Multi-Functional Nanomaterial Group
Over the last decade, the increasing environmental concern has stimulated the development of eco-sustainable technologies for the quality control of air/water. The latter issue has boosted the implementation of efficient gas sensors for toxic/flammable gases (CO, NOx, volatile organics …), as well as the photocatalytic conversion of pollutants into non-toxic products, with a minimal ecological footprint. In this regard, the ever-increasing overreliance on the burning of non-renewable fossil fuels and the consequent detrimental greenhouse gases emission have stimulated the exploration of green energy alternatives to suppress global warming and environmental pollution. An urgent need highlighted by the Agenda 2030 objectives is to decarbonize the current energy portfolio to a cleaner and more sustainable one, as promised by the transition to a hydrogen-based economy. The abundant sunlight, a renewable and inexhaustible natural resource reaching the Earth surface, provides a valuable means for a sustainable production of H2. In particular, photoeletrochemical water splitting into O2 and H2 possesses a high applicative potential towards a clean and large-scale hydrogen generation. 
Advances towards the application of the above technologies directly rely on the availability of supported multi-functional nanomaterials, that display a lower tendency to sinter and/or deactivate upon operation and enable to avoid inconvenient recovery processes, at variance with conventional powders. The perspectives for property tailoring and the possibility to modulate their characteristics and behavior over a broad range pave the way to on-site technological utilization in a broad range of applications.  
As a general rule, nanomaterial chemico-physical and functional properties are directly dependent on the adopted synthetic strategies and processing conditions. In this regard, the MFN group possesses an internationally recognized know-how in the fabrication of nanomaterials with variable dimensionality, from 1D to 3D (thin films, nanorods, nanoplatelets, nanocomposites).  
The group members have developed a remarkable experience in the use of bottom-up approaches based on chemical vapor deposition (CVD), a process whereby a solid material is synthesized starting from a molecular gaseous precursor through a series of chemical reactions. The success of this technique is mainly due to its numerous degrees of freedom and to the non-equilibrium processing conditions, enabling a controlled growth of nanomaterials with pre-designed features and functional properties.  
In the framework of such techniques, plasmas, which, in a nut-shell, are weakly ionized gases, can be been used to promote chemical reactions [for instance, in plasma enhanced-CVD (PE-CVD)], thanks to the synergistic combination of homogeneous/heterogeneous processes. The possibility of exploiting both the ablation and the infiltration power characterizing weakly ionized plasmas allows both the synthesis and the modification of innovative nanocomposites (oxide-oxide, metal-oxide,…), hardly attainable by traditional synthetic approaches. Beside PE-CVD, sputtering is another favorable synthesis technique exploiting the benefits of cold plasmas. Unlike most physical processes, sputtering can be carried out at low temperatures, enabling the use even of thermally sensitive substrates, such as plastics and textiles. 
In the MFN group, particular attention is dedicated to the development of innovative synthetic protocols, endowed with a remarkable flexibility, that involve the original coupling of the above techniques even with liquid phase processes (decantation, electrophoresis,…) to yield inorganic and hybrid nanomaterials with different types of nano-organizations. These routes offer more degrees of freedom to control nucleation and growth processes of the target nanosystems, enabling a fine control of their ultimate functional properties by design.  
In general, the uniqueness of the MFN group resides on the fact that the activities aim at nanomaterial fabrication cover the whole chain from the preparation of molecular precursors, up to the vapor phase growth of nanomaterials, encompassing their chemico-physical and functional characterization.  
In particular, the connected research activities can be categorized according to the following main fields:  
• design, synthesis and chemico-physical characterization of suitable molecular compounds (such as malonates, ketoiminates, modified beta-diketonates, ,….) endowed with high volatility, stability to air/moisture and clean decomposition/fragmentation patterns under both CVD and PE-CVD conditions. These features are stringent requirements for the practical use of such molecular systems in technological processes; 
• development and implementation of synthetic strategies such as CVD, Sputtering and their innovative combinations with liquid phase routes, for the obtainment of advanced nanomaterials;  
• detailed investigation of composition, structure and morphology of the obtained systems by complementary characterization techniques. In this regard, the group can offer a broad ranges of services for companies regarding the analysis of virtually any kind of solid material (metals, glasses, semiconductors, ceramics, plastics, fibers, textiles, …..), regarding in particular surface and in-depth chemical composition, morphology and microstructure (see also the Equipment section).  
• functional validation of the optimized nanomaterials, with particular regard to (photo)electrochemical applications (anodes and cathodes for water splitting process and water purification from selected pollutants). 

