Emanuela Mastronardo

Influence of the Cobalt Phase on the Highly Efficient Growth of MWNTs

In this work, the influence of the cobalt phase on the growth of carbon nanotubes by the catalytic chemical vapour deposition of CH4 with catalysts containing Co, Mo and Mg is investigated. To this end, the catalytic behaviour of physically mixed CoO/MgO+MgMoO4 and CoMoO4+MgMoO4 is studied. The results obtained show that CoMoO4+MgMoO4 allows for the attainment of the highest CNT yield (2407 wt % against 1296 wt %). Its higher activity is ascribed to the greater formation of active sites that, in light of current assessments, are constituted by metallic cobalt adjacent to Mo2C, and the huge exfoliation of the catalyst, which contributes towards enhancing their exposure.

Synthesis of Me Doped Mg(OH)2 Materials for Thermochemical Heat Storage

In order to investigate the influence of metal (Me) doping in Mg(OH)2 synthesis on its thermochemical behavior, Ca2+, Co2+ and Ni2+ ions were inserted in Mg(OH)2 matrix and the resulting materials were investigated for structural, morphological and thermochemical characterization. The densification of the material accompanied by the loss in porosity significantly influenced the hydration process, diminishing the conversion percentage and the kinetics. On the other hand, it increased the volumetric stored/released heat capacity (between 400 and 725 MJ/m3), reaching almost three times the un-doped Mg(OH)2 value.