Nicola Lisi

• ENEA

The development of a Co-free and Ni-free electrocatalyst for carbon dioxide electrolysis would be a turning point for the large-scale commercialization of solid-oxide electrolysis cells (CO2−SOECs). Indeed, the demand for cobalt and nickel is expected to become critical by 2050 due to automotive electrification. Currently, the reference materials f...

Defects and nanocrystalline grain structures play a critical role in graphene-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (GERS). In this study, we selected three types of few-layer, polycrystalline graphene films produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and we tested them as GERS substrates. The graphene structure was controlled by decreasing the CVD temperat...

Graphene produced by chemical vapor deposition finds applications in a wide range of technologies. However, the transfer of monolayer graphene from the native substrate (commonly Cu foils) to a desired substrate remains challenging. In this study, we report a solvent-free transfer technique for monolayer graphene using a sublimable supporting coati...

Encapsulation is a process typically applied to commercial photovoltaic devices, such as silicon and thin film solar cells and panels, to obtain device stability and duration. This paper shows preliminary results about graphene/Silicon Schottky junction solar cell encapsulation. The aim of the encapsulation process is to preserve the device from ag...

In this article, the effect of graphene/silicon Schottky junction solar cells (G/Si SJSCs) encapsulation is investigated in terms of capacitance–voltage ( C – V ) curves in the forward bias region. Capacitance behavior can give accurate information on interface properties, especially when it is considered at positive voltage. The detection of a d...

Aiming at the energy efficient use and valorization of carbon dioxide in the framework of decarbonization studies and hydrogen research, a novel dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor has been designed, constructed and developed. This test rig with water cooled electrodes is capable of a plasma power tunable in a wide range from 20W to 2 kW per...

Nanostructured cobalt oxide powders as electro catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline membrane electrolysis cell (AME) were prepared by flame spray synthesis (FS); an AME’s anode was then produced by depositing the FS prepared cobalt oxide powders on an AISI-316 sintered metal fiber by the electrophoretic deposition (EPD)...

The development of ultrasensitive and biocompatible Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) substrates, able to provide uniform and reproducible signals, has become a focus of study in the last decade. Graphene, with his advantageous properties, such as photoluminescence quenching of fluorescent dyes, chemical inertness and biocompatibility, all...

Graphene is emerging as a promising material for the integration in the most common Si platform, capable to convey some of its unique properties to fabricate novel photonic and optoelectronic devices. For many real functions and devices however, graphene absorption is too low and must be enhanced. Among strategies, the use of an optical resonant ca...

Catalytic aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BnOH) to benzaldehyde (PhCHO) over sup-ported noble metal catalysts has grabbed the attention of researchers due to the critical role of PhCHO in numerous industrial syntheses. In the present study, a novel catalyst, Pd-P alloy sup-ported on aminopropyl-functionalized mesoporous silica (NH2-SiO2), was...

In this paper a technique based on the analysis of forward bias capacitance for interface characterization in Schottky structure is proposed. In particular, the occurrence of multiple peaks in the capacitance-voltage curve was related to non-uniform properties of the interfaces, for instance undesired localized interface defects. A graphene/silicon...

Nanostructured cobalt oxide anodes for alkaline membrane electrolysis cell (AME) were fabricated by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method directly on AISI-316 sintered metal fiber substrate, and the effect of different amounts of cobalt oxide was evaluated. The influence of the deposition condition on the microstructure and catalytic activity of...

Electric field enhancement at the center of a Fabry-Perot cavity was exploited for enhancing the absorption of single layer graphene. Large area single layer graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition was embedded in different optical resonant Fabry-Perot cavities with central wavelengths in the Vis, NIR and IR spectral ranges. Fabry-Perot filters...

The thermodynamic stability of hydroxylated graphane, that is, fully sp3 graphene derivatives coordinated with −H and −OH groups, has been recently demonstrated by ab initio calculations. Within the density functional theory approach, we investigate the electronic property modifications of graphane by progressive hydroxylation, that is, by progress...

