Sol-gel/solvothermal synthesis of colloidal oxide nanostructures in energy conversion/storage systems: copper oxide (CuO) nanocrystals as active components in nanofluids for enhancing the heat exchange in solar concentrator systems; supercapacitor application of colloidal TiO2-V2O5 nanocrystals; application of SnO2-V2O5 and TiO2-V2O5 nanocrystals as cathodes for lithium batteries and in artificial photosynthesis (CO2 reduction), photocatalysis.
Instrumentation for the chemical synthesis
- 3 tubular ovens, 2 chemical fume cupboards
- Standard equipment for wet chemical synthesis
- FTIR spectrometer
- UV-Vis spectrophotometer
General TEM view (left) of a pure TiO2 thin film heat-treated at 500°C, and prepared by spin-coating of a sol-gel precursor sol. Low magnification TEM view (center) of the same film and higher magnification image (right) of the film structure. In the inserts in the HRTEM image, the high-resolution image of the marked area is reported, together with the related power spectrum.
Contact person: Mauro Epifani