Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

About: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia is a facility organization based out in Genoa, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Robot & Humanoid robot. The organization has 4561 authors who have published 14595 publications receiving 437558 citations. The organization is also known as: Italian Institute of Technology & IIT.

Ab Initio Determination of Ground and Excited State Oxidation Potentials of Organic Chromophores for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract: Ab initio calculations of the ground state oxidation potential (GSOP) and excited state oxidation potential (ESOP) are reported for a set of four triphenylamine-based dyes for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications, with increasing degree of charge transfer. The performance of DFT in predicting GSOP is evaluated by employing various exchange-correlation (x-c) functionals, with different amounts of Hartree−Fock exchange and different combinations of correlation functionals. The choice of the correlation part of the x-c functional was crucial in getting accurate GSOPs. For excited state geometry optimizations, needed to calculate the adiabatic excitation energies E0−0 and therefore the ESOPs, the use of hybrid functionals with a large amount (∼50%) of nonlocal Hartree−Fock exchange has been shown to be mandatory to avoid the formation of artificial minima in correspondence of a twisted geometries with a high degree of charge transfer. Our results show that a proper DFT/TDDFT approach can provide a re...

Readiness Level of Sodium-Ion Battery Technology: A Materials Review

Abstract: As renewable energy sources are taking a wider share of worldwide energy production,[1] grids reliability and utilization efficiency are plummeting.[2,3] This is mainly due to intermittency and discontinuity of power sources, such as wind and solar, which determine uncertainties in energy production capability and in fulfilling the instantaneous energy demand. This aspect, in turn, sensibly increases the unpredictability of energy prices spikes and marginal and maintenance costs of traditional fossil fuel plants, which are demanded Since the breakthrough achieved in the research around material intercalating lithium, almost a decade has passed before the commercialization of the first lithium-ion battery (LIB). On the brink of an energy voracious future, convergence of scientific efforts over efficient and low-cost energy production and storage would be advantageous and beneficial. The research hovering around sodium-ion rechargeable batteries (SIBs), a more sustainable alternative to LIBs, has been observing a positive momentum for ten years now, and chemically stable and electrochemically performing anode and cathode materials represent important milestones on the path toward a commercial full-cell. Material science breakthroughs achieved in carbon and graphite based matrices, layered and open framework structures, and sodium storing alloys, disclose new full-cell set up opportunities going beyond traditional “rocking chair” configuration. In this contribution an in-depth analysis of chemical and physical principles lying beyond the energy storage provided by SIBs most recently investigated active materials is given. In the second half of the review, challenges, opportunities, and state-of-the art description of full-cell SIBs lab scale prototypes are discussed. The latter, indeed, stands for a technological validation of a low-cost alternative to lithium-ion batteries guaranteeing energy densities close to 150 Wh kg−1.

Selective activation of parvalbumin- or somatostatin-expressing interneurons triggers epileptic seizurelike activity in mouse medial entorhinal cortex.

Abstract: GABAergic interneurons are thought to play a critical role in eliciting interictal spikes (IICs) and triggering ictal discharges in temporal lobe epilepsy, yet the contribution of different interne...

Femtosecond torsional relaxation

Abstract: A molecule can alter shape as it absorbs a photon. It is now shown that quantum effects can play an important role in this change leading to conformation rates hundreds of times faster than previously expected.

3D Microfluidic model for evaluating immunotherapy efficacy by tracking dendritic cell behaviour toward tumor cells

Abstract: Immunotherapy efficacy relies on the crosstalk within the tumor microenvironment between cancer and dendritic cells (DCs) resulting in the induction of a potent and effective antitumor response. DCs have the specific role of recognizing cancer cells, taking up tumor antigens (Ags) and then migrating to lymph nodes for Ag (cross)-presentation to naive T cells. Interferon-α-conditioned DCs (IFN-DCs) exhibit marked phagocytic activity and the special ability of inducing Ag-specific T-cell response. Here, we have developed a novel microfluidic platform recreating tightly interconnected cancer and immune systems with specific 3D environmental properties, for tracking human DC behaviour toward tumor cells. By combining our microfluidic platform with advanced microscopy and a revised cell tracking analysis algorithm, it was possible to evaluate the guided efficient motion of IFN-DCs toward drug-treated cancer cells and the succeeding phagocytosis events. Overall, this platform allowed the dissection of IFN-DC-cancer cell interactions within 3D tumor spaces, with the discovery of major underlying factors such as CXCR4 involvement and underscored its potential as an innovative tool to assess the efficacy of immunotherapeutic approaches.