Fabrizio Scarpa
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fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
Fabrizio Scarpa
@fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
2.1K followers 2K following 640 posts
Academic at Uni Bristol 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 FRAeS ERC work on #metamaterials and #biobased #materials. Love for history, geopolitics and climate. Banner shows a 2D metamaterial. Links: ibit.ly/b_Dsn and ibit.ly/MuO03 Personal opinions, etc ... 🧪⚙️🤖👾♻️🚤✈️🏋️‍♀️🏛🐈
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fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
Fall in #Somerset 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 around Mells, Frome and Nunney offers some great opportunities to take decent pictures with a phone
A view of the path around Great Helm in Frome with the colours of autumn A view of the church and part of Nunney Castle with its moat. An old farm near Mells, Somerset. The grounds around the farm are closed because of health and safety issues related to the old buildings. A view of a traditional Somerset construction with thatched roof.
November 8, 2025 at 6:26 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
Alas, a St. James' flag 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 , this time with St. Francis of Assisi as the bearer. Fresco at the refectory of the minorite monastery of st. Janes in Prague 🇨🇿

even during holidays abroad, it is impossible to escape from those ☹️🤣
Fresco depicting St Francis of Assisi doing a pilgrimage to Santiago di Compostela in devotion of St James (hence the flag, no reference whatsoever with the 2025 flag shaggers in This Sceptre Isle, the event happened in 1215). The fresco is in the refectory of the Minority Convent in Prague.
September 4, 2025 at 8:04 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
The Belvedere complex of Prague Castle 🇨🇿 is something to behold
A view of the Belvedere in Prague Castle's park Beautiful light and clouds over the Belvedere and Prague Castle From view of the Belvedere A statue at one corner of the Belvedere
September 4, 2025 at 6:27 AM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
The State Hall of the National Library in Vienna 🇦🇹 is truly one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. Inside poster boards also provide a much needed crash course on Austrian recent history and politics.
Inside the State Hall of the Austrian National Library in Vienna
September 1, 2025 at 2:26 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
Krakow 🇵🇱 to Vienna 🇦🇹 by Intercity via Czech Republic 🇨🇿. It's 6 hours and 55 minutes, the train is OK and quiet, plenty of time to read - lucky to enjoy time off.
Paid the ticket 19.90 Euros. Crying 😭 thinking about UK 🇬🇧 fares 🚂
A view of the inside of the EC 107 Porta Moravia train
August 26, 2025 at 3:42 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
The gardens of Jagellonian University in #Krakow have commemorative boards of the 06/11/39 Nazi Sonderaktion to eradicate the local intellectual elite. 184 academics were imprisoned and sent to Sachsenhausen and Dachau.

We never learn enough from history #AcademicSky
A vies of the garden of Jagellonian University in Krakow. The gardens are contoured by the imposing buildings of the University and have boards describing and commemorating the arrest and deportation of 184 academics on the sixth of November 1939. The so-called Sonderaktion from the Nazi occupiers aimed at eradicate the intellectual elite of Krakow, seen as the fulcrum of the intelligentsia, academic and technical know-how in Poland. We should never forget what would happen if Intellectual autonomy and independence are not preserved. In Krakow they know - and we should be grateful they help everybody preserving that tragic event.
August 25, 2025 at 5:51 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
You can really feel the history and culture of Central Europe while wandering around Krakow 🇵🇱
St Mary's Basilica in Krakow. A stunning piece of gothic style An installation inside the National Museum in Krakow A part of the Market Square (Rynek Główny) in Krakow A part of the Installation of the Nativity Competition held every year in Krakow
August 25, 2025 at 5:14 AM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
A significantly enhanced damping behaviour in biobased alginate/poloxamer gels with cactus 🌵 fibres and natural ceramics. Details here: doi.org/10.1063/5.02... @erc.europa.eu 🧪⚙️ #AcademicSky
A composite hydrogel with alginate, poloxamer, cactus fibres from prickle pear and sepiolite ceramics enhances mechanical damping and vibration alleviation.
August 23, 2025 at 8:00 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
I also fully expect that our beloved Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology will charge like a bull to get the OSA fully implemented, despite what the court said. He's got form.
A paragraph from the Politico article describing Wikipedia loosing its challenge at the UK High Court. Article here: https://www.politico.eu/article/wikipedia-loses-challenge-to-uk-online-safety-act/
August 11, 2025 at 6:26 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
I constantly check the interactive petition map; it clearly shows where supporters are located.

Looking forward to more signatories 😎
Map of signatories of the petition to limit tourist visa to UK to 90 days. Map updated at 14:02 of the 09/08/25
August 9, 2025 at 1:03 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
Not only on that hell site.
Lab MP is out in on this platform too, this morning (1 like only).

What a language.
August 9, 2025 at 7:44 AM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
CEO of company with stocks in deep dive talking big about his business shocker
Stocks of DeepMind Platform Co, Ltd have recently taken a big hit after sudden climb.
August 4, 2025 at 6:43 AM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
The 15th-century Great Chalfield Manor in Wiltshire with beautiful Arts and Crafts gardens ... and horses.
A view of the Manor from the surrounding moat A view of the internal court of the Manor Arts and Crafts garden feature Ashley the horse strikes a frontal pose
July 20, 2025 at 8:57 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
Someone is making a mint though:
July 16, 2025 at 5:43 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
Funny FOREX movements every time he mutters these kind of things ...
Sudden spike and drop of the $ against CH Franc after rumours circulated about the firing of the FED Chairman . Similar sudden movements with other currencies
July 16, 2025 at 4:37 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
32C and 43% RH in #Bristol 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, no A/C. Nouba pondering how anthropic climate change is making her usual business activity (AKA sleep) less enjoyable than usual #Caturdays #CatsofBlueSky
Nouba, a refugee cat from Tunisia, is silently complaining about the inadequate design of Victorian houses of the Southwest of England when facing 21st century heath waves caused by the humans around.
July 12, 2025 at 4:06 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
Graphene #metamaterials made with Kirigami perforations following Cassini, rectangular, rhomboidal and oval patterns. Paper here doi.org/10.1016/j.eu... with the support of @erc.europa.eu 🧪⚙️ ⚛️
June 28, 2025 at 8:42 AM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
Bristol 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Harbour has some beautiful spots for people interested in industrial archeology.
The Banksy mural representing the Girl with a Pierced Eardrum at the Albion Docks in Bristol. The 1861 Mayflower steam tugboat in the Bristol Docks. Another iron ship, smaller than the SS Great Britain moored nearby. A view of Spike Island in the Bristol Harbour. Spike Island was the centre of UK's chemical industry during the Industrial Revolution.
May 26, 2025 at 7:32 AM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
The ancient art of #Kirigami applied to graphene sheets via Molecular Dynamics simulations and generate #metamaterials. Open access paper here: doi.org/10.1016/j.mt... @erc.europa.eu #AcademicSky 🧪⚙️⚛️
At the top of the figure, sp2 carbon atoms in hexagonal configurations tessellate to form the graphene sheet. Two Kirigami patterns are selected: rectangular and rhomboidal. These patterns exhibit negative Poisson's ratio behavior, which depends on the specific geometric parameters of the Kirigami patterns used. The parameters include the aspect ratio AR (a/b) and the interspace IS (s/L). We present a map of the Poisson's ratio as a function of these geometric parameter combinations. Rectangular perforations yield the largest negative Poisson's ratio values, but these values are significantly influenced by the out-of-plane motions of the carbon atoms during in-plane mechanical loading. Snapshots of the crumpled three-dimensional shapes of the Kirigami graphene sheets are displayed at the bottom of the image
May 23, 2025 at 9:00 AM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
New polymorphic composites inspired by pinecone scales are responsive to water, humidity, and hydrocarbons. They show reversible, stable actuation across cycles, load-bearing strength, and stiffening effects during wet/dry transitions. Paper here: doi.org/10.1002/aisy... 🧪♻️🤖⚙️ #AcademicSky
PHygromorphic materials and composites adjust their shape and curvature in response to changes in relative humidity, similar to the pinecone scales existing in nature. This work introduces a new class of poligromorphic materials-composites that adapt across various environments, including water, humidity, and hydrocarbons. Composed of carbon fibers (CF), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and maleic anhydride ethylene-propylene (MA-EPR) matrices, these materials are sensitive to fluctuations in fluids like water, isooctane, and toluene. Their bioinspired internal architecture mimics the asymmetric stacking of pinecone scales. MA-EPR/CF composites show limited actuation in water but strong responsiveness in isooctane and toluene. PVA/CF materials are more sensitive to water while retaining functionality in hydrocarbons. Importantly, their actuation is reversible and stable through multiple cycles of environmental aging, and the carbon fibers provide significant load-bearing capabilities, with stiffening effects when passing from dry (2.2 GPa) to wet and immersed states (6.6 GPa).
