Sara Bonacchi obtained her MSc degree in Chemistry at the University of Firenze (Italy) in 2005 and then, she moved to the Photochemical Nanosciences Laboratory at University of Bologna (Italy), where she obtained her PhD in 2009 under the supervision of Professor Luca Prodi.
In her first postdoc, she engineered new platforms for sensing and bio-imaging applications based on novel nanostructures as core-shell/silica-PEG and metal nanoparticles. In particular, she studied the morphological and photophysical properties of fluorescent labels and sensors based on dye-doped nanoparticles.
In 2013, she moved to 'Institute de Science et d'Ingéniere Supramoléculaires, I.S.I.S.' - Nanochemistry lab (Professor Paolo Samorì) at University of Strasbourg (France) where she was involved in 'Self-Assembled in Confined Space, SACS' European project. In 2014, she was awarded Marie Curie Intra-European Fellow (IEF) for a research project on tuning the electrical and optical properties of monolayer graphene/2D materials-hybrid systems via self-assembled of light switchable molecules.
She is now a non-tenured assistant professor (RTD-a) at the Department of Chemistry – University of Padova (Italy) where she is the Principal Investigator of the ‘Ultrasmall Chiral Gold Nanoclusters for Asymmetric Redox Catalysis” CARIPARO Starting Grant Project in Molecular Electrochemistry and Nanosystems Group.

Scientific Output
She is Co-author of 44 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 4 book chapters, co-inventor of 5 international patents. Regular dissemination in international conferences in seminars, posters and lectures. H-index = 22, and 906 citations (without self-citations, source database Web of Knowledge, January 2018).
https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=1cU4-vMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2385-9833

Teaching Activities and Students Tutoring
Since October 2017: Assistant Professor School of Science. Department of Chemistry – University of Padova. ‘Chimica-Fisica I’’ First-cycle degree in Materials Science and ‘Chimica-Fisica IV’ Laboratory Second-cycle degree in Chemistry.
2016 – 2017: Lectures, “Reading-Writing-Presenting” – master course in Chemistry, University of Strasbourg (English lecture).
2008 – 2012: Tutorship in “Photochemical techniques.” and “Molecular and Supramolecular Photochemistry.” II cycle degree programmes in Photochemistry and molecular materials at Department of Chemistry – University of Bologna (Italy)
Supervision of PhD, Master and Bachelor Students, Department of Chemistry (University of Bologna) and Nanochemistry lab (ISIS – University of Strasbourg)

Selected Publications (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2385-9833)
- Gobbi,M.; Bonacchi,S; Lian,J.; Liu,Y.; Wang,W.-Y.; Stoeckel,M.-A.; Squillaci,M.A.; D’Avino,G.; Narita,A.; Müllen,K.; Feng,X.; Olivier,Y.; Beljonne,D.; Samorì,P.; Orgiu,E.
Periodic potentials in hybrid van der Waals heterostructures formed by supramolecular lattices on graphene.
Nature Communications,2017,14767.

- Bonacchi,S.; Gobbi,M.; Ferlauto,L.; Stoeckel,M.-A.; Liscio,F.; Milita,S.; Orgiu,E.; Samorì,P.
High, Anisotropic, and Substrate-Independent Mobility in Polymer Field-Effect Transistors Based on Preassembled Semiconducting Nanofibrils.
ACS Nano, 2017,11,2000.

-Bertolazzi,S.; Bonacchi,S.; Nan,G.; Pershin,A.; Beljonne,D.; Samorì,P.
Engineering Chemically Active Defects in Monolayer MoS2 Transistors via Ion-Beam Irradiation and Their Healing via Vapor Deposition of Alkanethiols.
Adv. Material, 2017, 29, 1606760.

- Bonacchi,S.; Cantelli,A.; Battistelli,G.; Guidetti,G.; Calvaresi,M.; Manzi,J.; Gabrielli,L.; Ramadori,F.; Gambarin,A.; Mancin,F.; Montalti M.
Photoswitchable NIR emitting gold nanoparticles.
Angew.Chem.,Int.Ed. 2016,55,11067.

