University of Torino, Italy

NIS Centre of Excellence "Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces", Dipartimento di Chimica I.F.M. Universita' di Torino, Italy

Catlab reactor coupled with mass spectrometer for decomposition products determination and H2 evolution.

The Centre "Nanostructured Interphases and Surfaces" (NIS) has the dual mission of pursuing basic research and offering applied research services. The Centre offers a multi-disciplinary laboratory equipped with the most advanced techniques in microscopy and spectroscopy. The research groups of NIS of the University of Torino have focused their activities on several topics. Hydrogen storage is currently studied on different materials, including metallic hydrides.

NIS participates in advanced level training courses, supervises PhD students and use to welcoming and training foreigner visitors. The Centre participates to the Doctorate Course in Materials Science and Technology of the University of Turin and of Turin Polytechnic.

IGA (intelligent Gravimetric Analyser) system for isotherm determination, TGA analysis and H2 absorption/desorption.

Prof. Marcello Baricco is an expert in kinetic and thermodynamic modeling. He is full professor in Metallurgy at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Torino, where he's carrying out teaching and research activity. He was supervisor of several degree and Ph.D. thesis in Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Materials Science, Strategic Science. He has been responsible for the University of Torino in several national and international research projects with research institutions and industrial partners (PRIN-MIUR, UE, CRUI). He participated as scientific leader to research projects in the frame of the IV, V and VI Framework programs of the European Community (BRITE, RTN, MC-RTN).

The research activity is mainly based on Physical Metallurgy and it has been carried out at the Laboratory of Metallurgy of the Chemistry Department of the University of Torino. The scientific contributions have been presented in about 190 papers, published in international and national journals, and in several invited talk in international and national meetings.

The main research topics are related to metastable phases in metallic systems and may be classified as follow: a) Microstructure and kinetics of phase transformations in metallic systems; b) Thermodynamic properties an phase diagrams in metallic systems; c) Magnetic, mechanical and chemical properties of amorphous alloys and intermetallic compounds.

Prof. Elio Giamello is full Professor of Inorganic Chemistry. Faculty of Sciences at the University of Turin. He is the Head of the Chemistry Department (Dipartimento di Chimica IFM) at the Univeristy of Torino. Elio Giamello is active in the field of surface chemistry of oxides and, in general, of inorganic materials. In the mid eighties, after a period abroad in the laboratory of Prof. M. Che in Paris, he moved to the application of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (E.P.R) spectroscopy to the study of basic chemical phenomena taking place at the surface of both model and more complex oxide systems. He is Author or co-author of about 180 papers published in international journals and series. He gave some 40 invited Conferences or invited talks in national or international Conferences.

Prof. Giuseppe Spoto is currently Associated Professor of Spectroscopy. His main research interests involve the physicochemical characterization of the surface properties (including reactivity) of oxides, zeolites and zeotypes, as pure systems or containing supported, grafted or incapsulated metal species, by means of spectroscopic and gravimetric (or volumetric) methods and electron microscopies (HRTEM and SEM). He is author of about 130 publications on international journals.

Experimental and Theoretical Techniques: Synthesis and Reactivity: Advanced organic synthesis laboratory, sol-gel materials synthesis laboratory, laboratory of advanced metallurgy for alloys and coatings, catalysis and photocatalysis laboratory. Structural analysis: X-ray diffraction, electron microscopies HRTEM and SEM, Atomic Force Microscopy, optical and metallographic microscopy. Spectroscopy: FTIR under controlled atmosphere at variable temperature (12-300K), Raman, visible and UV-sources, IR and Raman microscopies, EPR measurement of radicals and paramagnetic centers in the X band between 4 and 400K, surface composition and contaminant detection with ESCA-XPS, PIXE and cathodolominescence, mass spectrometry. Thermal analysis: TG, DTA, DSC at low and high temperature, microgravimetry under controlled atmosphere. Modelling: thermodynamic and kinetic modelling of phase transformations.

(left) Relaxed crystal structure of magnesium alanate Mg(AlH4)2  (mid) Total charge density plot of magnesium alanate in the (1 1 0) plane (right) Pressure-temperature equilibrium diagram for the magnesium alanate composition

M. Palumbo, M. Baricco, "Modelling of primary bcc-Fe crystal growth in a Fe85B15 amorphous alloy", Acta Materialia 53 (2005) 2231-2239

M. Palumbo, G. Borzone, S. Delsante, N. Parodi, G. Cacciamani, R. Ferro, L. Battezzati, M. Baricco, "Thermodynamic analysis and assessment of the Ce-Ni system", Intermetallics 12 (2004) 1367-1372

E. Groppo, C. Lamberti, S. Bordiga, G. spoto and A. Zecchina, "The structure of active centers and the ethylene polymerization mechanism on the Cr/SiO2 catlyst: a frontier for the characterization methods", Chemical Reviews 105 (2005) 115

Contact:

Prof. Marcello Baricco
Universita' di Torino
NIS Centre of Excellence, Dipartimento di Chimica I.F.M.
Via P. Giura, 9
I-10125 Torino
Italy

Phone +39 (11) 670 7569
Fax +39 (11) 670 7855

http://momo.ch.unito.it, http://www.nis.unito.it