WITH SCIENCE

In three different areas visitors can discover some of the most recent scientific research through games and interactive experiences. Chemistry in a bubble will allow participants to create innovative materials such as slime, between bouncing and jelly-like spheres. The Comparatist is a game designed to explore laws and regulations from different countries. In the Rogue AI space, visitors will become detectives able to distinguish safe artificial intelligences from dangerous ones.

PATHWAYS TO BUILD THE FUTURE

Three of the activities offered share a vision of the future still to be built. Restorative justice pathways will present stories of injustice and innovative solutions; a virtual tour of the Friuli Venezia Giulia coastline will help understand the problem of rising sea levels; quantum experiments will link photons and atoms; and visitors will be able to travel through space among 3D printers and orbital debris simulations. In the exhibition space curated by Professor Seriani and the university team Astreo (UniTS), it will also be possible to send messages to the International Space Station and observe how a small Rover moves.

NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR HEALTH

New technologies are transforming approaches to health, care and prevention. In this exhibition space, neurological disorders will be addressed through virtual and digital rehabilitation, enabling personalised and engaging exercises to foster motivation and consistency. In the same space, scenarios will be explored on the management of chronic pain through artificial intelligence, neuromodulation, virtual reality and telemedicine within an integrated therapeutic approach.

THE TRICKED BRAIN / LESS IS MORE. DESTROYING TO CURE

Two interactive experiences exploring how the mind and the cell work: The tricked brain challenges the senses and reasoning with perceptual illusions and cognitive games, while Less is More illustrates how cells recognise and dispose of damaged proteins through ubiquitination, showing the recycling of amino acids and the link between this process and new therapies against diseases linked to protein accumulation.

Organised by the Departments of Engineering and Architecture; Physics; Political and Social Sciences; Mathematics, Computer Science and Geosciences; University Clinical Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences; Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Life Sciences; Astreo Student Team, University of Trieste; Artificial Intelligence Lab; projects 3D-L-INK; PROTOMAT; SAMBA; Office for Science Communication Support; Luciano Fonda University College; Language Lab, University of Udine. In collaboration with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region; Fibromyalgia Secretariat FVG; Italian Fibromyalgia Syndrome Association AISF ODV; CNR-IOM; CNR-INO; ASUGI, Interreg Italy-Slovenia X-BRAIN project; Ministry of Justice – Office of External Penal Enforcement.

15:00-18:30 | Sala del Torchio, Via dei Capitelli 8
 MATHEMATICS AT PLAY

Games and mathematics come together in interactive activities challenging logic, calculation, geometry and statistics, both entertaining and teaching rules and concepts.

Organised by the University of Trieste Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Geosciences, CIRD Interdepartmental Centre for Educational Research and PLS – Mathematics Project

17:00-18:30 | Porticos under the Town Hall, Piazza Unità d’Italia
 STREET SCIENCE

Science takes over public spaces: researchers step out of their laboratories and onto the ‘stage’ of the square to tell the story of their work and discoveries in the form of true street lectures.

Organised by research bodies SIS FVG, G. Tartini Conservatory of Music, University of Trieste, University of Udine

18:00-19:15 | Area Talk 1, Piazza Unità d’Italia
THE ROLE OF SAFETY IN RESEARCH ACROSS BORDERS

This session addresses the issue of researchers’ safety abroad in an international context marked by profound political, economic and social changes.

Organised by the University of Trieste

19:00-20:15 | Area Talk 2, Piazza Unità d’Italia
STORIES WITHIN. THE SUSTAINABLE LIGHTNESS OF EVERY BEING

A performance blending artistic languages with ecological, human and social reflections, turning the audience into active participants in the stage system.

Organised by the University of Trieste, Oltre quella sedia, Ministry of Justice – UDEPE

19:00-20:15 | Sala Costantinides and Sartorio Museum Park
GUARDIANS OF THE NIGHT

A sunset walk to discover bats and their hidden world, guided by researchers and listening to their calls with a bat detector.

Organised by the University of Trieste Department of Life Sciences and Bat World Italy

Roberto Di Lenarda, Rector Emeritus of the University of Trieste, has been elected President of the Italian permanent conference of university medicine departments, the body that brings together the heads of all medical disciplines in Italian universities.

The unanimous election represents recognition of Professor Di Lenarda’s longstanding commitment to promoting the quality of medical education, research, teaching innovation and the role of universities within the healthcare system.

