Crystallization & Crystal Engineering

Department

Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT), Politecnico of Turin

Main research activities/topics/projects

 Many products of common use (e.g., food, chemicals, electronics) are crystalline in nature and controlling the way they are generated is essential to ensure their quality. Furthermore, crystallization is a versatile unit operation that can be used for separation and purification, also for the recovery of high value materials from waste (e.g., recovery of polyphenols from agri-food residues). Relevant research topics for prospective candidates are: 

• Crystal engineering of novel crystalline materials (e.g., co-crystals, salts, solid solutions) with targeted properties such as solubility and bioavailability.
• Design and characterization of novel crystalline formulations for food, agro-chemical and pharmaceutical applications
• Crystal structure characterization, determination (from single crystal) and modelling
• Crystallization process design & optimization using process analytical technology (PAT) tools and chemometrics
• Fundamental understanding of multicomponent crystallization, particularly within the food industry (e.g., agrifood residues, plant based fats)
• Modelling of crystallization processes using population balance equations
• Application of crystallization processes for the recovery of high value materials from waste (circular economy)
• Study of polymorphism and crystal structure order/disorder of organic and inorganic-organic materials.

Working language

 English

Special entry requirements

Basic knowledge of crystallization principles (e.g., solubility, supersaturation). Some wet laboratory experience. Knowledge of data processing software such as Origin, R or MATLAB

Duration in months (min-max)

PhD sandwich: 6-12

Post Doc: 6-12