- Bonacchi,S.; El Garah,M.; Ciesielski,A.; Herder,M.; Conti,S.; Cecchini,M.; Hecht,S.; Samorì,P.
Surface-induced selection during in situ photoswitching at the soli/liquid interface.
Angew.Chem.,Int.Ed. 2015,127,4947.

- Genovese,D.; Bonacchi,S.; Juris,R.; Montalti,M.; Prodi,L.; Rampazzo,E.; Zaccheroni,N.
Prevention of Self-Quenching in Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles by Efficient Energy Transfer.
Angew.Chem.,Int.Ed. 2013,52,5965.

- Cauzzi,D.; Pataccini,R.; Delferro,M.; Dini,F.; Di Natale,C.; Paolesse,R.; Bonacchi,S.; Montalti,M.; Zaccheroni,N.; Calvaresi,M.; Zerbetto,F.; Prodi,L.
Temperature-Dependent Fluorescence of Cu5 Metal Clusters: A Molecular Thermometer.
Angew.Chem.,Int.Ed. 2012,51,9662.

- Valenti,G.; Rampazzo,E.; Bonacchi,S.; Khajvand,T.; Juris,R.; Montalti,M.; Marcaccio,M.; Paolucci,F.; Prodi,L.
A versatile strategy for tuning the color of electrochemiluminescence using silica nanoparticles.
Chem.Commun. 2012,48,4187.

- Rampazzo,E.; Bonacchi,S.; Genovese,D.; Juris,R.; Marcaccio,M.; Montalti,M.; Paolucci,F.; Sgarzi,M.; Valenti,G.; Zaccheroni,N.; Prodi,L.
Nanoparticles in metal complexes-based electrogenerated chemiluminescence for highly sensitive applications. Coord.Chem.Rev. 2012,256,1664.

- Bonacchi,S.; Genovese,D.; Juris,R.; Montalti,M.; Prodi,L.; Rampazzo,E.; Zaccheroni,N.
Luminescent Silica Nanoparticles: Extending the Frontiers of Brightness.
Angew.Chem., Int.Ed. 2011,50,4056.

- Pieraccini,S.; Bonacchi,S.; Lena,S.; Masiero,S.; Montalti,M.; Zaccheroni,N.; Spada,G.
Solvent-induced switching between two supramolecular assemblies of a guanosine-terthiophene conjugate. Org.Biomol.Chem. 2010,8,774.

- Zanarini,S.; Rampazzo,E.; Bonacchi,S.; Juris,R.; Marcaccio,M.; Montalti,M.; Paolucci,F.; Prodi, L.
Iridium Doped Silica-PEG Nanoparticles: Enabling Electrochemiluminescence of Neutral Complexes in Aqueous Media.
J.Am.Chem.Soc. 2009,131,14208.

- Bonacchi,S.; Rampazzo,E.; Montalti,M.; Prodi,L.; Zaccheroni,N.; Mancin,F.; Teolato, P.
Amplified Fluorescence Response of Chemosensors Grafted onto Silica Nanoparticles.
Langmuir 2008,24,8387.

-Rampazzo,E.; Bonacchi,S.; Montalti,M.; Prodi,L.; Zaccheroni,N.
Self-Organizing Core-Shell Nanostructures: Spontaneous Accumulation of Dye in the Core of Doped Silica Nanoparticles.
J.Am.Chem.Soc 2007,129,14251

Current research topic:
- Properties and applications of monolayer-protected gold nanoclusters

Post-doctoral research topics:
- Tuning the electrical properties of monolayer 2D materials-hybrid systems (field effect transistor, FET) via self-assembled of light switchable molecules, such as azobenzene, spiropyran derivatives.

- Understanding the correlation between morphology, optical and electrical properties of Langmuir-Blodgett film of perylene-diimide derivatives by means Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Organic Field Effect Transistor (OFET)

- New protocol for the synthesis of dye-doped core-shell silica/PEG nanoparticles.

- Energy transfer (ET) processes between dyes trapped in the silica nanoparticles: efforts toward fluorescent signal amplification and pseudo-stokes shift for biomedical applications.

- Electrochemiluminescent (ECL) probes: metal complexes and ECL active nanoparticles.

- Temperature-dependent fluorescence clusters.

- Photophysical properties of chemosensors and labels.