This interuniversity conference represents almost one third of Italian academic staff: around 15,000 lecturers affiliated with the 52 academic disciplines (SSD) in the medical and sports areas (CUN Area 06), as well as related disciplines in biology, veterinary, agriculture and psychology involved in teaching medicine, dentistry, healthcare professions and the life sciences.

In his new role, Professor Di Lenarda, succeeding Professor Andrea Lenzi, who was appointed President of the National Research Council on 26 July 2025, will coordinate the activities of the interuniversity conference, fostering dialogue between institutions and disciplines and promoting shared policies to improve research, education and healthcare.

‘The permanent conference of university medicine departments is a strategic platform for addressing the future challenges of medicine and academic healthcare professions, from the sustainability of courses to the quality of care. I accept this election with satisfaction and a strong sense of responsibility: I thank Professor Lenzi and the entire community for their trust,’ said Professor Di Lenarda.

Roberto Di Lenarda has headed the Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery Clinic of the local health authority (ASUGI) for 25 years and is Head of the Integrated Department of Specialist Surgery. He served as Rector of the University of Trieste (2019–2025) and, previously, as Head of the University Clinical Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences (2012–2018). Between 2018 and 2024 he was president of the conference of university professors of oral medicine disciplines and a member of the Executive Committee of the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI).

The academic and research community extends its warmest congratulations to Professor Di Lenarda and wishes him every success in his new role.

A bibliometric study published in Frontiers in Psychology has positioned the University of Trieste as the leading university in Europe, and among the top three worldwide, for research into processes related to mathematics learning, with a particular focus on a topic of growing importance: mathematics anxiety. Defined as a feeling of discomfort or fear associated with the manipulation of numbers, mathematics anxiety has been the subject of numerous studies in recent decades, identified as one of the main obstacles to success in mathematics and influencing phenomena such as the well-known gender gap in pursuing careers in the scientific field.

In this context, the scientific output of the UniTS Laboratory for Developmental Psychology and Psychology of Learning (Department of Life Sciences) stands out. For years, under the direction of professor Maria Chiara Passolunghi and professor Sandra Pellizzoni, and with the contribution of dr Alessandro Cuder, dr Eleonora Doz, dr Federica Granello, dr Giorgia Morosini, dr Lorena Perrotti and dr Martina Taruscia, the laboratory has been dedicated to the study of these themes. 

Recent national and international reports highlight how, in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a significant decline in mathematical skills within the school population. Among the most critical aspects is the gender gap in mathematical competence to the disadvantage of girls, a gap that in Italy is the widest among OECD countries. In this context, increasing evidence points to mathematics anxiety as a key factor in understanding the difficulties associated with learning this discipline.

The scientific work of the Laboratory for Developmental Psychology and Psychology of Learning has shown how this form of anxiety represents a risk factor as early as primary school, affecting pupils regardless of their cognitive abilities and having a negative impact on their performance. Girls in particular appear more vulnerable to this phenomenon than their male peers, reporting stronger anxious experiences with potential consequences for their wellbeing at school and their motivation to embark on study paths in the technical-scientific fields. The laboratory’s studies also indicate that mathematics anxiety expressed by parents can be transmitted to children as early as the preschool years, from the age of three, interfering with the development of early numerical skills. Mathematics anxiety then tends to reinforce itself over time through the accumulation of academic failures, extending into secondary school and reverberating into adulthood. In this context, the laboratory’s research has also highlighted how negative attitudes towards mathematics can predict, even years later, whether or not students choose to pursue scientific pathways, potentially influencing the readiness of future citizens to address the challenges of scientific and technological progress, which are strategic for the development of the country.

Despite the pervasive and persistent nature of mathematics anxiety from childhood to adulthood, research is increasingly focusing on identifying intervention strategies to promote positive attitudes towards the subject. Several studies have shown encouraging results through activities developed in collaboration with parents and teachers, designed to help pupils recognise and manage their emotions during learning.

In this direction, the Laboratory has achieved promising results through programmes that help children learn to ‘name’ the feelings of anxiety experienced while performing mathematical tasks, before applying specific procedures to reduce the impact of these anxious experiences. Such interventions encourage alternatives to avoidance behaviours, fostering a more adaptive approach to tasks by valuing mistakes as an informative resource – particularly significant in a discipline where error is an intrinsic part of the learning process. In this context, the Laboratory’s recent activities have also focused on assessing the effectiveness of programmes for teachers and parents, who are key figures in the educational and emotional experience of students and can act as promoters of effective, lasting and continuous change over time.

