SH7_5 Sustainability sciences,
environment and resources
Research topics
Non-equilibrium
and
irreversible
thermodynamics
The main approach to non-equilibrium thermodynamics is the
development of the Onsager, Gibbs and Jaynes theories by
introducing the stochastic order for the thermodynamic paths
in irreversible processes of open dissipative systems. The
results were used in engineering applications, pointing out
the fundamental role of entropy production and its maximum
at the stationary states.
Rational thermodynamics was linked to Irreversible
thermodynamics pointing out the fundamental role of the
study of the environment to understand the open system
behaviour. Thermodynamic Lagrangian was directly linked to
macroscopic thermodynamic quantities.
Carnot's results were explained by analysing irreversibility
in ideal systems by using the Gouy-Stodola theorem.
Applications: Fluid flows; Optimisation of cyanobacteria
biochemical reaction for industrial use; Magnetocaloric
refrigeration; Photofission processes; Cavitation; Stirling
heat pumps.
The main approach to quantum thermodynamics is the study of
irreversibility in an open quantum system, with a particular
interest in atomic behaviour when the atom is analysed
without using the Franck-Condon approximation. This study
was carried out by considering the photon-electron
interaction in the atom, in a semiclassical approximation
model.
A thermodynamic definition of time was introduced, based on
entropy definition and evaluated by considering entropy
production and its rate.
The non-equilibrium temperature was defined based on the
previous results.
The analysis of fluctuations for nanosystems was carried out
and was used to model quantum machines, with particular
interest in biological molecular machines.
The main approach to Thermodynamics of biological systems is
the thermodynamic analysis of irreversible processes in the
biological matter.
The fundamental results concern the analysis of the tumour
growth based on exergetic analysis. Starting from the Schrödinger results in What's life and
introducing the Denbigh, Onsager and Prigogine approaches
the bioenergetic analysis of Krebs and Warburg cycles was
developed obtatining their exergetic balance and the
evaluation of their dissipation by entropy production
calculations.
The thermal resonance was introduced in the analysis of cell
heat transfer and cell ion transport.
Experimental activities confirmed the theoretical approach
and results.
Interaction between electromagnetic waves
and biological matter
The main approach to this topic is the thermodynamic model
of open systems used to analyse the cell behaviour when a
cell interacts with a low-frequency electromagnetic wave.
Consequently, bio-engineering thermodynamics emerged from
the classical mechano-biology, improving this last approach
and introducing the second law analysis.
The result is to point out how biophysics is a powerful
approach to studying open problems in biology and medicine.
Optimisation of biochemical processes was obtained in
engineering applications, while a new therapeutic approach
was introduced against cancer growth, based on low-frequency
electromagnetic interactions.
Resonance was used to control heat fluxes from the cell
towards its environment.
Engineering thermodynamics was introduced in bio-economy.
The UN's Human Development Index was improved by introducing
the Gouy-Stodola theorem to link socio-economic to technical
and environmental quantities to obtain an index for
sustainability, the Thermodynamic Human Development Index
(THDI).
Applications to different countries were developed. The role
of scientific and technical skills in education was pointed
out to realise sustainable development.
Alessandria district was studied to point out how
sustainability could be realised by using the thermodyanamic
approach.
Accelerator-driven systems have been studied as possible
renewable power generation systems that allow us to address
answer to nuclear fission wastes and tritium production.
A statistical mechanic and thermodynamic analysis of
photofission was developed obtaining a thermophysical model
of the nuclear excitation function in photon-nucleus
interaction. The effective mass of quasi-deuteron, its mean
velocity and the cross-section were evaluated in the
quasi-deuteron energy model.
