NICE (Nature Inspired Crystal Engineering) aims to exploit crystal engineering strategies to deve-lop novel multi-component organic-inorganic smart materials for applications in the agriculture and food sectors.
In particular, the five groups belonging to NICE (from UniBo, UniPr, UniTo, UniMi and PoliMi) will concentrate their efforts on the design, preparation, characterization and evaluation of novel io-nic and neutral co-crystals (ICC) and metal organic frameworks (MOF) for the efficient release of nitrogen fertilizers (urea) and modulation of the activity of soil enzymes (urease and aminomo-noxygenase), and for the controlled release of antimicrobial and antifungal essential oils compo-nents (EOs) and antimicrobial agents in the environment or in the food chain.
Preferentially, NICE will use preparation methods based on solvent free mechanochemical synthe-sis, while characterization will be carried out by X-ray diffraction, NMR spectroscopy supported by calculations, by calorimetry and thermogravimetry. Product design will rely on database analysis and expert computational tools, while the biotechnological evaluation will be based on enzymatic and bacteriostatic methods.