pROF. cLAUDIO fERONE
ph. : +39 081 5476713 - fax : +39 081 5476774 - e-mail : [email protected]
Prof. Eng. Claudio Ferone
Claudio Ferone graduated with honors in Chemical Engineering in 1995 at the University of Naples "Federico II". He has a Ph.D. in Biotechnology of Dental Materials from University “Federico II” of Naples. In 1998 he won a selection for assistant professor in Materials Science and Technology (SSD ING-IND/22) at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Cassino. He was assistant professor of the same subject at Faculties of Engineering and Agriculture of the University of Molise and at the Faculty of Sport Sciences of the University of Naples "Parthenope". Since 2011 he is assistant professor in Chemical Fundamentals of Technology (SSD CHIM/07) at the Faculty of Sport Sciences of the University of Naples "Parthenope".
Teaching has covered various subjects, such as Materials Technology, Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Materials Characterization and Control, Recycling of Materials and Materials for Optical at the faculties of Engineering and Sciences. Currently he teaches Chemistry at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Naples "Parthenope".
He is member of the Academic Board of the PhD School in Industrial Engineering of the University of Naples "Parthenope".
He participated in numerous research projects and national and international scientific collaborations.
He is member of the Rilem (International union of laboratoires and experts in construction materials, systems and structures) Technical Committee CSM (Composites for sustainable strengthening of masonry). Furthermore, he is member of the Italian Association of Materials Engineering (AIMAT) since 1996, of the Italian Zeolites Association (AIZ), of the Interuniversity Consortium for Science and Technology of Materials (INSTM) of the Italian Society of Chemistry (SCI), of the Italian Association of Chemistry for Engineering (AICing) and of the Italian National Study Group on Geopolymers.
The scientific work of Claudio Ferone has resulted in 91 scientific publications on international and national journals and conference proceedings and in a national patent. Furthermore, C. Ferone is also coauthor of the book: “GEOPOLIMERI Polimeri inorganici chimicamente attivati”, published in 2011.
The scientific research, developed in collaboration with national and international universities and research centers has focused mainly on the study of natural and artificial inorganic materials for applications in various areas, such as the protection and preservation of materials in cultural heritage, advanced ceramics materials for high tech applications, reuse and valorization of industrial and natural wastes and tailings through innovative synthesis techniques with low environmental impact.
In particular, several research topics were investigated:
- Protection and preservation of Neapolitan Yellow Tuff, a stone frequently employed for the construction of historical buildings in southern Italy. Features of this stone connected to the presence of moisture in its pores, such as the coefficient of capillarity, were mainly investigated. Some decay phenomena such as salt crystallization and freeze-thaw cycles were also studied and some products for protection and preservation were tested and/or proposed. Still in the topic of protection and preservation of artistic heritage, the possibility to develop mortars based on lime and cement, which exhibit high resistance to biological attack was also studied.
- Characterization of the thermal behaviour of natural zeolites by dilatometry. In particular, the thermodilatometric behaviour of ammonium exchanged zeolites was studied. This study has allowed the identification of different catalytic activities of the various zeolitic substrates towards the combustion reaction of ammonia.
- The synthesis of various, stable and metastable, polymorphic forms of zirconia and titania through hydrothermal treatments in aqueous solutions. Such treatments have led, in particular, to obtain a metastable form of titanium dioxide, TiO2(β), showing catalytic and electrochemical features clearly superior to those of the other polymorphic forms (anatase and rutile).
- The synthesis of ceramic materials of considerable technological interest from ionic exchanged zeolitic precursors. In particular the transformation of Ba-exchanged zeolite A into monoclinic celsian, a ceramic exhibiting very good thermal and electrical properties, was studied. The synthesis of this material is, usually, extremely complicated and expensive. Very good results were achieved as regard temperature and duration times of treatments necessary to obtain a fully monoclinic sample. Almost fully dense ceramics were obtained by isostatical pressing and thermal treatment of Ba-exchanged zeolite-A samples containing small quantities of Sr. The national patent lays in this same ambit, in fact ceramic powders, based on amorphous silica and alumina, containing considerable quantities of metal (Fe, Ni or Co) nanoparticles were synthesized. These powders were obtained by thermal treatment, in hydrogen containing reducing atmosphere, of Fe-, Co-, or Ni-exchanged zeolites A or X. The thermal processing of Fe-, Co-, or Ni- exchanged zeolites in hydrogen reducing atmosphere has been studied using Temperature Programmed Reduction (TPR) techniques and "in situ" X-ray diffraction at controlled temperature in hydrogen atmosphere. The treatment temperature was so high as to allow the reduction of metal cations and the thermal collapse of the zeolitic structure, but low enough to prevent the growth of the metal nanoparticles. These powders are potentially suitable to produce ceramic matrix nanostructured metal-ceramic composites.
- The most recent field of interest, concerned with the treatment and valorization of natural and industrial wastes and tailings through innovative, low environmental impact, processes. It was studied the possibility of obtaining artificial aggregates for buildings and artifacts in real scale through a process of alkaline activation and low temperature curing (geopolymerization) of weathered coal fly ash and other industrial and natural wastes, such as clay sediments, blast furnace slag and coal combustion residues. The geopolymerization process has also been applied to the stabilization of ash from municipal solid waste incinerator, using coal fly ash containing systems, capable of giving rise to the polycondensation reaction in an alkaline environment. Novel hybrid organic–inorganic materials were prepared through an innovative synthetic approach based on a co-reticulation in mild conditions of epoxy based organic resins and an MK-based geopolymer inorganic matrix. A high compatibility between the organic and inorganic phases, even at appreciable concentration of resin, was realized up to micrometric level.
