Piero Alaimo holds a degree in Electronic Engineering and is currently a PhD student at the University of Palermo, Italy, working at the Thin Film Laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Mauro Mosca and Prof. Dominique Persano Adorno. He is visiting Prof. Silvia Giordani’s research group at Dublin City University, where he is working on highly photoluminescent carbon dots for bio-related applications.

His research focuses on the synthesis, dialysis purification and characterization of carbon dots, with particular interest in the role of precursor chemistry and nitrogen-containing surface groups in their photoluminescence response. During his stay at DCU, he will investigate dialyzed carbon dot samples, explore hybrid formulations with coffee-ground-derived carbon dots, and contribute to studies aimed at correlating surface chemistry, optical properties and preliminary biological response.