CNR

CNR (National Research Council) is the largest research institution in Italy. CNR is organized in specialized research Institutes which work in all fields of research; four have headquarters or branches in Trieste: IOM (IOM, Istituto Officina dei Materiali, HQ and a branch in Trieste), IC (Istituto di Cristallografia, a branch in Trieste), ISM (Istituto di Struttura della Materia, a branch in Trieste), ISMAR (Istituto di Scienze Marine, a branch in Trieste).

The CNR Institutes IOM and ISM in Trieste study basic and time dependent processes in low density and low dimensionality systems, develop and characterize innovative materials and devices at the micro- and nano-scale. To this aim, they use a set of tools and methodologies like theoretical modelling, atom-by-atom synthesis, fine analysis, materials and device functionalization. The scientific focus is on hybrid materials (inorganic, organic, biologic), superconductivity, spintronics (spin transport electronics, exploiting the magnetic moment of the electron), sub-microscopic energy transportation and storage, fundamental properties of structures like DNA or proteins, development of devices and sensors for biomedical applications. The Institutes manage a great share of CNR activities at the Italian and European large scale research infrastructures in the field of matter characterization. The Institute operates 10 beamlines at the Elettra laboratory as well as two neutron and a x-ray beamline at the ILL and the ESRF laboratories, respectively, located inside the scientific hub of Grenoble, France. Microscopic characterization of materials and systems is carried out with different microscopy techniques like TEM, SEM and STM. New materials synthesis is based on growth technologies via atomic beam deposition, including extremely high-purity semiconductor deposition, and the manufacturing of devices is based on nano- and micro-structuring through lithography. Atomic-level numerical modeling applied to advanced materials, biological systems and physics of highly correlated systems. There is also a strong commitment to the development of new computational methodologies for the general use of the international scientific community (e.g. Quantum Espresso) as well as of innovative instrumentation and methodologies for fine analysis of matter.

IC is focused on the biochemical, biophysical, functional and structural characterization of proteins of therapeutic and biotechnological relevance as well as on the physical properties of nanostructured materials, semiconductors for bio - and optoelectronic applications, and the rheology of lipid-based matrices, hydro-gels and  emulsions relevant to food and drug delivery systems. IC shares, in partnership with Sincrotrone Trieste SCpA, the X-ray diffraction beamline XRD1 at  ELETTRA and the state of the art highly automated platforms dedicated to protein crystallization and the automatic visualization and recording of the crystallization experiments.

ISMAR in Trieste is focused on studies on chemical and physical oceanography, with a particular attention to the interactions between atmosphere and sea. These studies are carried out in the Mediterranean and Polar regions. Studies on environmental chemistry include the biogeochemistry of major elements (C, N, Si, P), as well as inorganic carbon system in the sea and ocean acidification. Physical studies include hydrology, water mass circulation from local to basin scales, sea level variability and effects of meteorological conditions on marine environment.

ISMAR Trieste manages a meteo-marine platform (PALOMA) located in the center of the Gulf of Trieste and a network of meteorological and tide-gauge stations, for the acquisition of real-time marine and atmospheric data.