- Laurea Degree in Chemistry (magna cum laude) in 1999, from Parma University.
- PhD Degree in Chemical Sciences in 2003, from Parma University.
- March 2004 - September 2005: Marie Curie Intra-European Fellow (European Commission, 6th Framework Programme) at Université Rennes 1, CNRS-UMR6510 (France).
- November 2005 - February 2015: Assistant Professor at Parma University, Department of Chemistry.
- Since March 2015: Associate Professor at Parma University, Department of Chemistry.
The scientific production of F. Terenziani includes 82 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, 15 publications in international journals without impact factor or in peer-reviewed conference proceedings, 3 book chapters; 75 contributions to international conferences, among which 16 oral communications were personally presented; 10 invited lectures.
Scopus: 104 publications; h-index = 31; 3839 citations (March 2024).
My research activity focuses on functional molecular materials, especially based on π-conjugated organic molecules. In particular, I am interested in linear and nonlinear optical properties, charge and energy transfer processes, as well as the effects of the surrounding environment and intermolecular interactions on these properties. The approach I use to investigate these systems integrates a detailed experimental study, mostly using optical spectroscopy tools, with theoretical analysis for the interpretation and prediction of the properties of interest, mainly using semi-empirical theoretical models, developed and implemented over the last 25 years.
From an experimental point of view, my research is mainly based on optical spectroscopy, especially absorption, fluorescence (both steady-state and time-resolved; anisotropy) and nonlinear absorption. In particular, I am responsible for the UV-vis-NIR optical spectroscopy laboratory, the new spectrofluorimetry laboratory, and the recently established Nonlinear Optical Microscopy Laboratory.
My specific and innovative contribution to the Department's optical spectroscopy skills mainly concerns advanced fluorimetry techniques (applied to organic systems) and nonlinear spectroscopy and microscopy techniques (two-photon absorption; second harmonic generation). Among the most significant publications in this field I highlight those relating to the use of electronic spectroscopy (absorption and fluorescence, including anisotropy) to investigate the role of the solvent, both in relation to solvatochromia [JACS2006, JPCB2008a, ChemPhysChem2019, CG&D2022] and symmetry-breaking phenomena [JACS2006, JPCB2008a, JPCB2011, CEJ2019, ChemSci2023]. In particular, the publication [JACS2006], with its over 370 citations, serves as a reference in the sector for symmetry-breaking phenomena in centrosymmetric (so-called quadrupolar) chromophores, followed by the publication [JPCB2008a], which investigates and describes symmetry-breaking phenomena in octupolar molecules. Notable applications of fluorescence are reported in the publication [ChemComm2019], in which a ratiometric temperature sensor is proposed, and [Small2011, Small2013, JMCC2015], in which innovative organic nanoparticles are conceived and used for two-photon excited fluorescence and for multiphoton imaging. Particular interest was also paid to model bichromophoric systems for the study of energy and charge transfer processes (phenomena at the basis of photosynthesis), obtaining interesting results on the effect of solvent and disorder [ChemPhysChem2016, Dyes&Pigm2019, JMCC2021].
During the last 6 years, I have dedicated much of my time to the establishment of a new advanced UV-vis-NIR spectrofluorimetry laboratory (spectral range up to 1700 nm, with the possibility of gated, cryogenic and polarized measurements, included circularly polarized luminescence) and of the Laboratory for Nonlinear Optical Microscopy, both made possible by the Excellence grant awarded by the Minister of University and Research to my Department. The skills for setting up the Laboratory for Nonlinear Optical Microscopy, in particular, were largely acquired thanks to the Marie-Curie post-doc carried out at the Université Rennes 1, during which I was able to participate in the set-up and use of a facility for multiphoton absorption-induced fluorescence measurements. These skills are demonstrated by the Review [AdvMater2008], which constitutes, with its over 500 citations, a reference in the field of multiphoton spectroscopy, with regards to both the experimental and modeling aspects.
The Laboratory for Nonlinear Optical Microscopy has opened and continues to open many perspectives and collaborations, both in the field of materials science (for example optical imaging of micro-fabricated structures) and biology/medicine (optical imaging of tissues and cells). I am currently collaborating with colleagues in the Department of Food and Drug on imaging of skin and ocular tissue, and with colleagues in the Department of Medicine and Surgery on imaging of cardiac and renal tissue. I believe that these research topics, linked to the properties of fluorescence and fluorescence induced by nonlinear absorption (both intrinsic to tissues and conferred through the use of specific fluorophores) are extremely fascinating and promising, with repercussions that involve the entire Department and extend to the entire University.
The second core of my research activity concerns the development of original predictive and interpretative theoretical models for the description of the spectroscopic properties of organic chromophores and multichromophores of increasing complexity. This activity is closely related to the experimental one, as the models developed are semi-empirical, therefore they need experimental data to be parameterized. The purpose of these models is to provide guidelines for the creation of molecular or supramolecular systems with desired properties. In this context, I highlight the models for symmetry breaking in quadrupolar and octupolar chromophores [JACS2006, JPCB2008a, PCCP2010], for the calculation of fluorescence anisotropy in disordered systems [JPCB2011], the models that describes the effects of intermolecular interactions between polar and polarizable molecules beyond the excitonic approximation [PRB2003], which has found application and confirmation in numerous experimental systems [ChemPhysChem2006, CEJ2006, ChemPhysChem2007, JPCB2008b, JPCC2017, ChemPhotoChem2018]. Also worth of mentioning is the development of models for the calculation of two-dimensional optical spectra, such as 2D-IR and 2D-EV [PCCP2015]. More recently I contributed to the proposal of an antiadiabatic approach for the description of "electronic" solvation [PRL2020, PCCP2020], in contrast to the standard approach adopted in the most common calculation packages which is based on the adiabatic approximation, and to the description of the medium effects on TADF (thermally activated delayed fluorescence) [PCPP2021, JCP2021].
The research topics covered are of a fundamental nature, but at the basis of multifarious applications: lighting devices (LED), artificial photosynthetic systems [JMCC2021], fluorophores and nanoparticles for (bio)imaging [Pharmaceutics2022], temperature/pH/polarity sensors [SmallMeth2024], 3D optical imaging [Pharmaceutics2021, JContrRel2022], to name a few. My skills in the field of fluorimetry have also led me to have a continuous and fruitful collaboration (still ongoing) with a dental and surgical equipment company, which has resulted in several contracts.
