Knowledge and Understanding By the end of the course, students will have acquired fundamental knowledge of biopolymers and their potential applications. They will be able to analyse, understand, and discuss aspects of biopolymer behaviour and their technological properties, with particular attention to the biotechnological and biomedical fields. Students will also be able to communicate fluently about biopolymers and their use in research and technology. Applying Knowledge and Understanding By the end of the course, students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to describe the properties of biopolymers, their appropriate use, and potential applications. They will also be able to propose suitable experimental and theoretical approaches to explain biopolymer behaviour. Making Judgments Students will be able to describe the properties of biopolymers, justifying their behaviour based on appropriate physicochemical principles. They will be capable of selecting methodologies for studying biopolymers and evaluating their potential in biotechnological and biomedical applications. Communication Skills Students will be able to participate in discussions on biopolymers, presenting the acquired knowledge fluently. Learning Skills Students will be able to transfer the knowledge gained to the applied and research fields of biopolymers. Prerequisiti Students are expected to have a foundational understanding of chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and thermodynamics.

Students are expected to have a foundational understanding of chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and thermodynamics.

The course aims to provide students with knowledge in the field of biopolymers, with particular attention to their applications in the medical, pharmaceutical, biological, and food sectors. It covers the description of the mass, shape, and size of biopolymers, their ordered and disordered conformations, configurational statistics, and the description of Gaussian chains and Kratky-Porod chains, as well as the thermodynamics of polymer solutions. The course also describes polyelectrolytes, their physicochemical properties, and discusses their practical applications. Additionally, it addresses semi-dilute systems and gels, molecular crowding, the rheology of biopolymer solutions, and their applications in industrial, biomedical, cosmetic, and cellular contexts.

Electronic materials and lectures notes will be provided.

1. Biopolymers a) General concepts (homopolymers, copolymers, tacticity with specific focus on biopolymers); b) Chemical description of biopolymers and their modification; c) Distribution of the molar mass; d) Elements of statistical thermodynamics; e) Ordered structures of biopolymers and characteristic parameters of the helix. Examples of ordered structures; f) Disordered structures of biopolymers (Haug’s triangle). Biopolymer dimensions and shape. Radius of gyration, end-to-end distance. Perturbed and unperturbed dimensions. Freely Jointed Chain, freely rotating chain, rotating chain. Characteristic ratio. Khun’s chain. Persistence length. Worm-like chain (Porod-Kratky). Gaussian distribution of chain dimensions. Single chains under traction; g) The disorder-order transition. The Schellmann model and the Zimm-Bragg model. 2. Biopolymers in dilute regime a) Thermodynamics of small molecule solutions. Thermodynamic of biopolymer solutions. Entropy and free energy. Role of the solvent. Binodal and spinodal points. Stability of polymer solutions. Effect of the temperature. Solutions with two biopolymers. Use of the thermodynamics of polymer solution for the description of materials, medical and biological systems. b) Polymer solutions and second virial coefficient. Role of the solvent. Excluded volume effect. c) Polyelectrolytes. Theoretical models (Poisson-Boltzmann and Counterion Condensation) and electrostatic potential. Mixtures of different counterions. Like-charge attraction. Effects on excluded volume, persistence length, solubility, order-disorder transition, osmotic pressure. Donnan effect. Mixtures of different polyelectrolytes. 3. Biopolymers in semi-dilute and concentrated regime a) Concentration regimes. Chain statistics in the semi-dilute regime. The blob model. Confinement in a tube; introduction to scaling. Reptation and polymer dynamics. Crowding; b) Hydrogels: rubber elasticity theory. Description of physical and chemical hydrogels; c) Rheology and viscoelastic behaviour. Deborah number and characteristic time. Effect of shear: shear-thinning and shear-thickening behaviour. Effect of time: thixotropy and rheopexy. Creep compliance and stress relaxation. Viscoelastic models and constitutive equations. Mechanical spectroscopy; d) Examples of biopolymer-based materials and hydrogels for medical, pharmaceutical and food applications; e) Cell mechanics and mechanobiology.

The course is delivered through in-person lectures supported by electronic presentations. All teaching materials, including lecture slides and course notes, will be provided and made available to students.

Additional teaching materials can be requested by contacting via institutional email. The materials will be made available through the platform provided by the University of Trieste.

Student learning will be assessed through an oral examination, conducted as an individual interview with the instructor. The assessment will focus on: - The student’s knowledge and understanding of the course content; - The ability to engage in a structured discussion on biopolymers and their applications in research and technology; - The clarity and fluency in presenting acquired knowledge; - The capacity to connect and integrate different topics covered during the course. During the oral exam, the student will be asked at least three questions related to the topics discussed in class. To pass the exam, the student must demonstrate a clear and comprehensive understanding of the subject matter and the ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical cases. The final grade is expressed on a scale of 30 points. A minimum score of 18/30 is required to pass. Grading scale: - Excellent (30–30 cum laude): Outstanding knowledge of the topics, excellent use of scientific language, strong analytical skills, and the ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical cases with originality. - Very Good (27–29): Solid knowledge of the topics, very good language skills, and good analytical ability; the student can apply theoretical knowledge correctly to practical situations. - Good (24–26): Good understanding of the main topics, adequate language skills, and sufficient ability to apply knowledge to practical cases. - Satisfactory (21–23): Basic understanding of the core topics, with some gaps; acceptable language use and sufficient application of theoretical knowledge. - Sufficient (18–20): Minimal understanding of the main topics and technical language; limited ability to apply theoretical knowledge appropriately. - Fail (lower than 18): Inadequate understanding of the course content and inability to apply knowledge effectively.

This course explores topics closely related to one or more goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs)