Research strategy and research topics - Mario Pagliaro's Research Group

The applications include biomass to chemicals and finding new heterogeneous catalytic and photocatalytic routes to a variety of valued products including fine chemicals, hydrogen from water, fuels from water and carbon dioxide. Sustainable chemistry also means new, environmentally friendly coatings to protect surfaces in different environments; as well as developing new chemistry for use of clean solvents such as water, glycerol carbonate and supercritical CO2.

We also develop new curing agents for massively utilized polymers such as polyurethane foams or polyester resins. 

Our approach to utilize molecules for technological applications is via structural organization in a solid state sol-gel framework. Molecules are modified into advanced materials by integration into a structural matrix that retains rigidity and stability while providing a technologically feasible functional material suitable for device applications.

Application of our materials and chemical methods has resulted in devices and processes of great workability and practical utility. Based on this approach, we have been able to design new materials with applications in areas such as catalysis, controlled release systems, analytical sensing, and surface protection.

In general, these materials -- whose book on the topic written by us has been called "reference reading material alongside Iler and Brinker" -- are prepared using organic as well as inorganic synthesis methods and characterized using physical methods such as optical absorption spectroscopy, vibrational spectroscopy, X-ray methods, electrochemical methods, and electron microscopes.

Another topic os our research is glycerol new chemistry, namely new usages and conversion processes into value added products of mass consumption of this interesting molecule by-product of global biodiesel manufacturing.