Marta Vagnarelli

Personal Introduction

Marta earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Sapienza University of Rome, where she focused on environmental issues related to lithium-ion battery disposal. She then completed an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Chemical Nano-Engineering at Aix-Marseille University, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, and University of Rome Tor Vergata.

Her master’s thesis centered on the design and synthesis of curcuminoid derivatives as non-fullerene acceptors for indoor organic photovoltaics. Afterwards, she worked as a research grant holder at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, on sulfonated polysulfone membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

She is currently a Ph.D. researcher at IMSEAM at Heidelberg University, working on the development of degradable micro-robots using two-photon laser printing. The main objective is to design a material that can be polymerized via two-photon laser printing and to obtain micro-robots with optimized 3D structures that can be degraded under mild conditions.

Her research interests include sustainable materials, polymer chemistry, and renewable energy technologies.

Project Introduction

The identification and evaluation of suitable degradable materials for micro-robot fabrication, as well as the development of formulation for two-photon laser printing (including printing parameters) is key to design micro-robots with optimized geometry and functionality. Additionally, we will also study the degradation kinetics of the fabricated micro-robots under different conditions and determine the factors influencing degradation rates. In that regard, our studies will contribute to develop new biodegradable and printable materials of interest in the field of micro-robotics.