The ICCOM Nanomaterials & Catalysis Group has a long-lasting experience in collaboration with both national and international academic institutions. The NCG leader has been (and still is) part of several national and European networks (FP6, FP7), both as a participant and as a coordinator.
Since 2005 the following projects (many of which still ongoing) have been managed by the NCG.
• “SMARTNESS” Solar driven chemistry: new materials for photo- and electro-catalysis” – PRIN 2015 n° 2015K7FZLH (Programmi di Ricerca Scientifica di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale) – from November 2016 to October 2019
• “DECOrATE” Nitrogen-DopEd carbon-based COAtings for macroscopically shaped metal-free catalysts active in the Treatment of gaseous Effluents – SATT Conectus Alsace funding project, contract no ———- – from May 2015 to May 2017
• “NANoREG” A common European approach to the regulatory testing of Manufactured Nanomaterials – EU FP7, contract no 310584 – from March 2013 to February 2017
• “CRYSTALLINE ELASTOMERS” – Novel polyolefin based elastomers with tailored stiffness from metallorganic catalysis. Fondazione CARIPLO project – from June 2014 to June 2016
• COST Action CMST Action CM1006: “EUFEN: European F-Element Network” from April 2011 to ….
• “FREECATs” – Doped carbon nanostructures as metal-free catalysts. Small or medium scale focused research projects – FP7, NMP-2011-2.2-4 Novel materials for replacement of strategic or scarce raw materials (platinum group metals and rare earths) – from March 2012 to March 2015
• FIRB-(MIUR) TERANOSTICA – Approcci nanotecnologici per la teranostica dei tumori (RBAP11ETKA_002). FIRB-project – from November 2011 to November 2015
• “Homogeneous Catalysis for Sustainable Development” European Research Network – GDRI for the trilateral cooperation between Italy (CNR)-Russia (RAS)-France (CNRS) – from January 2008 to January 2015
• “NanoMAX – Encoder” – Engineering Nanostructures for Cellular imaging and for intracellular delivery of Optically active Drugs for cardiac hypERtrophy. (NanoMAX CNR Flag Project) – from January 2012 to December 2014
• “NANOCELL” – Optical nanosensors into the cells. (PAR FAS REGIONE TOSCANA Linea di Azione 1.1.a.3) – from February 2011 to August 2013
• “New Single-Site Rare Earth Catalysts Supported by Amino-Pyridine Ligands for Olefin Polymerization and co-Polymerization”. Bilateral cooperation program funded by CNR-RAS (2008-2010). CNR Protocol n° 31496 of April 15th 2008 – from April 2008 to April 2011
• “ICT-ONE” Nanotubi al carbonio quali nanostrutture per la veicolazione di molecole proteiche, farmaci e traccianti per l’analisi di processi farmacologici – (Regional Grant, Contract n° 1399, of May, 23rd 2008) – from May 2008 to November 2009
• FIRB-(MIUR) NANOPACK “New Nanostructured Materials and Polymer Films for Flexible Packaging with reduced Environmental Impact and responsive to chemical and physical actions” (D.D. n° 2186 of December 12nd 2003, protocol n. RBNE03R78E) – from September 2005 to September 2009
• “NANOHYBRID” Designed Nanostructured Hybrid Polymers: Polymerization Catalysis and Tecton Assembly (FP6 – NMP3-CT-2005-516972) contract n°. 516972 del 8/04/2005 – From March 2005 to March 2008
The Nanomaterials & Catalysis Group (NCG) is part of the Institute of Chemistry of OrganoMetallic Compounds of the Italian National Research Council (ICCOM-CNR). ICCOM is part of the Department of Chemical Sciences and Materials Technology (DSCTM) of the CNR and it is composed of one headquarter, located in Sesto Fiorentino (Florence) and three branches located at the University of Pisa, Bari and Trieste, respectively. The institute is worldwide recognized for its pioneer activity in the field of catalysis (homogeneous and heterogeneous) and material science. Since 2010, ICCOM was evaluated by a group of 107 international scientific experts as the first CNR institute in the C1 area (Chemical Sciences) and the sixth in the D1 sector (Materials Science and Technology).
The following tools and characterization equipments are currently available at ICCOM and represent the ordinary facilities for the development of the activity at NCG:
• High pressure and temperature reactors (up to 250 bar and 250 ° C) with injectors for solids and liquids, sampling devices and temperature, stirring speed and pressure control; Microwave reactor.
• IR and NMR spectroscopy for both ambient conditions and high pressure measurements (HP-NMR within a quartz tube), with the possibility of combining them with high /low temperature non-ambient conditions; Bruker Avance DRX-400, ACP 300 and 200 MHz spectrometers, for both solution and solid state samples (31P-and 13C-MAS NMR).
• Elexsys Bruker E500 EPR spectrometer equipped with a continuous-flow 4He cryostat capable of operating at variable temperature (400-300 K).
• GC, GC-MS, HPLC (Shimadzu GC17A with chiral columns, GC-MS Shimadzu QP-5000, Shimadzu HPLC LC8A equipped with chiral/preparative columns and array detector), elemental analyzer Carlo Erba Model 1106.
• MBraun Labmaster glove-box operating in N2 atmosphere for moisture- and oxygen-sensitive samples handling.
• Diffractometers for single crystal X-ray diffraction: Oxford Xcalibur-3 with Mo source and CCD detector and Oxford Xcalibur ultra-plus with Cu source and CCD detector.
• Powder X-ray diffractometers: PANalytical X’Pert PRO with Pixcel© detector and an Anton Paar HTK 1200N hot chamber for variable temperature measurements and a Bruker D8 Advance with Cu source.
• Dynamic sampling mass spectrometer coupled to a furnace (to reach temperatures up to 1500 ° C) equipped with a quartz sample holder: CATLAB QIC-20 Hiden Analytical, for TPD and TPO measurements or gas-solid heterogeneous catalysis studies.
• Thermogravimetric analysis tool associated with a mass spectrometer TGA-MS EXSTAR 6000.
• Instrument for inner surface area determination and pore distribution analysis of micro-and mesoporous materials Micromeritics ASAP 2020; physisorption of H2, CO2, CO, CH4, ethylene, acetylene, and vapors of guest molecules such as benzene, I2, H2O.
• Atomic force microscope PSIA XE 100.
• Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM and ESEM), with possibility of sample cooling before the analysis, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).
• Electrochemical equipment Princeton Parstat 2273; Fuel Cell Test System, 850 E. Scribner.