An international research group, including the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Trieste, has discovered a new mechanism for the photocatalytic activation of hydrogen, making it possible to selectively convert CO₂ into ethylene. This breakthrough paves the way for more efficient and sustainable production without the use of fossil fuels or petroleum derivatives.

The results of the study have been published in the prestigious journal Science and could have major implications for industry and decarbonisation processes.

An international team of researchers has discovered a new photocatalytic mechanism for hydrogen activation, used to design a novel process for producing ethylene from carbon dioxide (CO₂) and hydrogen.

Ethylene is a key component in the production of plastics used in packaging, food, textiles, coatings, electrical insulation, automotive tyres and medical equipment. Annual global production exceeds 150 million tonnes and currently relies on the catalytic conversion of fossil hydrocarbons, which contributes to rising greenhouse gas emissions.

The study has been published in the prestigious journal Science and could have major implications for industry and decarbonisation processes.

Among the co-authors of the study is Paolo Fornasiero, professor in the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Trieste, Associate at the Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds (ICCOM-CNR) in Florence, and member of the National Interuniversity Consortium for Materials Science and Technology (INSTM).

The research carried out by professor Fornasiero and colleagues proposes a new way of activating hydrogen, that is, making it more reactive and ready to form new chemical bonds through the formation of electric dipoles induced by ultraviolet radiation on the surface of gold-based photocatalysts deposited on titanium dioxide. The discovery was applied to the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide with the aim of transforming this greenhouse pollutant into high-value products. The research is based on the awareness that green hydrogen will soon be available in large quantities, produced by electrolysis using electricity from renewable sources. The overall photocatalytic process developed leads to the selective formation of ethylene from carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

Among the co-authors of the study is Paolo Fornasiero, professor at the University of Trieste, Associate at the ICCOM-CNR Institute in Florence and member of the INSTM consortium, who comments: "In the perspective of an increasingly sustainable economy, less polluting and less energy-intensive, our study suggests the possibility of producing ethylene through an innovative and sustainable method. This would drastically reduce dependence on fossil fuels, decoupling its cost from the price of raw materials and energy, particularly oil and natural gas".

At present, ethylene is produced through catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons in the presence of steam. This process involves heating hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane, naphtha and gas oil to very high temperatures (typically 750-950 °C) with steam. Steam reduces the undesirable formation of carbon deposits on the surface of the catalysts and participates in breaking down larger hydrocarbons into smaller ones, including ethylene. The resulting mixture is then separated by compression and distillation to isolate ethylene. Production costs are heavily dependent on the type and availability of hydrocarbon feedstock, as well as on transport issues and competition with energy markets. The possibility of using carbon dioxide, green hydrogen, light and a suitable photocatalyst to produce ethylene could therefore not only offer economic and environmental benefits but also reduce the increasingly critical dependence on raw materials unevenly distributed worldwide.

The researchers successfully demonstrated their findings under conditions close to those of industrial interest, developing a first prototype.

The international research team includes, alongside professor Paolo Fornasiero, professors Nenchao Luo and Feng Wang from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (China).

Professor Fornasiero’s research is currently funded by the European Commission (HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-03-01 and HORIZON-EIC-2023-PATHFINDEROPEN-01).

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Full study published in Science

Photochemical H2 dissociation for nearly quantitative CO2 reduction to ethylene

Ping Jin,1,3 Pu Guo,1 Nengchao Luo,1,3,* Hui Zhang,4,5 Chenwei Ni,1,3 Ruotian Chen,1 Wei Liu,1 Rengui Li,1 Jianping Xiao,1 Guoxiong Wang,6 Fuxiang Zhang,1 Paolo Fornasiero,2,* Feng Wang1,3,*

1. State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China.

2. Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Centre for Energy, Environment and Transport Giacomo Ciamiciam, INSTM Trieste Research Unit and ICCOM-CNR Trieste Research Unit, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, Trieste 34127, Italy.

3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.

4. Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201204, China.

5. National Key Laboratory of Materials for Integrated Circuits, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China.

6. Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.