Here is a Youtube movie describing some of our research, made at the occasion of the Lab insigh event.
Synthesis, shaping, and large-scale production of nanomaterials
This entails the synthesis of inorganic, carbon, and composite materials by sol-gel process, as well as
the production of carbon nanotubes by catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CCVD). Depending on the
applications, a shaping in the form of powders, films, beads, monoliths, etc. is carried out. We notably have
expertise in the design and development of continuous processes for the manufacturing of materials and their
scaling-up.
Selected papers and achievements
- Development of a pilot plant for the kg-scale synthesis of carbon nanotubes, which lead to the creation of Nanocyl as a spin-off company of the Université de Liège and the Université Notre Dame de la Paix in Namur;
- Carbon nanotube synthesis: Modeling of a continuous rotary reactor for carbon nanotube synthesis by catalytic chemical vapor deposition in AIChE Journal.
Characterization of nanomaterials
In the field of
micro and mesoporous materials, we are experienced notably with vapor adsorption-desorption
measurements and intrusion porosimetry. Our expertise spans both experimental aspects and the development
of materials-specific data analysis procedures. We are also experienced with synchrotron Small-Angle X-ray
Scattering (SAXS) for in situ analysis of nanometer-scale phenomena, and with the development of image
analysis algorithms to quantitate 2D and 3D electron micrographs.
Selected papers and achievements
- Small-Angle Scattering: Three-dimensional reconstruction of liquid phases in disordered mesopores using in situ small-angle scattering in Journal of Applied Crystallography;
- Vapor adsorption: Adsorption, capillary bridge formation and cavitation in SBA-15 corrugated mesopores: A Derjaguin-Broekhoff-de Boer analysis in Langmuir;
- Image analysis: Practical Methods for Measuring the Tortuosity of Porous Materials from Binary or Gray-Tone Tomographic Reconstructions in AIChE Journal.
Applications of nanomaterials in catalysis, electrochemistry and separation
Our expertise concerns notably the development of catalytic and photocatalytic processes. In the field of
electrochemistry, our main applications are batteries (electrode materials) and fuel cells (electrocatalysts).
Another typical application is flue gas and waste water treatments by adsorption, catalysis and photocatalysis.
The specificity of our group lies in its capacity to handle all aspects of these types of problems by a
transversal approach that encompasses both materials science and chemical reaction engineering aspects.
Selected papers and achievements
- Development of mineral adsorbing material Minsorb® 1 and of doped mineral material Minsorb® 3+ for the removal of dioxins/furans and mercury in dry flue gas treatment, with licence exclusivity given to Lhoist S.A..
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