Department of Chemistry

The research activity involves the solid state chemistry and in particular the chemistry of the surfaces of the solids and its applications in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. The research activity has also involved the field of hydrogen storage, a sector of strategic importance in the field of renewable energy. The study concerned intermetallic systems (alloys Zr-Ni-V) and the development of additives (mainly ternary systems Mg-Nb-O) to improve the properties of absorption and desorption of hydrogen of the system MgH₂.

In the field of heterogeneous catalysis two aspects have been developed in these years.

The first more inherent to the field of surface chemistry and in particular the work was focused on the characterization of the interaction of various molecules (i.e. H₂S, SO₂, CS₂ C₂H₂, H₂O) with the oxides surface.

The second one concerns the synthesis and characterization of semiconducting oxides for photocatalytic applications, in particular using doping procedures to modify its chemical and physical properties. In this second context the research activity is focused on the nature of defects in solids and their role in the catalytic properties of the materials and on the investigation of the processes of charge carriers transfer at the solid-gas and solid-liquid interfaces. Great attention has been spent on the TiO₂ system due to its importance in the field of photocatalysis and in particular to TiO₂ systems doped with non-metallic elements such as N, B, C and F in order to photosensitize the solid to the visible component of the solar spectrum.

The proposed research activities concern the heterogeneous catalysis activated by the light. The main activities of the student will involve both the synthesis and the characterization of materials for photocatalytic applications, either building up heterojunctions or using doping procedures, in order to modify its chemical and physical properties.