Mario Pagliaro

Single-Atom Catalysis: A Forthcoming Revolution in Chemistry reviews the latest developments, including whether or not this technology can become a technically and economically viable choice and whether existing challenges can be overcome to encourage its uptake. Beginning with an introduction to single-atom catalysis and current developments in the field, the book then reviews its role in potentially disruptive technologies, with a particular focus on applications in synthetic organic chemistry, solar hydrogen technologies and low platinum/platinum-free fuel cells. Other sections cover the steps needed for single-atom catalysis to become an industrially viable technology and its future outlook. Based on the extensive experience of its award-winning author, this book provides an authoritative guide on this novel approach.

Glycerol: The Renewable Platform Chemical provides a valuable overview of the glycerol market, including industrial applications and sustainable production of glycerol. Replacing previous works on the subject, this useful resource describes glycerol, also known as glycerine, and its chemical derivatives, especially the new bioglycerol-derived products. The monograph also discusses how the industrial use of glycerol as raw material for producing commodity chemicals depends on broader scope and lower cost of the catalytic process used to convert glycerol of varying purity grades into valued monomers. New chapters on glycerol polymers, the use of glycerol as antifreeze, and its sustainable production offer relevant information for researchers and professionals from academics and industry alike. The book features new processes, such as low cost and biocompatible glycerol polymers as a major alternative to the conventional polymers, with the first practical applications now emerging in the biomedical and patient care markets. The book offers both a source of inspiration for new projects and a reliable source of information on how glycerol is replacing petrochemicals in many real world applications.

Renewable hydrogen produced using solar energy to split water is the energy fuel of the future. Accelerated innovation in both major domains of solar energy (photovoltaics and concentrated solar power) has resulted in the rapid fall of the solar electricity price, opening the route to a number of practical applications using solar H2. New thermochemical water splitting using concentrated solar power (CSP) as well as CSP coupled to electrolysis has the potential to convert and store solar energy into clean hydrogen using a tiny fraction of the world's desert area to meet our present and future global energy needs. Photovoltaics, in turn, has the versatility required for supporting the creation of a distributed energy generation infrastructure in developing countries especially now that the price of PV solar electricity has fallen to unprecedented low levels. In all these cases, solar H2 will be used to store energy and release it on demand either for fuel cells (to power homes and boats) or internal combustion engines and turbines (for powering cars, trucks and in thermoelectric power units). This book on solar hydrogen is unique in its field and is a timely treatment of a hot topic in industry, academic, political and environmental circles. With reference to many examples as well as to new technologies, this accessible book provides insight into a crucial technology for our common future and numerous colour pictures contribute to the book's readability. Written by experts in the field who are engaged at the forefront of research, the book supplies readers with last minute insight from the frontiers of research. The book will be of interest to Politicians, solar PV companies, hydrogen and sustainability researchers, environmentalists, managers in the automotive and nautical industries, undergraduate and graduate students in physics, chemistry, energy and materials science.

The book deals with the environmentally friendly cleaning materials functionalized with TiO2, a widely known semiconductor giving rise to redox reactions under artificial or solar irradiation. The role of Titanium dioxide in the worldwide community is introduced first. The fundamental working principles of heterogeneous photocatalysis follow and a critical section on the semiconductor bulk and surface properties open the way to the differences between TiO2 blend features with respect to analogous thin film layouts. Then follows the main section of the book which deals with the techniques applied to manufactured commercial devices, ranging from glasses to textiles and from concrete and other construction materials to paintings. Also road asphalt and other devices, such as photocatalytic air conditioning machines are outlined. Last generation materials, not yet commercialized, and the deposition techniques applied to prepare them are also widely discussed. The final part of the book covers the difficult and modern topic of standardization and comparison of performance of photocatalytic processes and in particular the guidelines proposed by various worldwide organizations for standardization are discussed. The book covers the general matters as well as the practical applications with the supporting methods discussed in detail. This book brings together a team of highly experienced and well-published experts in the field, providing a comprehensive view of the applications of supported titanium dioxide.

By-products of global biodiesel manufacturing are a modern day global fact responsible for igniting a number of year’s worldwide intense research activity into human chemical ingenuity. This fully updated and revised 2nd edition depicts how practical limitations posed by glycerol chemistry are solved based on the understanding of the fundamental chemistry of glycerol and by application of catalysis science and technology. The authors report and comment on employable, practical avenues applicable to convert glycerol into value added products of mass consumption. This book is the best-selling reference book in the field. The highly anticipated 2nd Edition is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding whether biodiesel and glycerol refineries are convenient and economically sound.

This is the first book to address the hot topic of functional silica gels and their applications. Originally used mainly in chromatography, specialized silica gels have evolved into crucially important functional nanomaterials suitable for use in, amongst other things, chemical synthesis, analysis, purification, surface protection and drug release. It is estimated that the world's current 1 billion dollar market for sol-gels (mostly silica-based) will grow by more than 5% per year from 2006 to 2011. Actually, as many revolutionary products are now reaching the market, it will increase much faster. Commercial applications include glasses, paints, catalysts and fragrances. Medical uses include the delivery of vitamins, hormones and acne treatments and the synthesis of the powerful anticancer drug, taxol. Sol-gel technology also forms the basis of the MetaChip, thanks to which potential new drugs can be identified rapidly and simultaneously. With content relevant to both scientific and commercial viewpoints, the book will interest researchers and undergraduates as well as managers and consultants in the chemical industry. Those from an industrial background will gain a clear picture of what this technology is all about and how it can be used to solve their specific problems. All readers will benefit from the clear, concise style and consistent treatment of topics. The book demonstrates how chemists synthesize, from the bottom-up, tailor-made (nano)materials of immense practical importance spanning the fields of chemistry, physics, materials science, engineering, biology and medicine. It also shows how the versatility of silica gels results from their physical and chemical properties. An updated outlook on new commercial products, and the companies which make them, greatly adds relevance and practical value to the text.

With the decline in the world's natural resources, the need for new and cheaper energy sources is evolving. One such source is the sun which generates heat and light which can be harnessed and used to our advantage. This reference book introduces the topic of photovoltaics in the form of flexible solar cells. There are explanations of the principles behind this technology, the engineering required to produce these products and the future possibilities offered by this technology. The chemistry and physics of the cells (both organic and inorganic) are clarified as well as production methods, with information how this can then be applied to the nanoscale as well. A complete guide to this new and exciting way of producing energy which will be invaluable to a variety of people from material scientists, chemists, electrical engineers, to management consultants and politicians.