In this study, a novel nerve guide conduit was developed, based on a three-dimensional (3D) graphene conductive core grown, by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coupled with a polycaprolactone (PCL) polymer coating. Firstly, the monolithic 3D-graphene foam (3D-GF) was synthesized on Ni foam templates via inductive heating CVD, subsequently, Ni/Graphe...

In article number 2005300, Andrea Capasso, Giuliana Faggio, and co‐workers study the influence of graphene films with different structures on the growth and maturation of primary cortical neurons. The results suggest that high electrical conductivity by itself is not the key requirement for an efficient neuronal interface, while other physical‐chem...

Aiming at the production of light, porous, conductive, biosafe composites, in this paper we are presenting a novel fabrication method for monolithic, three-dimensional (3D) graphene foam (GF)/porous polymer composites. The synthesis adopts a novel process architecture by using Ni foam templates in an inductive heating chemical vapor deposition grow...

There is a growing interest toward graphene and 2D materials for their exceptional geometrical, optical, and electronic features, which make them unique for photonic and optoelectronic applications. Achieving extraordinarily high absorption by the electric field enhancement on a single atomic plane is a challenging goal for physics and for many of...

In this paper graphene on silicon solar cells, adopting either gold contacts or graphite contacts, are characterized by means of the impedance spectroscopy analysis. Experiments are described in terms of equivalent circuit model, and lumped parameters allowing to reproduce experiments in the whole set of frequency and dc biases are given. From this...

Graphene-based materials represent a useful tool for the realization of novel neural interfaces. Several studies have demonstrated the biocompatibility of graphene-based supports, but the biological interactions between gra-phene and neurons still pose open questions. In this work, the influence of graphene films with different characteristics on t...

Mid-IR absorption of single layer graphene (SLG) was simulated and experimentally demonstrated by embedding a SLG grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) inside a Fabry–Perot (FP) filter made by alternating quarter wave Si and ${\rm{Si}}{{\rm{O}}_2}$ S i O 2 layers fabricated by radiofrequency sputtering. The absorption from the graphene layer was...

In this work, front contacts for graphene-based solar cells are made by means of colloidal graphite instead of gold. The performance is characterized by exploiting impedance spectroscopy and is compared to the standard gold contact technology. Impedance data are analysed through equivalent circuit representation in terms of lumped parameters, suita...

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on metal foils is regarded as the most effective method to produce large-area graphene with properties in line with the requirements of an extensive range of electronic and optical applications. For the CVD of graphene, ethanol is a versatile carbon source alternative to the widely used methane. In this review we rep...

We proposed a method to realize composite nickel-cobalt anode for alkaline electrolysis. � We characterised and compare anode in a small alkaline membrane electrolyser. � We observed an improve of the electro-catalytic properties of the Ni-Co anode for the OER keep stable during electrolysis. In this work, the performance of nickel-based anodes in...

A novel black organoammonium iodoplumbate semiconductor, namely phenyl viologen lead iodide C 22 H 18 N 2 (PbI 3 ) 2 (PhVPI), was successfully synthesized and characterized. Such a material showed physical-chemical properties suitable for photovoltaic applications. Indeed, low...

Le nuove applicazioni dell’elettrolisi dell’acqua (liquida) nel campo del Power-to-Gas impongono sfide tecnologiche ancora irrisolte, quali la riduzione dei costi, il miglioramento della robustezza e durabilità, la possibilità di lavorare a pressioni elevate, ecc. Tutte sfide che possono essere facilmente raccolte dagli elettrolizzatori alcalini co...

Graphene has recently emerged as a promising candidate for a wide range of photonic and optoelectronic applications, with a high application potential in devices using infrared radiation. The optical absorption of 2D materials and graphene can be uniquely enhanced when they are embedded in optical resonant cavities, since optically-thin atomic-thic...

