Unit CHEMISTRY AND ENERGY SOURCES
- Course
- Chemical sciences
- Study-unit Code
- 55145506
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Francesca Nunzi
- Teachers
-
- Francesca Nunzi
- Hours
- 42 ore - Francesca Nunzi
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2022
- Offered
- 2023/24
- Learning activities
- Affine/integrativa
- Area
- Attività formative affini o integrative
- Academic discipline
- CHIM/03
- Type of study-unit
- Opzionale (Optional)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- Introduction to energy. Classification of energy resources.
Solar energy and electricity: inorganic photovoltaics.
Silicon solar cells, organic and sensitized.
Storage and transport of energy. Fuel cells - Reference texts
- 1. Chimica Ambientale, Baird e Cann, Zanichelli, 2013
2. A. W. Culp Priciples of Energy conversion, McGrawHill in Maidenhead, 1991.
3. V. Balzani, N. Armaroli Energy for sustainable world: from the oil to a sun-powered future, Wiley-VCH, 2011
4.C. Kittel Introduzione alla fisica dello stato solido, Bollati Boringhieri
5. Nanostructured and Photoelectrochemical Systems for Solar Photon Conversion, M. D. Archer, A. J. Nozik, Imperial College Press, 2008
6. Physics of solar cells, Peter Wurfel, Wiley-VCH 2009 - Educational objectives
- The course aims to provide students with the basic knowledge to be able to independently deal with the issues surrounding the current energy problem, with particular reference to chemical issues.
In particular, the students who attended the course:
- They know the physical and chemical principles related to production, conversion and storage of energy;
- They know the physical and chemical principles connected with the conversion of solar energy, the mode of operation of solar photovoltaic cells and electrochemical devices for the accumulation of electricity;
- They know the most suitable techniques, processes and materials for the optimization of devices for converting and storing energy. - Prerequisites
- In order to be able to exhaustively understand the contents of the Course, it is necessary that the student has acquired the fundamental concepts of phtochemistry, electrochemistry and inorganic chemistry. Moreover, the expertise acquired through the Chemistry of the Atmosphere and the Chemistry of the Environmental Courses can be very helpful towards a full understanding of the Course's contents.
These prerequites are considered valid both for attending and not attending students. - Teaching methods
- The course is organized as follows:
- lectures on the subjects of the course. - Other information
- Teacher's e-mail:
francesca.nunzi_at_unipg.it
(please, replace "_at_" with "@") - Learning verification modality
- The exam includes an oral test lasting a total of approximately one hour. The oral test consists of two parts. In the first, the student presents a specific topic of the course, which he has explored independently in specialized scientific journals, possibly making use of the aid of slides. The treatment lasts approximately 10-15 minutes. This is followed by general questions on the topics covered in class. The discussion lasts approximately 30-45 minutes, and is aimed at ascertaining the level of knowledge and understanding achieved by the student on the theoretical and methodological contents indicated in the program (energy problem, energy storage, exploitation of solar energy,... ). The oral test will allow to verify the student's communication skills with language skills and independent organization of the presentation on the same topics with theoretical content. The test as a whole allows to ascertain both the capacity for knowledge and understanding, and the ability to apply the skills acquired, as well as the ability to exhibit, and the ability to learn and develop solutions independently of judgement.
For information on support services for students with disabilities and/or DSA please visit the web page http://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa. - Extended program
- Definition of energy concept. Energy forms and transformations. Energy units. Energy conservation. Definition of energy efficiency. The global energy landscape and national estimates, reserves, future scenarios. Classification of energy sources. Energy from combustion reactions: fossil fuels. Renewable and alternative energy sources: solar, biomass, geothermal energy, wind energy, hydropower, hydrogen. Solar power and electricity: thermal conversion, photovoltaic conversion. An introduction to solid state physics: crystal lattice structures; diffraction of x-rays by crystals and reciprocal lattice; the free electron gas; energy bands theory; semiconductors. Inorganic photovoltaic silicon solar cells, thin-film solar cells, organic solar cells. Solar fuels: natural photosynthesis systems (antenna and reaction centers natural) and artificial photosynthesis. Chemical energy: reactions of photo-oxidation. The photolysis of water. Photo-sensitized solar cells (cells Graztel). Dyes Graztel cells. Energy storage and transport: the hydrogen age. Fuel cells.