• 097743 - PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CATALYTIC MATERIALS

The course has the objective to provide the skills and knowledge for the comprehension and quali-quantitative analysis of catalytic processes used in the industrial chemistry, environmental protection, energetic field and others. In particular, after a general introduction on the industrial heterogeneous catalysis and catalysts, this part of the course will deal with the preparation and characterization of catalytic materials. 

Lectures and laboratory experiences allow students to:

• Identify all the step in the preparation method of a catalytic materials, related to specific cheractistics in the final product
  
• Choose the best characterization technique to measure a specific property

The course consists of lectures and laboratory activity.

Industrial catalysis: introduction to historical data on industrial catalytic processes, relevance of today's industrial catalysis and catalyst market, stages involved in the development of a catalytic process, perspectives and future developments of catalysis.

General characteristics of heterogeneous catalysts: role of a catalyst in a chemical reaction, properties of industrial catalysts, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, components of heterogeneous catalysts, crystal structures of heterogeneous catalysts.

Catalyst preparation: general overview of the preparation method for bulk catalysts and supports. Theory and practice of (co)-precipitaion, impregnation, sol-gel methods, and of other preparation methods. Unit operation (i.e. filtration drying, calcination...) for the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts will be considered.

Chemico-physical characterization of catalysts: General aspects on the characterization of bulk and supported catalysts. Morphological characterization: specific surface area and pore distribution. Adsorption techniques for the catalyst characterization: physical and chemical adsorption, models for adsorption isotherms, experimental techniques for the adsorption study. Spectroscopic and thermal techniques for the catalyst characterization: FTIR, Laser-Raman, UV-Vis, TG-DTA, DSC, XRD, EPR, SEM, TEM, ecc.. Chemical characterization: TPD, TPO, TPR, TPSR, ecc..

No pre-requisites are required

The final exam must allow the student to:

• demonstrate that he has acquired a correct approach to the catalyst preparation methods

• be able to choose the best preparation method related to the characteristic in the final catalyst

• apply methods and tools to correctly characterize the catalytic materials