Federico Venturi
Research Fellow in Energy Materials
Graphene nanoplatelet on stainless steel substrate
The research project aims to improve wear resistance of materials using thermal sprayed graphene coatings. Graphene is well-known in tribology for its outstanding lubricating properties. The use of thermal spray for the deposition of graphene coatings could provide a fast and cost-effective way of enhancing wear resistance and reducing friction in many mechanical applications.
To accomplish such goal, three main pieces of equipment are used:
Scanning electron microscopy
- Non-destructive interaction of electrons with matter.
- Morphological characterisation up to nanometre scale.
- Elemental mapping using energy dispersive x-rays spectroscopy.
Raman spectroscopy
- Excitation and detection of vibrational modes in materials.
- Individuation and mapping of elements in a particular aggregation state.
Tribometer
- Measurement of frictional force and coefficient of friction under different loads.
- Understanding and improvement of wear mechanisms.
Publications
- A low-friction graphene nanoplatelets film from suspension high velocity oxy-fuel thermal spray, AIP Advances 9 (2), 025216, February 2019, F Venturi, GA Rance, J Thomas, T Hussain.
- Magnetic characterization of cobalt nanowires and square nanorings fabricated by focused electron beam induced deposition, Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology 9, 1040-1049, April 2018, F Venturi, GC Gazzadi, AH Tavabi, A Rota, RE Dunin-Borkowski, S Frabboni.
- Observation of nanoscale magnetic fields using twisted electron beams, Nature Communications 8, 689, September 2017, V Grillo, TR Harvey, F Venturi, JS Pierce, R Balboni, F Bouchard, GC Gazzadi, S Frabboni, AH Tavabi, Z-A Li, RE Dunin-Borkowski, RW Boyd, BJ McMorran, E Karimi.
- Self-assembly of gas-phase synthesized magnesium nanoparticles on room temperature substrates, Materials Research Express 2 (1), 015007, December 2014, F Venturi, M Calizzi, S Bals, T Perkisas, L Pasquini.