The “Best Poster – EurJIC” award went to Insubria PhD student Chiara Vola at the “Co.GICO 2026” National Congress on Organometallic Chemistry

A significant accolade for Chiara Vola, a PhD student in Chemical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Insubria, who was awarded the Best Poster Prize by the *European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry* during ‘Co.GICO 2026’, the conference of the Interdivisional Group on Organometallic Chemistry of the Italian Chemical Society, which took place in Bologna from 19 to 22 May.

The Co.GICO event is one of the leading national scientific conferences dedicated to organometallic and coordination chemistry, providing an opportunity for researchers from Italian and international universities and research centres to discuss the latest developments in the field.

Chiara Vola presented a poster entitled ‘Synthesis, characterisation and photophysical properties of manganese(I) bis(imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine)methane complexes’, focusing on the synthesis and study of new manganese(I) complexes with blue-emitting properties.

The research was carried out within the Coordination Chemistry group of the Department of Science and Advanced Technology at the University of Insubria, led by Professors Gian Attilio Ardizzoia and Stefano Brenna. The team focuses on the design and study of luminescent molecular compounds based on abundant, low-cost metals, with potential applications in optoelectronic devices, sensor technology and sustainable technologies.

In particular, the award-winning work focused on the development of manganese complexes capable of emitting blue light, obtained through the use of nitrogen-containing ligands derived from bis(imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine)methane. The study highlighted how specific structural modifications can optimise the stability and emission properties of the complexes, opening up interesting prospects for future applications in photoluminescent materials.

From January 2027, Chiara Vola will spend several months as a Visiting PhD Student in the research laboratories of the Institute for Chemical Research (IIQ) CSIC-University of Seville, in Spain, where she will develop a new line of research aimed at studying bimetallic systems based on the manganese(I) complexes that were the subject of the award.

The award presented to Chiara Vola recognises the scientific quality of the research carried out and confirms the contribution of young researchers to the development of innovative materials in the fields of coordination chemistry and sustainable chemistry.