**About the Editors**

**Roberto Pizzoferrato** is Associate Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering of University of Rome Tor Vergata. His research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of pristine and functionalized nanomaterials, especially Layered Double Hydroxides and carbon-based nanoparticles. He also worked on the optical properties of innovative materials, optical sensors for the detection of heavy metals, nonlinear optical materials and hybrid organic/inorganic materials for optical emitters. He has authored more than 130 publications. He is a member of the international laboratory "Laboratory Ionomer Materials for Energy (LIME)" established between the University of Rome "Tor Vergata", the Aix Marseille Universite and the CNRS, and a member of the editorial ´ board of *Sensors*.

**Maria Richetta** is Assistant Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. She graduated with honours in physics from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and obtained a Ph.D. title in Thermophysical Properties of Materials at the University of L'Aquila.

Since the beginning of her Ph.D., she has been carrying out experimental research activity mainly related to the following topics: biomedical materials, characterization of biological tissues, membranes materials for nuclear fusion reactors, mechanical properties of materials (mechanical spectroscopy, instrumented nanoindentation), X-ray spectroscopy and interferometry, anticorrosion coatings, and LDHs, as demonstrated by more than 200 publications.

For about ten years, she has been concentrating part of her interest on Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH) nanomaterials, regarding both their preparation and growth, and their characterization in terms of morphological study and investigation of the growth mechanism. She also dealt with the anticorrosive properties of the ZnAl-LDH deposited on different metal substrates (anodized and non-anodized 2024T3 steel), as well as the intercalation of drugs within the LDH structures for "in situ" release.

She has been a member of the Scientific Committee of Thermec, International Conference on Processing & Manufacturing of Advanced Materials since 2016, of the Ph.D. Board in "Industrial Engineering" of the University of Rome Tor Vergata since 2012, and of the international laboratory "Laboratory Ionomer Materials for Energy (LIME)", established between the University of Rome "Tor Vergata", the Aix Marseille Universite and the CNRS, for four years. ´
