Energy consumption and its environmental impact are a major issue. Reducing the environmental effects caused by energy cycles and industrial manufacturing processes requires not only increasing their efficiency, but also the use of renewable sources (alternative to fossil fuels) ,as well as the production of fuels and chemicals with a low carbon content or not deriving from fossil sources. The research is based on 3 different topics:
- Innovative schemes for "fuel processors": The use of hydrogen in fuel cell technologies could guarantee significant advantages in terms of efficiency and environmental impact, thus representing an important alternative to traditional energy production systems. Considering the current lack of infrastructure for the production, storage and distribution of hydrogen, fuel cells powered by hydrogen produced from reforming of fossil fuels represent an interesting alternative to overcome the current unfavorable situation, pending further development of the infrastructures. The research involves the study and development of "fuel processors" to produce hydrogen with high efficiency and sustainability.
- Fuel cells are electrochemical energy converters that transform chemical energy into electricity and heat and are characterized by high efficiency and low polluting emissions. The research focuses on the development of electrocatalysts for low temperature fuel cells, with acid electrolyte (PEMFC) or alkaline (AEMFC) fuelled with hydrogen or alcohols (DMFC, DEFC), taking care to minimize, or eliminate the use of noble metals as active sites of catalysts.
- Electrolyzers are electrochemical devices that use electrical energy to cause a chemical reaction with the aid of electrocatalysts. PEM and AEM electrolyzers are investigated for reducing the cost of low temperature H2 production by developing electrocatalysts, electrodes and MEAs without or with a low amount of noble metals. Co-electrolysers for water splitting in tandem with CO2 conversion are also under development for producing chemicals (e.g. Syngas, methane, ethylene, alcohols, aldehydes, among others).
The main advantages of electrochemical devices are a low environmental impact, high energy efficiency, low noise emissions, low maintenance requirements and modularity. Other aspects common to these research topics are the study of the kinetics of the developed catalysts, the understanding of the reaction mechanisms, and the modelling of the engineering systems from the atomistic to the macro-scale by DFT and Multiphysics softwares.
- Innovative schemes for fuel processors,
- Development of electrocatalysts for PEMFC, AEMFC and DMFC Fuel Cells
- Development of catalysts and membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) for electrolysis and electrosynthesis processes
- Modeling of fuel cells and electrolysers