Alfonso GRASSI | Curriculum

prof. Alfonso Grassi graduated in Chemistrycum laudeat the University of Naples in 1980. From 1980 to 1981 he studied, in collaboration with prof. Alberto Buri at the Faculty of Engineering in Naples, the synthesis and characterization of ceramic materials using the sol – gel method. He joined later on the group of prof. Adolfo Zambelli at the University of Salerno where he was appointed Assistant Professor (1983), Associate Professor (1991) and Full Professor (2002) in Inorganic Chemistry. To date he is member of the Department of Chemistry and Biology “Adolfo Zambelli” of the University of Salerno.At the beginning of the scientific career in Salerno, the main research interests were in olefin polymerization promoted by homogenous metal catalysts. In particular prof. Grassi contributed to the investigation of syndiospecific polymerization of styrene promoted by half-titanocene catalysts and stereospecific copolymerization of styrene with conjugated dienes; multiblock copolymers of syndiotactic polystyrene with cis-1,4-poly(butadiene) were synthesized for the first time and their microstructure and morphology investigated to design novel nanostructured polymeric materials showing thermo elastomeric properties. Post-metallocene group 4 and 5 metal catalysts of multidentate ligands, carrying oxygen and nitrogen donors, were synthesized and successfully employed in homo- and copolymerization of olefins. The structural characterization of crystalline polymers and organometallics was studied using solution and solid state NMR techniques; in this contest prof. Grassi collaborated with Montell (Italy), Enichem (Italy), Aristec (USA) for the characterization of polymeric materials by solution and solid state NMR spectroscopy and the elucidation of olefin polymerization mechanisms.

Recent interests of the professor Grassi’s group are in sustainable catalysis and are mainly devoted to:

1. controlled polymerization of polar and biosourced monomers via ATRP and metal catalyzed olefin polymerization with the aim of designing nano-structured functional polymeric materials;
2. green catalysis of metal nanoparticles incarcerated in nanoporous polymeric host matrix applied to redox reactions under sustainable conditions;
3. metal catalyzed copolymerization of CO2with epoxide;
4. ring opening polymerization of lactide and lactons for the synthesis of biosourced polyesters.

prof. Grassi was tutor of 35 students for the degree thesis in Chemistry and Biology; supervisor of 10 PhD students in Chemical Sciences; Guest Editor of a special issue of Macromolecular Rapid Communication in 2004. The research group participated to research projects funded in the call MIUR-PRIN (1998; 2000; 2002; 2004; 2007).

prof. Grassi published more than 130 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 5 scientific contributions in books and is co-author of three patents. He held more than 60 oral communications to international congresses and academic institutions.

ORCID:0000.0002-2664-3114

Selected seminars: Polimeri Europa (Ravenna 2013); Iowa State University (1995); Trinity College Dublin (2004); Alcala de Henares (2002; 2005; 2007); The Chicago University (2017); Goodyear Tire and Rubber (2002; 2017); TUM Monaco (2013); IX Scuola per dottorandi in Chimica organometallica (2004).

Education & Career

1980	"Laurea" degree in Chemistry, University of Naples, Italy (proff. F. Cafieri and E. Fattorusso).
1981-1982	Post graduate fellow – Research Project “Synthesis of ceramic materials by sol-gel methods”- University of Naples, Italy (prof. A. Buri).
1983-1991	Assistant Professor of General and Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Salerno.
1995	Visiting professor at the University of Iowa (USA) invited by prof. R. F. Jordan.
1991-2002	Associate Professor of General and Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Salerno.
1998-to date	Member of the Board of the PhD School in Chemical Sciences (University of Salerno).
2002-to date	Professor of General and Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Salerno
2007-2012	Professor in the Interuniversity Master on “Molecular Inorganic Chemistry” at the University of Alcala de Henares (Spain).
2013	Visiting professor at TUM (Munich- Germany)- (prof. B. Rieger).
2008-to date:	Responsible of the Laboratory on Inorganic Chemistry and Sustainable Catalysis (SCIC), DCB – University of Salerno).

Reviewer

Referee of journals edited by ACS, Royal Chemical Society, Elsevier and VCH.

Referee in the Register of Expert Peer-Reviewers for Italian Scientific Evaluation (REPRISE).

Referee of research projects for Dutch Polymer Institute (2013); French National Research Agency - ANR (2017); Provincia Autonoma di Trento (2017).

Organization

1986-2002	Director of the NMR Laboratory at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Salerno.
1990-1995	Member of the Research Council of the University of Salerno.
1997-to date	Coordinator of the Erasmus mobility program with the University of Alcala de Henares (Spain).
2002-2005	Director of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Salerno.
2006-2008	Director of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Salerno.
2006-2011	Member of the Board of the Interuniversity Consortium on Chemical Reactivity and Catalysis (CIRCC).
2011-2013	Member of the Scientific Committee of CIRCC (Bari-Italy).
2009-2015	Director of the NMR Laboratory at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Salerno.
2010	Director of the International School on Polymer Synthesis and Characterization (Salerno – Italy).
2012	Director of the International School on Sustainable Polymers and Catalysis (Salerno –Italy).
2012-2015	Member of the Patent Commission of the University of Salerno.
2016-to date	Deputy Director of the Department of Chemistry and Biology - University of Salerno.

Membership

prof. Grassi was member of the American Chemical Society and Società Chimica Italiana.

Financial supports and grants

1996	Responsible (each year) for projects MIUR 60% and FARB-UNISA.
1998-2002	Research Project “Synthesis of Novel Polymers for the Rubber Production” with GOODYEAR RUBBER & TIRE (Akron –USA).
2000-2002	Integrated Action Italy - Spain (MIUR) with Universidad de Alcala de Henares.
2006-2008	Research Project “New Glazes to Fast Fired” in collaboration with ESMALGLASS (Spain) FAR – MIUR.
2006-2011	Research project “Polymeric Materials of actual interest made from pre-Catalytic and co-Catalyst systems based on Organometallic Derivatives “ Spanish Ministry of Education – (Alcalà de Henares – Spain).
2007-2013	Research project “Materiali e Strutture Intelligenti” - “MASTRI” - Campania POR Campania Fondi FSE. (Responsible of research unit).
2012-2017:	Research project ““REBIOCHEM” - Italian Ministry of Education (MIUR) - Cluster Tecnologico Nazionale 2012 (Responsible of research unit).
	Responsible of research units funded by MIUR, call PRIN 1998-2000 (coordinator: prof. Paolo Corradini); PRIN 2001-2002 (coordinator: prof. Adolfo Zambelli); PRIN 2002-2004 (coordinator: prof. Gaetano Guerra); PRIN 2006-2007 (coordinator: prof. Gaetano Guerra).

Responsible of research units funded by MIUR, call PRIN 1998-2000 (coordinator: prof. Paolo Corradini); PRIN 2001-2002 (coordinator: prof. Adolfo Zambelli); PRIN 2002-2004 (coordinator: prof. Gaetano Guerra); PRIN 2006-2007 (coordinator: prof. Gaetano Guerra).