Researcher
Scientific Area: Industrial Chemistry

Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale
Via Moruzzi 13, 56124 PISA

Office Phone: 050 2219241
Lab. Phone: 050 2219205
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Web of Science: ResearcherID: P-5755-2015
Scopus: Scopus Author ID: 57201409934
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2884-3053
Personal Web Page: https://people.unipi.it/elisa_guazzelli/
UniMap: https://unimap.unipi.it/cercapersone/dettaglio.php?ri=136310

Short academic CV
Dr. Elisa Guazzelli is currently a tenured track researcher at the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa. She obtained both her M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry (110/110 cum laude) and her Ph.D. in Chemical and Material Sciences (summa cum laude) from the University of Pisa, focusing on the design, synthesis, and characterization of amphiphilic polymers and their self-assembly in solution and solid films. Dr. Guazzelli also spent six months as a visiting researcher at the Université de Toulon (France), investigating marine antifouling coatings in collaboration with the MAPIEM laboratory. Dr Guazzelli is also a member of the Italian Association of Macromolecular Science and Technology (AIM) and is affiliated with the INSTM Consortium.
Alongside her research, Dr. Guazzelli tutored several B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. students. Since 2025 she has been teaching the course of technology of polymeric materials and the laboratory of macromolecular design and polymeric materials for special applications. She contributes to outreach initiatives for schools and the general public, demonstrating practical and engaging aspects of polymer chemistry, and partners with industry to translate fundamental polymer research into viable commercial technologies.

Research Interests
The research interests focus on advanced polymeric materials, from fundamental chemistry to real-world application, addressing challenges in sustainability, energy, and environmental protection:

• Self-assembling amphiphilic polymers: Designing block, random, and graft architectures via RAFT/ATRP/NMP to create polymer nanomaterials, single-chain “unimer” micelles or nanostructured films. These materials show promise for drug encapsulation and biomedical applications, catalysis and environmental applications, owing to their complex stimuli-responsive behavior (e.g., temperature-responsive polymers).
• Eco-friendly antifouling coatings: Developing and testing low-fouling and fouling release polymers (fluorinated, polysiloxane, zwitterionic, etc.) to combat marine biofouling, with coatings that reduce both biological adhesion and environmental impact.
• Ion-exchange membranes for green hydrogen production and energy storage systems: Functionalizing commercial polymers (e.g., through radical grafting) to create highly conductive, chemically stable proton or anion-exchange membranes. These membranes are vital for emerging clean-energy production and storage technology such as efficient alkaline water electrolysis and redox flow batteries.
• Transparent wood composites: Bleaching lignin in mild conditions and combining natural wood with transparent polymer matrices, wood-based composites that are light, strong, thermally insulating, and optically transparent can be produced. This strategy also upcycles sawmill waste and may lead to novel, low-impact materials with advanced performance for energy-efficient buildings.