Ricerca:
The scientific interest concerns heterogeneous catalysis aspects related to sustainable chemistry:
(i) catalytic abatement of atmospheric pollutants, NOx and N2O, using transition metal ions exchanged in zeolites or supported on oxides;
(ii) syngas production from partial oxidation of methane or dry reforming of methane with CO2 using supported metal catalysts.
The activity is focused on the catalysts characterisation and on the study of catalytic behaviour. The goal is to clarify how the structural properties and the interaction mechanisms between gaseous phase and solid surface affect catalytic activity and selectivity. With this aim, different techniques devoted to bulk and surface characterisation are combined (XRD, volumetric adsorption and redox cicle, in situ DRS UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopies). In particular, the in situ FTIR spectroscopy is applied with probe molecules (CO, NO, pyridine, NH3, nitriles, N2O) to determine chemical properties of surface sites. Additionally, the Operando-FTIR apparatus and metodology, enabling contemporary spectra collection and GC analysis under reaction, have been developed to characterise surface intermediates formed under reaction.