We present a first principles study of the stability, and of the electronic and optical properties of graphene with nitrogen doped vacancies. Moreover, we use the vacancies as anchoring sites for Mg, Zn, Pd al Pt atoms and vary the concentration of defects. Decoration of the defects with metal atoms produces semi-metallic systems for any studied si...

Low‐dimensional carbon materials occupy a relevant role in the field of nanotechnology. Herein, the authors report a study conducted by atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy on the deposition of carbon dots onto graphene surfaces. The study aims at understanding if and how the morphology and the microstructure of chemical vapor deposited g...

High-quality graphene can be produced in large scale by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Ethanol is emerging as a versatile carbon source alternative to methane for the growth of graphene on a copper (Cu) foil catalyst. To date, rigorous studies of the ethanol-based process still lack, especially concerning the first stages of the growth, which ult...

In Schottky barrier solar cell (SBSC), the interface between absorber and front electrode plays a vital role for reducing the dark current, blocking the majority carriers injected into the electrode at forward bias, reducing surface recombination and passivating the silicon surface. In this respect, the addition of interfacial layer between the sem...

The present work demonstrates that, upon anodic polarization in a aqueous fluoride-containing electrolyte, TiO2 nanotube array films can be formed with a well-defined crystalline phase, rather than an amorphous one. The crystalline phase was obtained avoiding any high temperature annealing. We studied of the nanotubes formation in HF/H2O medium and...

Although the growth of graphene by chemical vapor deposition is a production technique that guarantees high crystallinity and superior electronic properties on large areas, it is still a challenge for manufacturers to efficiently scale up the production to the industrial scale. In this context, issues related to the purity and reproducibility of th...

In the present work we have tested the effects of two of the most used graphene chemical dopants, nitric acid (HNO3) and thionyl chloride (SOCl2), on multilayer graphene/n-silicon (G/n-Si) Schottky barrier solar cell completed with a double antireflection coating (DARC). The DARC has been realized with a MgF2/ZnS thermal deposition on graphene. In...

Among the different graphene synthesis methods, chemical vapor deposition of graphene on low cost copper foil shows great promise for large scale applications. Here we report on the growth and transfer of uniform and continuous large-sized thin-films composed of single- and few-layered graphene . The foils were grown by chemical vapor deposition (C...

Graphene-based derivatives with covalent functionalization and well-defined stoichiometry are highly desirable in view of their application as functional surfaces. Here, we have evaluated by ab initio calculations the energy of formation and the phase diagram of hydroxylated graphane structures, i.e., fully functionalized graphene derivatives coord...

Carbon nanowalls are carbon nanostructures consisting of arrays of graphitic carbon plates which are mainly positioned perpendicularly to the growth surface. Carbon nanowalls have received considerable interest in recent years, since they are closely related to graphene from the structural point of view, while maintaining an open honeycomb lattice...

Unlabelled: The development of efficient charge transport layers is a key requirement for the fabrication of efficient and stable organic solar cells. A graphene-based derivative with planar resistivity exceeding 10(5) Ω/□ and work function of 4.9 eV is here produced by finely tuning the parameters of the chemical vapor deposition process on coppe...

The magnetism of graphone, a single-side-hydrogenated graphene derivative, has been related to the localized and unpaired p-electrons associated with the unhydrogenated carbon atoms. In the present density functional theory study, the effects the adhesion to either Cu(111) or α-quartz (0001) surface on the magnetic properties of graphone have been...

Graphene films were produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of pyridine on copper substrates. Pyridine-CVD is expected to lead to doped graphene by the insertion of nitrogen atoms in the growing sp2 carbon lattice, possibly improving the properties of graphene as a transparent conductive film. We here report on the influence that the CVD parame...

The growth of graphene by chemical vapor deposition on metal foils is a promising technique to deliver large-area films with high electron mobility. Nowadays, the chemical vapor deposition of hydrocarbons on copper is the most investigated synthesis method, although many other carbon precursors and metal substrates are used too. Among these, ethano...

