The World Conference on Advanced Materials for Defense

AuxDefense 2026, the World Conference on Advanced Materials for Defense was held in Funchal, Portugal from 1 to 3 July 2026. The conference brought together researchers, engineers and industrial stakeholders to discuss the latest advances in advanced materials and their applications in defense, healthcare and security. Like in its previous iterations, the event oncw again provided an international forum for presenting innovative materials and technologies designed to address current scientific and technological challenges.

Prof. Fabiana Arduini from the University of Rome Tor Vergata participated as a Keynote Speaker, delivering a lecture on "Paper-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Investigating Stimuli-Responsive Copper-Modified Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as Smart Antimicrobial Delivery System."

During her speech, Prof. Arduini illustrated the research activities on sustainable paper-based electrochemical sensors and their application in monitoring smart antimicrobial delivery systems within RELIANCE project. The lecture highlighted the growing interest in naturally derived antimicrobial compounds, such as essential oils, as environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic antimicrobial agents.

The keynote focused on a reagent-free paper-based electrochemical sensor capable of detecting bioactive compounds such as carvacrol, thymol and eugenol. Exploiting the intrinsic properties of paper as both a sensing substrate and a passive microfluidic platform, together with a carbon black-modified working electrode, the device enables rapid, sensitive and low-cost analyses while minimizing reagent consumption.

Prof. Arduini also drew upon the application of this sensing platform to evaluate the pH-responsive release of carvacrol from copper-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Cu-MSN) designed as smart antimicrobial delivery systems and developed collaboratively with the coordinator of the project, Tekniker, and the Defence Institute of Biomedical Sciences group. The platform proved to be an effective analytical tool for rapid monitoring of the release of the bioactive compound, demonstrating its potential to support the creation and optimization of advanced functional materials.

What is more, Prof. Arduini's participation in AuxDefense 2026 represented an important opportunity to disseminate the objectives and results of RELIANCE, highlighting how sustainable paper-based electrochemical sensors can support the development and characterization of advanced antimicrobial materials for future applications.