Teaching has covered various subjects, such as Materials Technology, Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Materials Characterization and Control, Recycling of Materials and Materials for Optical at the faculties of Engineering and Sciences. Currently he teaches Chemistry at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Naples "Parthenope".
He is member of the Academic Board of the PhD School in Industrial Engineering of the University of Naples "Parthenope".
He participated in numerous research projects and national and international scientific collaborations.
He is member of the Rilem (International union of laboratoires and experts in construction materials, systems and structures) Technical Committee CSM (Composites for sustainable strengthening of masonry). Furthermore, he is member of the Italian Association of Materials Engineering (AIMAT) since 1996, of the Italian Zeolites Association (AIZ), of the Interuniversity Consortium for Science and Technology of Materials (INSTM) of the Italian Society of Chemistry (SCI), of the Italian Association of Chemistry for Engineering (AICing) and of the Italian National Study Group on Geopolymers.
The scientific work of Claudio Ferone has resulted in 91 scientific publications on international and national journals and conference proceedings and in a national patent. Furthermore, C. Ferone is also coauthor of the book: “GEOPOLIMERI Polimeri inorganici chimicamente attivati”, published in 2011.
The scientific research, developed in collaboration with national and international universities and research centers has focused mainly on the study of natural and artificial inorganic materials for applications in various areas, such as the protection and preservation of materials in cultural heritage, advanced ceramics materials for high tech applications, reuse and valorization of industrial and natural wastes and tailings through innovative synthesis techniques with low environmental impact.
In particular, several research topics were investigated:
- Protection and preservation of Neapolitan Yellow Tuff, a stone frequently employed for the construction of historical buildings in southern Italy. Features of this stone connected to the presence of moisture in its pores, such as the coefficient of capillarity, were mainly investigated. Some decay phenomena such as salt crystallization and freeze-thaw cycles were also studied and some products for protection and preservation were tested and/or proposed. Still in the topic of protection and preservation of artistic heritage, the possibility to develop mortars based on lime and cement, which exhibit high resistance to biological attack was also studied.
- Characterization of the thermal behaviour of natural zeolites by dilatometry. In particular, the thermodilatometric behaviour of ammonium exchanged zeolites was studied. This study has allowed the identification of different catalytic activities of the various zeolitic substrates towards the combustion reaction of ammonia.
- The synthesis of various, stable and metastable, polymorphic forms of zirconia and titania through hydrothermal treatments in aqueous solutions. Such treatments have led, in particular, to obtain a metastable form of titanium dioxide, TiO2(β), showing catalytic and electrochemical features clearly superior to those of the other polymorphic forms (anatase and rutile).
- The synthesis of ceramic materials of considerable technological interest from ionic exchanged zeolitic precursors. In particular the transformation of Ba-exchanged zeolite A into monoclinic celsian, a ceramic exhibiting very good thermal and electrical properties, was studied. The synthesis of this material is, usually, extremely complicated and expensive. Very good results were achieved as regard temperature and duration times of treatments necessary to obtain a fully monoclinic sample. Almost fully dense ceramics were obtained by isostatical pressing and thermal treatment of Ba-exchanged zeolite-A samples containing small quantities of Sr. The national patent lays in this same ambit, in fact ceramic powders, based on amorphous silica and alumina, containing considerable quantities of metal (Fe, Ni or Co) nanoparticles were synthesized. These powders were obtained by thermal treatment, in hydrogen containing reducing atmosphere, of Fe-, Co-, or Ni-exchanged zeolites A or X. The thermal processing of Fe-, Co-, or Ni- exchanged zeolites in hydrogen reducing atmosphere has been studied using Temperature Programmed Reduction (TPR) techniques and "in situ" X-ray diffraction at controlled temperature in hydrogen atmosphere. The treatment temperature was so high as to allow the reduction of metal cations and the thermal collapse of the zeolitic structure, but low enough to prevent the growth of the metal nanoparticles. These powders are potentially suitable to produce ceramic matrix nanostructured metal-ceramic composites.
- The most recent field of interest, concerned with the treatment and valorization of natural and industrial wastes and tailings through innovative, low environmental impact, processes. It was studied the possibility of obtaining artificial aggregates for buildings and artifacts in real scale through a process of alkaline activation and low temperature curing (geopolymerization) of weathered coal fly ash and other industrial and natural wastes, such as clay sediments, blast furnace slag and coal combustion residues. The geopolymerization process has also been applied to the stabilization of ash from municipal solid waste incinerator, using coal fly ash containing systems, capable of giving rise to the polycondensation reaction in an alkaline environment. Novel hybrid organic–inorganic materials were prepared through an innovative synthetic approach based on a co-reticulation in mild conditions of epoxy based organic resins and an MK-based geopolymer inorganic matrix. A high compatibility between the organic and inorganic phases, even at appreciable concentration of resin, was realized up to micrometric level.
