The group of Smart Materials is based at the central research facility of IIT in Genova. The research of the group deals with the development of new composite materials combining various polymers and changing their properties by introducing nanofillers or organic molecules in the matrices. We work on both the control of the chemistry and of the structure of the materials we develop, in order to achieve precise properties adjusted to the needs of various application fields. Since polymers are the main building blocks of the materials we fabricate, we have intensified our efforts in using natural polymers principally of plant origin or biodegradable polymers, in order to develop new advanced composite materials with accurately modulated properties but at the same time with minimal environmental impact.