Alberto Naldoni

Alberto Naldoni obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences from University of Milan (Italy) in 2010. From 2010 to 2017 he worked, first as postdoctoral fellow and then as research scientist, at the Italian National Research Council in Milan (Italy) . Since 2014, he is visiting scientist in the Nanophotonics group at the Birck Nanotechnology Center of Purdue University (U.S.). A.N. recently joined RCPTM as co-leader of the “Photoelectrochemistry/Fuel cells” division. He co-authored 37 papers in peer-reviewed journals. A. N. has been awarded with 4 research grants and 12 funded proposals that worth the access to international research infrastructures. His research interests focus on nanomaterials for energy and environment with a special emphasis on photocatalysis, plasmon-enhanced chemical transformations, electrocatalysis, defects and doping in metal oxides, charge transfer at solid-solid and solid-liquid interfaces.

 

Research activities

Nanostructured materials for photoelectrochemical and electrochemical water splitting as well as for photocatalysis. Plasmonic materials for chemistry-related applications.

Advanced techniques for material characterization: pump-probe and in operando synchrotron x-ray spectroscopy.

 

Publication activities

Author and co-author of 37 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, and of one book. Around 1300 citations and h-index 15 (Google Scholar, June 2017).

 

Selected Grants

Cariplo Foundation / Lombardy Region. Joint notice to increase the attractiveness of the Lombardy research system and the competitiveness of young researchers applying for ERC instruments. 2014-2016 “A novel class of electrodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting”. (PI)

Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, MIUR (FIR project RBFR13XLJ9), 2014-2017. (National Coordinator “Low-cost photoelectrode architectures based on the redox cascade principle for artificial photosynthesis”. (PI)

CERIC-ERIC: “Enhancing the solubility of silicon in hematite nanostructures for solar water splitting: interplay among morphology, crystallographic, magnetic and electronic properties”. (PI)

“In-operando HERFD XANES and RIXS of semiconductor/electrocatalyst junction for water splitting photoanodes”, at ESRF (Grenoble). 2015. (PI)

“Interaction mechanism in Au/TiO2 plasmonic photocatalysts” at Elettra (Trieste, Italy), pump (optical)-probe (XAS) experiments. 2013. (PI)

Selected publications

• A. Naldoni, V. M. Shalaev, M. L. Brongersma, “Applying plasmonics to a sustainable future”, SCIENCE 2017, 356, 908–909.
• A. Naldoni, U. Guler, Z. Wang, M. Marelli, F. Malara, X. Meng, A. Kildishev, A. Boltasseva, V. M. Shalaev, “Broadband Hot Carrier Collection for Solar Water Splitting with Plasmonic Titanium Nitride”, ADV. OPT. MATER. 2017, DOI: 10.1002/adom.201601031.
• A. Naldoni, F. Malara, M. Mróz, A. Beltram, T. Virgili, M. Marelli, C. L. Boldrini, T. Montini, V. Dal Santo, P. Fornasiero, “Efficient hot electron collection on brookite nanorods lateral facets for plasmon-enhanced water oxidation”, ACS CATAL. 2017, 7, 1270–1278.
• F. Malara, F. Fabbri, M. Marelli, A. Naldoni, “Controlling the Photocurrent Onset Potential of Hematite Photoanodes Through Few Atomic Layers of NiOx”, ACS CATAL. 2016, 6, 3619−3628.
• A Naldoni, F. Riboni, U. Guler, A. Boltasseva,V. M. Shalaev, and A. V. Kildishev, “Solar-Powered Plasmon-Enhanced Heterogeneous Catalysis”, NANOPHOTONICS 2016, 5, 112–133.
• F. Malara, A. Minguzzi, S. Morandi, M. Marelli, V. Dal Santo, R. Psaro, A. Naldoni, “α-Fe2O3/NiOOH: an Effective Heterostructure For Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation”, ACS CATAL. 2015, 9, 5292−5300.
• L. Amidani, A. Naldoni, M, V. Dal Santo, F. Boscherini, “Probing long-lived plasmonic-generated charges Au/TiO2 photocatalyst by high resolution X-ray absorption spectroscopy”, ANGEW. CHEM. INT. ED. 2015, 127, 5503−5506.
• A. Naldoni, M. Allieta, S. Santangelo, M. Marelli, F. Fabbri, S. Cappelli, C. L. Bianchi, R. Psaro, V. Dal Santo, “Effect of nature and location of defects on bandgap narrowing in black TiO2 nanoparticles”, J. AM. CHEM. SOC. 2012, 134, 7600−7603.
• V. Dal Santo, A. Naldoni, “The effect of points defects and ordered/disordered morphology on the electronic and structural features in black TiO2 nanomaterials”, inside the book “TiO2 black nanomaterials for energy conversion” ed. Xiaobo Chen (2016).