Green H2 Production
The increasing global crisis of energy shortage and environmental issues are becoming serious threats to the long-term development of human society. Semiconductor-based photocatalysis has emerged predominantly as it is considered a costless, renewable, clean, and safe technology, which requires only the inexhaustible solar light as a driving force, and a suitable semiconductor as a photocatalyst to promote H2 production from water. H2 is an appealing storable energy source because its conversion in fuel cells efficiently generates energy, releasing water as the only by-product. The development of innovative procedures both to produce and store green H2 in a safe and efficient way is strongly required. The photocatalytic route for hydrogen gas retrieving goes through the keywords of greenness, safety, renewability, efficiency, circular economy and sustainability.
The project aims to green H2 production via water splitting and photoreforming in the energy-environmental field by an analytical approach. New organic and inorganic catalysts active under sunlight are being studied, developing and optimizing photocatalytic systems for the production of H2 from waste water and biomass, with the aim of combining the valorisation of waste biomass from the agri-food sector with clean production and low environmental impact of H2.
Collaborations: Prof. Malavasi, Prof. Ferretti
Pubblications
2023
L. Romani, A. Speltini, R. Chiara, M. Morana, C. Coccia, C. Tedesco, V. Armenise, Colella, A. Milella, A. Listorti, A. Profumo, F. Ambrosio, E. Mosconi, R. Pau, Pitzalis, A. Simbula, D. Ricciarelli, M. Saba, M. Medina-Llamas, F. De Angelis, L. Malavasi
Air- and water-stable and photocatalytically active germanium-based 2D perovskites by organic spacer engineering
Cell Rep. Phys. Sci. 2023, 4, 101214
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2022.101214
M. Medina-Llamas, A. Speltini, A. Profumo, F. Panzarea, A. Milella, F. Fracassi, A. Listorti, L. Malavasi
Preparation of heterojunctions based on Cs3Bi2Br9 nanocrystals and g-C3N4 nanosheets for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Nanomaterials 2023, 13, 263
https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13020263
2022
D. Vadivel, M. Sturini, A. Speltini, D. Dondi
Tungsten catalysts for visible light driven Ofloxacin photocatalytic degradation and hydrogen production
Catalysts 2022, 12, 310
https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12030310
2021
A. Profumo, A. Speltini
Towards green, enhanced photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution
Catalysts 2021, 11, 93
https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11010093
L. Romani, A. Speltini, C.N. Dibenedetto, A. Listorti, F. Ambrosio, E. Mosconi, A. Simbula, M. Saba, A. Profumo, P. Quadrelli, F. De Angelis, L. Malavasi
Experimental strategy and mechanistic view to boost the photocatalytic activity of Cs3Bi2Br9 lead-free perovskite derivative by g-C3N4 composite engineering
Adv. Funct. Mater. 2021, 2104428
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202104428
L. Romani, A. Speltini, F. Ambrosio, E. Mosconi, A. Profumo, S. Margadonna,
Milella, F. Fracassi, A. Listorti, F. De Angelis, L. Malavasi
Water-stable DMASnBr3 lead-free perovskite for effective solar-driven photocatalysis
Angew. Chem. Int. Edit. 2021, 60, 3611-3618
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202007584
2020
A. Speltini, L. Romani, D. Dondi, L. Malavasi, A. Profumo
Carbon nitride-perovskite composites: evaluation and optimization of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution in saccharides aqueous solution
Catalysts 2020, 10, 1259
https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10111259
L. Romani, A. Bala, V. Kumar, A. Speltini, A. Milella, F. Fracassi, A. Listorti, A. Profumo, L. Malavasi
PEA2SnBr4: a water-stable lead-free two-dimensional perovskite and demonstration of its use as co-catalyst in hydrogen photogeneration and organic-dye degradation
Mater. Chem. C 2020, 8, 9189-9194
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02525A
Ammonia Photofixation
Joint project between Prof. Malavasi group and TrACES.
Inspired by biological nitrogen fixation through nitrogenase enzyme, NH3 can be photochemically produced from N2 and H2O in the presence of a semiconductor material. Different photocatalysts, obtained by heterojunctions between graphitic-carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and metal halide perovskites, will be designed by Prof. Malavasi group and tested in photocatalytic system to have more favourable surface structure, good light harvesting, highly efficient activity, and selectivity in addition to the necessary stability and recyclability for the practical application.
The need for reliable methods for ammonia detection and quantification is a point to be addressed. To this sense, TrACES is involved in the development and optimization of analytical methods for the determination and quantification, in order to provide a complete evaluation of the results of the relative computational theoretical study to these characteristic parameters (such as band gap and edge gap at the solution/semiconductor interface) for efficient and green production.
Pubblications
2024
C. Tedesco, L. Gregori, A. Simbula, F. Pitzalis, A. Speltini, F. Merlo, S. Colella, A. Listorti, E. Mosconi, A.A. Alothman, W. Kaiser, M. Saba, A. Profumo, F. De Angelis, L. Malavasi
Reaction mechanism of hydrogen generation and nitrogen fixation at carbon nitride/double perovskite heterojunctions
Submitted to Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research – deposited as not reviewed pre-print (working paper) in ChemRxiv, doi 10.26434/chemrxiv-2023-sbrrv