Università del Piemonte Orientale - DISAV
The DISAV, Department of Environmental and Life Sciences of the University of Piemonte
Orientale, has several research laboratories focussed on fundamental chemistry research
themes and one specifically dedicated to fuel cells (FC) equipped with facilities for fabricating,
testing and characterizing FC components.
Projects and activities in hydrogen:
- Optimization of MEA (membrane-electrode assembly) manufacturing, both for polymer
electrolyte (PEM) and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC)
- Design and realization of prototypes:
- 1 to 15 watt power, hydrogen and direct methanol fuel cells systems for portable
applications
- hydrogen fuelled air-breathing stacks (1-20 W)
- electronic control and power conditioning units
- New synthesis techniques of carbon based, conducting materials for gas diffusion layers
and catalysts production:
- Ionic conductivity and methanol permeability studies of membranes for PEM
- Hydrogen production from renewable sources
- Synthesis and characterization of nickel oxide based catalysts for internal reforming in
molten carbonate cells
- Development of nanostructured catalysts based on metal particles/clusters confined in
zeolites and mesoporous silica structures, and of composite polymer membranes
containing layered inorganic compounds.
The NIS (Nanostructured Interphases and Surfaces) Centre is an association of researchers interested in a multidisciplinary approach to the nano-technological concerns of surfaces and interphases. It collects more than 90 affiliates belonging to Chemistry, Physics and Biology departments of Turin and Oriental Piedmont Universities (Italy) and sharing resources and specific research projects. NIS was recognized as an Excellence Centre of the University of Turin by MIUR (Italian Ministry for University and Scientific Research) in 2003, after a peerreview international evaluation.
The expertise in material science and the availability of a wide variety of suitable experimental
and theoretical techniques allow NIS to be active with a number of research projects on
Hydrogen concerning:
- Materials for hydrogen storage (including alloys and intermetallic compounds, complexhydrides, inorganic and metal-organic microporous solids, polymers, high surface areananostructured oxides)
- Catalysts and photocatalysts for hydrogen production
- Catalysts and adsorbents for hydrogen purification
- Materials for Fuel Cells (electrodes, catalysts, membranes)
- Fundamental studies for the understanding of the hydrogen/material interaction(adsorption, dissociation and diffusion):
- Microporous materials for hydrogen storage
- Quantum mechanical studies on materials for hydrogen storage
