Nuova ricerca

ENRICO PARADISI

LAUREATO FREQUENTATORE
Dipartimento di Ingegneria "Enzo Ferrari"

Home | Curriculum(pdf) |


Pubblicazioni

2023 - Extruded composite films based on polylactic acid and sodium alginate [Articolo su rivista]
Mortalò, C.; Russo, P.; Miorin, E.; Zin, V.; Paradisi, E.; Leonelli, C.
abstract

Sodium alginate (SA) and polylactic acid (PLA) are two biopolymers obtained from renewable resources that recently gained attention in the scientific community. Despite the promising properties of both polymers, their blends are seldom investigated. Herein we report the preparation of PLA/SA blends with SA content up to 30% by the melt mixing extrusion method, a scalable well-established and environmentally friendly technology. XRD and FTIR analysis confirmed the successful incorporation of SA in the PLA matrix. DSC revealed a different thermal response of the PLA/SA films with respect to bare PLA, especially in samples with high SA content, and the calculated crystallization degree was higher in blends. The wettability of PLA/SA blends was found to be similar to pure PLA, while mechanical properties and surface morphology were found to be lower. Discussion on possible reasons for this features and possible applicable solutions to overcome the problem are also presented.

2023 - Life cycle impact assessment of solution combustion synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles and its comparison with more conventional strategies [Articolo su rivista]
Rosa, Roberto; Paradisi, Enrico; Gualtieri, Eva Magdalena; Mugoni, Consuelo; Cappucci, GRAZIA MARIA; Ruini, Chiara; Neri, Paolo; Ferrari, Anna Maria
abstract

This paper represents the first attempt to quantitatively and reliably assess the environmental sustainability of solution combustion synthesis (SCS) with respect to other soft chemistry strategies, which are more conventionally employed in the preparation of engineered oxide nanomaterials, namely hydrolytic and non-hydrolytic sol-gel syntheses (i.e., HSGS and NHSGS). Indeed, although SCS is well known to rely on significant reduction in the energy as well as time required for the obtainment of the desired nanocrystals, its quantitative environmental assessment and a detailed comparison with other existing synthetic pathways represents an absolute novelty of high scientific desirability in order to pursue a more sustainable development in the inorganic chemistry as well as materials science research fields. TiO2 nanoparticles were selected as the material of choice, for the production of which three slightly modified literature procedures were experimentally reproduced and environmentally evaluated by the application of the comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Particularly, SCS was compared from an environmental perspective with sol-gel approaches performed both in water and in benzyl alcohol. The results of the present study were also framed among those recently obtained in a systematic study assessing seven further chemical, physical and biological routes for the synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles, comprising also flame spray pyrolysis (typically used in industrial productions), highlighting and quantifying the excellent environmental performances of SCS.

2023 - On the use of microwaves during combustion/calcination of N-doped TiO2 precursor: An EMW absorption study combined with TGA-DSC-FTIR results [Articolo su rivista]
Paradisi, Enrico; Plaza-González, Pedro J.; Baldi, Giovanni; Catalá-Civera, José M.; Leonelli, Cristina
abstract

For the first time, dielectric properties and electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing performance of a precursor for N-doped TiO2 nanoparticles undergoing combustion synthesis are reported. The precursor contains titania, NH4Cl as source of N atoms for TiO2 nanoparticles doping, and organics. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) reveals that the 180-450 degrees C temperature range accounts for the overall weight loss of the process. High -temperature gas evolution analysis confirms combustion of the organic component. Aiming to optimize output power and time schedule of the material's microwave (MW) calcination, in situ high temperature dielectric properties measurements were recorded during MW irradiation in a dedicated cavity. Results revealed that after a first stage of non-combustive decomposition, in a second stage the EMW absorption decreases, so MW power is no longer necessary and hybrid heating is suggested to reach the desired calcination temperature (375-400 degrees C).

2023 - Use of Foundry Sands in the Production of Ceramic and Geopolymers for Sustainable Construction Materials [Articolo su rivista]
Sgarlata, C.; Ariza-Tarazona, M. C.; Paradisi, E.; Siligardi, C.; Lancellotti, I.
abstract

The aim of this research was to evaluate the possibility of reusing waste foundry sands derived from the production of cast iron as a secondary raw material for the production of building materials obtained both by high-temperature (ceramic tiles and bricks) and room-temperature (binders such as geopolymers) consolidation. This approach can reduce the current demand for quarry sand and/or aluminosilicate precursors from the construction materials industries. Samples for porcelain stoneware and bricks were produced, replacing the standard sand contained in the mixtures with waste foundry sand in percentages of 10%, 50%, and 100% by weight. For geopolymers, the sand was used as a substitution for metakaolin (30, 50, 70 wt%) as an aluminosilicate precursor rather than as an aggregate to obtain geopolymer pastes. Ceramic samples obtained using waste foundry sand were characterized by tests for linear shrinkage, water absorption, and colorimetry. Geopolymers formulations, produced with a Si/Al ratio of 1.8 and Na/Al = 1, were characterized to evaluate their chemical stability through measurements of pH and ionic conductivity, integrity in water, compressive strength, and microstructural analysis. The results show that the addition of foundry sand up to 50% did not significantly affect the chemical-physical properties of the ceramic materials. However, for geopolymers, acceptable levels of chemical stability and mechanical strength were only achieved when using samples made with 30% foundry sand as a replacement for metakaolin.

2022 - Microwave-assisted vacuum synthesis of tio2 nanocrystalline powders in one-pot, one-step procedure [Articolo su rivista]
Paradisi, E.; Rosa, R.; Baldi, G.; Dami, V.; Cioni, A.; Lorenzi, G.; Leonelli, C.
abstract

A new method for fast and simple synthesis of crystalline TiO2 nanoparticles with photocat-alytic activity was developed by carrying out a classic sol–gel reaction directly under vacuum. The use of microwaves for fast heating of the reaction medium further reduces synthesis times. When the solvent is completely removed by vacuum, the product is obtained in the form of a powder that can be easily redispersed in water to yield a stable nanoparticle suspension, exhibiting a comparable photocatalytic activity with respect to a commercial product. The present methodology can, therefore, be considered a process intensification procedure for the production of nanotitania.

2021 - Effect of isopropanol co-product on the long-term stability of TiO2 nanoparticle suspensions produced by microwave-assisted synthesis [Relazione in Atti di Convegno]
Paradisi, E.; Rosa, R.; Baldi, G.; Dami, V.; Cioni, A.; Lorenzi, G.; Leonelli, C.
abstract

2020 - Effect of isopropanol co-product on the long-term stability of TiO2 nanoparticle suspensions produced by microwave-assisted synthesis [Articolo su rivista]
Paradisi, E.; Rosa, R.; Baldi, G.; Dami, V.; Cioni, A.; Lorenzi, G.; Leonelli, C.
abstract

In this paper we evaluate the effect of isopropanol arising from the reagent Ti(O-iPr)4 on the long-term stability of nanoparticle size of TiO2 produced during a microwave assisted sol-gel synthesis. Different configurations of microwave apparatus have been considered: the synthesis was carried out both in vessel or flask, and both performing or not isopropanol distillation through a modified microwave apparatus. Results revealed that isopropanol distillation after a short reaction time provided suspensions with slightly smaller particle size, that also show longer stability over time, especially for syntheses carried out at certain temperatures. Reactions performed distilling isopropanol from vessel and flasks showed comparable results, superior to the corresponding suspensions obtained without distilling isopropanol. This study is intended to provide a useful contribution to those applications where the need for stable TiO2 suspensions is critical.