April 24, 2025 at 10:13 AM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
Metamaterials with hierarchical design inspired by Taoism and optimised with dual deep learning ANNs provide a reduction of 80% of vibration levels at low frequency ranges, always between the most difficult to damp. Paper here: ibit.ly/aCUsC 🧪⚙️📳🤖 #AcademicSky
The top left part of the picture shows the baseline Tao (or Taiji) ideogram used to inspire the design of the hierarchical metamaterials that host internal mass resonators within a cellular honeycomb scaffold. The structure of the dual deep learning algorithm used for the design is shown in the left lower corner, together with the architecture of the artificial neural networks used. The resulting hierarchical metamaterial is tested in a vibration transmissibility rig. The configuration with the Tao-inspired metamaterials provides a large and mostly broadband reduction of vibration levels up to 80% under 300 Hz. Broadband low-frequency vibrations are between the most difficult to damp when using classical vibration damping technologies.
April 18, 2025 at 11:23 AM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
#Bamboo trunk fiber bundles exhibit varying properties depending on location and heat treatment. Using μCT scans and tensile tests, we assess how extraction methods, postprocessing, and trunk position influence their mechanical performance. Paper here: rdcu.be/ehUXD 🧪♻️⚙️🪵 #AcademicSky
We explored how heat treatment, extraction methods (chemical vs. mechanical), and bamboo nodes influence the mechanical properties of bamboo fibre bundles. The composed figure on the left shows μCT images of bamboo fibre bundles subjected to different extraction and postprocessing treatments. The composed figure on the right shows colourmaps of the tensile strains extracted from images on the bundles taken during tensile testing. Chemically extracted bundles showed tensile strengths up to 531 MPa, higher than the 37.5 MPa observed in mechanically extracted fibres, though the latter retained the native bamboo structure. Deep heat treatment at 140°C for 110 minutes preserved tensile strength in both nodal and internodal fibres, while moderate heating reduced strength compared to untreated samples. Scanning electron microscopy revealed microstructural differences between extraction methods, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy tracked chemical changes from heat treatment and node types. High-resolution μCT imaging reconstructed fibre bundle arrangements, enabling a novel fibre density–tensile strength correlation model for a non-destructive assessment of the mechanical properties.
April 16, 2025 at 9:13 AM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
We show via models and tests how random root distribution affects the mechanical properties of soil-root composites and the reinforcement provided by roots. You can access the paper here: doi.org/10.1016/j.ca... 🧪⚙️♻️🌳⚙️ #AcademicSky
The diagrams show: (a) the vegetated slope with roots and its macroscopic coordinates, (b) the periodic soil-root composite model with mesoscopic coordinates, (c) 2D view of the Finite Element unit cell developed to predict the mechanical properties of the composite, (d) a 3D finite element model of a UC, (e) the model used for calculating elastic modulus and (f) the model adopted for calculating the shear strength. The experimental shear test methodology used in this work. (a) Peeling off the top surface of the carrot sample, (b) cutting the ring, (c) shear apparatus, (d) a sample after being subjected to the shear test and (e) stripped roots from the samples. Numerical shear stress contours of the soil-root unit cell model with different random distributions of roots
April 9, 2025 at 10:57 AM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
We transformed the architecture of a single plant fiber cell into 4D-printed tubular moisture-driven actuators. These #metabiocomposites enable the creation of adaptive structures for meteosensitive solar trackers. Open access paper here: doi.org/10.1002/adma... 🧪⚙️♻️🌻 #AcademicSky
The figure shows a schematic of the biomimetic approach used to develop the meteosensitive passive solar tracking system concept. 1) Inspiration is drawn from the composite-like structure of the S2 layer of plant fibers (the schematic of the wood cell is adapted from), which is responsible for the moisture-induced rotation observed in natural fibers. 2) An original rotative printer has been developed to allow the 4D printing of continuous flax fiber-reinforced biocomposites with a tubular shape (our metabiocomposites). 3) A parametric analysis is carried out to determine the actuation authority achievable by the metabiocomposites when stimulated by a variation of the relative humidity. 4) Analytical and finite element models are developed to predict the moisture-induced rotation of the metabiocomposites. 5) A proof of concept of a meteosensitive solar tracking system is developed and tested in laboratory and outdoor conditions. The morphing response of the prototype is programmable through the structural parameters of the metabiocomposite.
March 28, 2025 at 3:54 PM
fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social
Interested in #acoustic #metamaterials? We have made a review paper focusing on their design, manufacturing and performance. The paper is open access: doi.org/10.1063/5.02... 🧪⚙️🔉 #AcademicSky
The figure shows examples of main geometries used to develop acoustic metamaterials: fractal (a), coiled or zigzag (b), chiral (c), antichiral (d), auxetic (e), honeycomb or hexagonal (f), helicoidal (g), spiral (h), cochlea (i), spider (j), Kelvin cell (k) and labyrinthine or maze (l).
March 28, 2025 at 3:38 PM