High conductive graphene films can be grown on metal foils by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). We here analyzed the use of ethanol, an economic precursor, which results also safer than commonly-used methane. A comprehensive range of process parameters were explored in order to obtain graphene films with optimal characteristics in view of their use...

The transfer of chemical vapor deposited graphene is a crucial process, which can affect the quality of the transferred films and compromise their application in devices. Finding a robust and intrinsically clean material capable of easing the transfer of graphene without interfering with its properties remains a challenge. We here propose the use o...

Schottky barrier solar cells based on graphene/n-silicon heterojunction have been fabricated and characterized and the effect of graphene molecular doping by HNO3 on the solar cells performances have been analyzed. Different doping conditions and thermal annealing processes have been tested to asses and optimize the stability of the devices. The PC...

Various forms of hydrogenated graphene have been produced to date by several groups, while the synthesis of pure graphane has not been achieved yet. The study of the interface between graphane, in all its possible hydrogenation configurations, and catalyst metal surfaces can be pivotal to assess the feasibility of direct CVD growth methods for this...

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is widely utilized to synthesize graphene with controlled properties for many applications, especially when continuous films over large areas are required. Although hydrocarbons such as methane are quite efficient precursors for CVD at high temperature (1000 °C), finding less explosive and safer carbon sources is con...

Graphene films are grown by chemical vapour deposition on copper layer and then transferred onto a silicon substrate, coated with silicon dioxide. The topological characterization of the produced film is performed by atomic force microscopy, and the sheet resistance is measured by applying the four-probe test method. The equivalent single conductor...

Taguchi method is for the first time applied to optimize the synthesis of graphene films by copper-catalyzed decomposition of ethanol. In order to find the most suited experimental conditions to the realization of thin high-grade films six suitably designed experiments are performed. The influence of temperature (1000–1070 °C) and synthesis duratio...

In the present work, graphene films of the order of \(1\,\hbox{cm}^{2}\) were grown on copper foil substrates by CVD using hydrogen/methane or hydrogen/argon/ethanol mixtures as gas precursors. The growth processes were performed near \(1\hbox{,}000^{\circ}\hbox{C}\) both at atmospheric and low pressures. A system for the fast cooling of the sample...

New carbon nanomaterials, i.e., carbon nanotubes and nanofibers, with special physico-chemical properties, are recently studied as support for methanol oxidation reaction electrocatalysts replacing the most widely used carbon black. Particularly, carbon fibrous structures with high surface area and available open edges are thought to be promising....

In the present work, graphene films of the order of 1cm2 were grown on copper foil substrates by CVD using hydrogen/methane or hydrogen/argon/ethanol mixtures as gas precursors. The growth processes were performed near 1000°C both at atmospheric and low pressures. A system for the fast cooling of the sample, based on the fast extraction of the samp...

The real market penetration of polymer electrolyte fuel cells is hindered by the high cost of this technology mainly due to the expensive platinum catalyst. Two approaches are followed to reduce the cost: one way is to increase the Pt utilization efficiency reducing at the same time the total load and the other way is to increase the catalytic acti...

A novel approach to the deposition of polycrystalline diamond is presented. The technique is based on the hot filament chemical vapour deposition technique (HFCVD). While it is similar to a high plasma power “bias enhanced growth” HFCVD, it relies on a graphite filament rather than on a metal one. It was found that with an appropriate choice of the...

Extensive efforts are focused on the development of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells, due to the intrinsic advantages of this type of devices for mobile power supply system. One of the major drawback of the DMFC resides in the easy poisoning of the anode electrocatalyst (platinum) by COlike reaction intermediates, which implies the need of high platinum...

This letter reports on the fabrication of regular arrays of three dimensional graphitic structures, by growing carbon nanowalls on forests of conical Si microspikes. The high field enhancement achieved by this hierarchical growth process indicates a potential for electron emission applications. Experiments show that the field emission performance a...

