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The exploitation of plastic, especially in packaging, has raised growing concerns due to the poor management of plastic waste, leading to environmental contamination. In recent years, bio-based polymers as substitutes for fossil-based polymers are undergoing a phase of growing academic and industrial interest driven by environmental reasons and the expected depletion of crude oil. In this context, this work aims to contribute to the development of a pathway from bio-based building-blocks to new multifunctional polymeric materials. In particular, the present research work described thus concerns the synthesis, characterization and study of the different properties of bio-based materials based on polyfuran. In detail, poly(butylene furanoate) (PBF) and poly(pentamethylene furanoate) PPeF were synthetized and characterized. The welding behavior of amorphous and semi-crystalline PBF films was studied by means of thermal and ultrasonic welding. PBF can be considered an encouraging bio-based alternative for monomaterial packaging with promising sealing properties. Moreover, PPeF was successfully coated on paper obtaining a coating thickness around 20 µm. The study results are a promising starting point to develop novel multilayer materials that can enter the paper recycling stream. Plastic containers and packaging materials can degrade under different conditions, leading to microplastic formation, which can contaminate food during production processes. Despite the concerning implications, there is a lack of comprehensive research on global trends in microplastic contamination of food and beverages. To fill this gap, the presented work aims to contribute by developing methods for detecting microplastics in plastic-packaged foods. This study includes three main case studies: commercial vegetable oils, coffee capsules and chocolate bars. Different membranes (silicon filter and Anodisc) for the collection of the microplastics and the analysis via µ-FTIR and µ-Raman were teste

The research project „Learning Economies. Modelling Community-Led Local Development for the Sustainable Economic Trajectories оf the Negotin аnd Zlatibor Regions” is a policy oriented project that provides a platform for interdisciplinary scientific collaboration on identification and construction of a Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) intervention model on the regional sustainable development paths.The project is part of the “Executive Programme for Scientific and Technological Cooperation Between the Italian Republic and The Republic of Serbia for the Years 2016-2018” as a "Joint Research Project of Particular Relevance" ("Progetti di Grande Rilevanza" aisensi della I. 401/90).

In che modo affrontiamo le istanze poste dalla complessità del territorio nelle pratiche e nella definizione di politiche territoriali? Cosa è la territorialità e quali possono le variabli in gioco nei processi di territorializzazione dei fenomeni urbani? Per rispondere a queste domande il contributo introdurrà la nozione di regione, territorio, luogo, territorialità e territorializzazione. In seguito si analizzano le variabili e le dimensioni emerse, nell’abito della sessione Terrioriality and Urban Policies, nell’affrontare le istanze poste dalla complessità territoriale. Tali dimensioni della “produzione territoriale” saranno qui trattate come un punto di partenza per una definizione delle politiche territoriali che sia informata dall’analisi dei fenomeni urbani e il più possibile aderente alla complessità dei territori contemporanei., How do we deal with territorial complexity in present urban territorial policies and practices. What is territoriality and what are the dimension od territorial production ? In order to explore this issue the contribute will unpack in the first paragraph the notion of region, territory, place, territoriality and territorialisation. In the second paragraph it will outline the dimension of territorial production that inform urban and territorial policies as emerged from the conference parallel session on Territoriality and urban policy. These dimension might inform future approach in territorial policy making., Peer Reviewed

Il processo di urbanizzazione è un fenomeno che, negli ultimi decenni, ha registrato notevoli cambiamenti, i quali hanno avuto delle ripercussioni sulla distribuzione della popolazione mondiale tra aree urbane e rurali. L’aumento di popolazione nei centri urbani sta già creando problemi relativi alla produzione e allo smaltimento dei rifiuti e alla disponibilità e qualità della risorsa idrica, come anche problemi di sicurezza sanitaria nelle periferie che continuano ad espandersi in assenza di infrastrutture e servizi. In relazione a ciò, il modello di sviluppo urbano sostenibile assume una valenza strategica in termini sociali, economici ed ambientali. Il turismo può, infatti, contribuire ad aumentare la vitalità economica delle città e a rafforzare il senso di identità urbana. Il turismo sostenibile contribuisce, inoltre, a mantenere l'integrità ambientale e culturale delle comunità, a conservare il patrimonio naturale e le zone ecologicamente sensibili. In questa Sessione dedicata al turismo è stata avviata una riflessione su ciò che il turismo può e deve fare per la sostenibilità del territorio, in maniera particolare di quello urbano. Diventa fondamentale comprendere in che modo il turismo può essere un elemento che può dare un contributo significativo allo sviluppo e all’innovazione sostenibile urbana, dato il suo impatto trasversale sulla società e le sue molteplici sfaccettature ambientali, economiche, sociali, culturali. In conclusione, sulla base degli spunti emersi è lecito affermare che il turismo rappresenti una opportunità di trasformazione delle città e dei territori circostanti, modificando gli equilibri sociali e culturali, economici e urbanistici, riuscendo persino a cambiare il modo di intendere e di vivere le città., Peer Reviewed

During the past years, the considerable need in the domain of communications for more potent photonic devices has focused the research activities into the nonlinear optical (NLO) materials which can be used for modern optical switches. In this regard, a lot of research activities are focused on the organic materials and conjugated polymers which offer more advantages compared to the inorganic ones. On this matter, poly(3-alkylthiophene) (P3AT), an organic conjugated polymer, can be investigated as potential optical material with in particular the focus on the NLO properties such as the first- and second-hyperpolarizability, β and γ respectively. The activities carried out at the Laboratory of Polymer Synthesis of the KU Leuven, during the master's thesis work, focused on the study of conjugated polymers in order to evaluate their NLO properties for the future purpose of applications in optical systems. In particular, three series of polythiophenes functionalized with an alkyl side chain in the 3-position were synthesized: poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), poly[3-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophene] (P3EHT) and random copolymer of the two regio-isomers of P3HT. They were made in order to study the influence of molar mass, branching and regio-irregularity on the γ-value. The Kumada catalyst transfer condensative polymerization (KCTCP) and the Pd(RuPhos)-protocol were used for the polymerizations in order to have control over the molar mass of the growing chain and consequently to obtain well-defined and reproducible materials. The P3AT derivatives obtained were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), spectroscopic techniques (1H-NMR, UV-Vis) and the γ-value was investigated using the third-harmonic scattering (THS) technique. In particular, the THS technique is useful to investigate the optical behavior of the series of polymers in solution.