Lecture invitation: The Activation and Functionalization of Halloysite Nanotubes surfaces for the Catalytic Conversion Processes of Biomass: Computational and Experimental Studies
We cordially invite you to the lecture of Dr. Lorenzo Lisuzzo, which will take place on Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 13:00 in the P2 auditorium.
Lorenzo Lisuzzo got his degree cum laude at the University of Palermo in 2017 and his PhD in Materials Science and Nanotechnology at the University of Catania in January 2021. From February to August 2017 he joined the Materials Science Institute of Madrid (CSIC-ICMM, Spain) as visiting scholar. In 2019 he was awarded with a Fulbright grant and visited the Molecular Design Institute, Department of Chemistry of the New York University (US) as a Fulbright Visiting Researcher. Currently, he is Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the Department of Physics and Chemistry of the University of Palermo. His research activity deals with the design of functional hybrid materials, inorganic materials, catalysis, clays, surface modification by both experimental and computational investigations.Abstract:
The Activation and Functionalization of Halloysite Nanotubes surfaces for the Catalytic Conversion Processes of Biomass: Computational and Experimental Studies.
Lorenzo Lisuzzo, PhD
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Università degli Studi di Palermo
Dipartimento di Fisica e Chimica “Emilio Segrè”
The valorization of biomass, defined as the biodegradable fraction of waste and residues deriving from human action, is one of the most important and challenging topics within the framework of a green transition and a sustainable societal development. Although research has made enormous progress in recent years, today many questions remain open and the conversion efficiencies must be improved in order to trigger a significant impact on society. The main core of this research project is to investigate, through computational methods, the most useful descriptors that allow to develop catalysts able to improve the yields of catalytic processes and their selectivity in lab. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) have the needed properties and they appear to be promising for the reactions of interest. HNTs are naturally occurring aluminosilicates with a hollow nanotubular shape and different charges in the inner and outer surface, which are negatively and positively charged. However, their use strictly depends on the chemistry of functional groups at the internal/external surfaces. Above all, the alkaline activation of halloysite silicic surface was studied to enlighten the formation of silanol groups which can act as anchoring sites for the attachment of organic molecules. Computational studies, conducted by a cluster approach within density functional theory, provided atomistic details about the formation and the configuration of these active groups and the promotion of covalent grafting with aminosilanes, such as APTES and AEAPTMS. Through the experimental analysis, the functionalization efficiency was found to be higher for the alkaline pretreated nanoclays compared to the neat aluminosilicates, in agreement with computational results. Moreover, the modification of the inner aluminum based surface of halloysite by acidic treatment was also focused to have more details about the appearance of acidic sites embedded in the clay nanostructure. These results pave the ground for the development of halloysite based materials to be exploited in catalytic processes for the conversion of biomass, through the design of metals supported nanocatalysts or acidic catalysts with low impact on the environment.
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| Link | https://www.fch.vut.cz/en/faculty/organizational-structure/ims/news/f142507/d256791 |