Carbon nanoparticles and multiwall carbon nanotubes were deposited on Optically Transparent Electrode (OTE) for application in Dye Sensitised Solar Cells (DSSCs) as counter electrode materials. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was used to evaluate the behaviour in I3-/I- electrolyte solution. Results were compared to commercial Pt catal...

In many I–V measurements, evidence has emerged pointing towards the existence of Luttinger-liquid behaviour in metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), as expected for strongly interacting electrons in 1-d; such behaviour was observed via the power-law temperature and bias voltage dependence of the current through tunnelling contacts attach...

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) films have been fabricated by using plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) system onto Cr-Au patterned alumina substrates, provided with 3 nm thick Fe growth-catalyst, for NO2 and NH3 gas sensing applications, at sensor temperature in the range of 100-250°C. Nanoclusters of noble metals surface-cat...

Nanocrystalline diamond was prepared by hot filament assisted chemical vapor deposition technique. The ac electrical response of the deposit, constituted by well formed diamond grains and grain boundaries, was studied by impedance spectroscopy technique. Grain boundary and grain surface were considered distinct regions able to influence differently...

Carbon nanowalls are grown on silicon substrates through bias assisted Hot Filament Chemical Vapour Deposition (HF-CVD). Different morphology and density are obtained varying the process parameters. Platinum nanoparticles are electrodeposited on nanowalls by galvanostatic polarization to test the effectiveness of their use as electrocatalyst substr...

An unsupported Fe-based powder catalyst was prepared by coprecipitation of iron and aluminum ions followed by solid state reaction by a novel preparative route. Although metal particles were not supported on hard-to-reduce oxide, this catalyst showed nanometric dimensions.The catalyst was used for growing MWCNTs by thermal chemical vapor deposition...

Two dimensional graphitic carbon structures, commonly referred to as carbon nanowalls (CNW), are raising increasing interest in the scientific community. Their surface area is theoretically twice that of the closed boundary structures, such as carbon nanotubes, making them extremely attractive for chemical and biosensor applications.In this work CN...

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) films have been deposited by using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system onto Cr–Au patterned alumina substrates for N O ₂ and N H ₃ gas sensing applications, at operating temperature of 200 ° C . Nanoclusters of different MWCNT-growth catalysts (Fe and Co) have been prede...

Nanocrystalline diamond was prepared by hot filament assisted chemical vapor deposition technique. The nanometer sized dimension of diamond grains was determined by x-ray line broadening. AC electrical response of deposits, constituted by well formed diamond grains, was studied by admittance spectroscopy at different temperatures. Grain boundary an...

We analyzed the feasibility of CVD diamond to operate as the main component in active devices for conversion of high-energy radiation into electrical power. A self-sustained radiation dosimeter based on the electron emission effect was designed and tested under low-energy X-ray beam (Mg X-ray tube). The device operative conditions (absence of appli...

The achievement of nanosmooth, ultrathin diamond coatings with nanosized grains is mandatory for the successful utilization of diamond in areas such as microelectromechanical systems, field emission and surface acoustic waves devices. The bias enhanced nucleation technique (BEN) allows to achieve high nucleation density diamond films, where the ave...

Aiming at the purpose of using carbon nanotubes as secondary phase in composite materials, removal of metal catalyst, catalyst support and amorphous carbon is crucial to make the most of the required properties. A purification method was developed to remove the metal catalyst from multi-walled nanotubes grown by thermal CVD. A nanosized Fe-based ca...

A plasma, created at interaction of short-wavelength excimer laser radiation with flat targets was investigated (tlas = 12 ns, λlas = 0.308 μm, qlas = 4 – 8 × 1012 W/cm2) with the help of various x-ray spectroscopic methods. The comparison of shapes and intensities of some observable spectral lines of H-, He and Li-like ions of Na, Mg and Al with r...

A novel reinforcing material based on the concept of an uniform 3-dimensional distribution of carbon nanotubes directly grown on yarns of carbon fibres has been developed. This material shows a potential for applications in polymeric matrix composites, combining the properties of carbon nanotubes with those of a traditional reinforcement.In view of...