Funding 


The group is, or has been, directly involved in various national and international projects in the field of inorganic nanomaterial design, characterization and functional investigation, among which:

• Research project @CNR (2020 Call) “Converging technologies in the development of multi-functional nanosystems for wastewater purification and simultaneous clean energy production” (ASSIST) (2021-2023); 

• INSTM Consortium project “Metal oxide-based functional nanoarchitectures for sensing, environment and energetics” (NANOMAT) (2021-2023);  

• INSTM Consortium project “Multi-functional nanostructured catalysts for water purification and clean energy production” (ATENA) (2021-2023);  

• PROJECT 4.0 – AMGA Foundation (Genova) – “Multi-functional nanostructures as catalysts for clean energy production and simultaneous water purification” (NYMPHEA) (2021-2022); 

• Padova University Research project - P-DiSC “Advances in multi-component nanostructures as functional toolkits for clean water and energy production” (EUREKA) (2021-2022); 
 
• PROJECT 4.0 – AMGA Foundation (Genova) – “Nanocatalysts based on manganese oxides for sustainable energy production” (Mn4Energy) (2019-2020). 

• Padova University Research project - P-DiSC “Tailoring the oxygen evolution reaction by engineering nanoarchitectures based on advanced manganese oxide catalysts” (OXYGENA) (2019-2020);
 
• INSTM Consortium project “Nanosystems based on oxides and metals as sensors for toxic and flammable gases” (ISIDE) (2018-2020); 
 
• INSTM Consortium project “Multifunctional nanosystems based on metal oxides for photoactivated applications” (NETTUNO) (2018-2020); 
 
• Padova University Research project - P-DiSC “Multi-component oxide nanosystems as chemical sensors for potential security warning and environmental threats” (SENSATIONAL) (2017-2018); 
 
• Funding for fundamental research (FFARB-ANVUR) promoting the fundamental research activities of associate professors and researchers (2017); 

• Padova University – Senior Research Grant “Engineering nanoscale metal oxides as multifunctional coatings for green windows” (ACTION) (2016-2018); 

• Padova University – Junior Research Grant “Solar Hydrogen Production by illumination of metal oxide nanocomposites” (SOLLEONE) (2014-2016); 

• NMP4-SL-2012-310333: “Water Oxidation Nanocatalysts for Sustainable Solar Hydrogen Production through Visible-Light Activity” (SOLAROGENIX) (http://www.solarogenix.eu/; 2013-2016); 

• Regione Lombardia-National Interuniversity Consortium on Materials Science and Technology (INSTM) Project “Solar activation of nanocomposites based on oxides and metals for the sustainable hydrogen production and the purification of wastewaters (ATLANTE)” (2013-2015); 

• Padova University Research project (PRAT) “Innovative multi-functional nanosystems for hydrogen production and detection” (2011-2013); 

• FP7-PEOPLE-ITN-2008-238409 “European Research Training Network of New Materials: Innovative Concepts for their Fabrication, Integration and Characterisation” (ENHANCE) (http://www.enhance-itn.eu/; 2009-2013); 

• Regione Lombardia-National Interuniversity Consortium on Materials Science and Technology (INSTM) Project “Production and use of hydrogen as energy vector: development of innovative metal oxide nanoarchitectures (PICASSO)” (2010-2012); 

• Padova University Research project (PRAT) “Nano-organization of functional molecular architectures on inorganic surfaces for eco-sustainable applications” (2009-2011); 

• Innovative Research Project in Materials Science (PRISMA) – INSTM “Molecular systems anchored on silicon for integrated sensor devices” (2008-2010).