The transition to renewable energy sources is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, and, thanks to their versatility, polymers play a crucial role in advancing the efficiency and sustainability of energy conversion and storage devices.
Our group is deeply engaged in this aspect and we focus on several research lines that include ion conductive membranes for fuel cells and electrolyzers, NIR reflective and sub-ambient cooling coatings, luminescent solar concentrators, and polymeric cathode materials for organic-metal ion batteries.
Ion conductive membranes: conducting selectively cations or anions, they find application as functional separator in devices such as fuel cells and electrolyzers. In our group, we chemically modify suitable polymeric matrices to make them ion conductive and improve their processability.
Sub-ambient cooling: certain materials are able to emit radiation efficiently in a window of wavelengths to which the Earth’s atmosphere is transparent thus resulting in a net energy dissipation towards the outer space and a cooling effect. Our research focuses on the preparation of coatings capable to achieve this effects while employing common polymeric materials and low-cost fillers.
Luminescent solar concentrators: they consist in slabs of polymeric materials doped with a fluorophore which can absorb sunlight and reemit it so that it becomes trapped by means of total internal reflections and can be collected by small photovoltaics modules at the edges. In our laboratory, we are working to make this technology more efficient and sustainable.
Polymeric cathodes: Commercially available metal-ion batteries usually employ cathodes comprising transition elements that lower the specific capacity and often comes from non-sustainable sources. Organic materials, which are intrinsically lightweight and abundant, offers a solution to these issues and are foreseen to play a major role in the future of batteries. Our research focus on the preparation of conjugated polymers that can be used as active cathode materials with superior life time and kinetics.
Examples of publications:
- "Assessing the performance of sustainable luminescent solar concentrators based on chemically recycled poly(methyl methacrylate)" A. Picchi, I. Bettini, M. Ilarioni, M. Carlotti, A. Pucci, RSC Appl. Polym., 2024, doi: 10.1039/D4LP00067F
- “Consensus statement: Standardized reporting of power-producing luminescent solar concentrator performance” C.C. Yang et al., JOULE, 2022, 6 (1), 8-15, doi: 10.1016/j.joule.2021.12.004
- “Orange/Red Benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene 1,1,5,5-Tetraoxide-Based Emitters for Luminescent Solar Concentrators: Effect of Structures on Fluorescence Properties and Device Performances” M. Bartolini, C. Micheletti, A. Picchi, C. Coppola, A. Sinicropi, M. Di Donato, P. Foggi, A. Mordini, G. Reginato, A. Pucci, L. Zani, M. Calamante, ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2023, 6 (9), 4862-4880, doi: 10.1021/acsaem.3c00362
- “Synthesis and Characterization of a Composite Anion Exchange Membrane for Water Electrolyzers (AEMWE)” S. Rakhshani, R. Araneo, A. Pucci, A. Rinaldi, C. Giuliani, A. Pozio, Membranes, 2023, 13 (1), doi: 10.3390/membranes13010109
- “Functionalization of polyketone (PK) with 1-(3-aminopropyl)piperidine for the preparation of anion exchange membranes” G. Benzahia, M.I. Ferahi, E. Magnani, A. Giovanelli, A. Pucci, R. Meghabar, Polymers for Advanced Technologies, 2024, 35 (4), e6407, doi: 10.1002/pat.6407
- “Boosting the NIR reflective properties of perylene organic coatings with thermoplastic hollow microspheres: Optical and structural properties by a multi-technique approach” P. Minei, M. Lessi, L. Contiero, S. Borsacchi, F. Martini, G. Ruggeri, M. Geppi, F. Bellina, A. Pucci, Solar Energy, 2020, 198, 689-695, doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2020.02.017
