Scientific career of Fabrizio Cavani in brief Scientific Interests

Scientific collaborations with French Scientists
During his career, FC has established strong scientific relationships with French scientists, both
from industrial companies and public research bodies, that led to several joint publications in
international journals. Especially in the field of catalytic selective oxidation, collaborations
established allowed the understanding of the interaction between catalysts and reactive substrates,
for reactions such as the ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile, the oxidation of n-butane to
maleic anhydride, the oxidative dehydrogenation of isobutyric acid and the selective oxidation of
isobutane to methacrylic acid, and the oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes to alkenes.
Articles jointly published with French scientists:
In collaboration with scientists from the Univ. of Lille
S. Albonetti, F. Cavani, F. Trifirò, M. Gazzano, M. Koutyrev, F.C. Aissi, A. Aboukais, M. Guelton,
"Mechanism of Thermal Decomposition of Potassium/Ammonium Salts of the 12-
Molybdophosphoric Acid and Effect on the Catalytic Performance in the Isobutyric Acid
Oxidehydrogenation", J. Catal., 146 (1994) 491-502
E. Etienne, F. Cavani, R. Mezzogori, F. Trifirò, G. Calestani, L. Gengembre, M. Guelton,
“Chemical-physical characterization of Fe-doped, Keggin-type P/Mo polyoxometalates, catalysts
for the selective oxidation of isobutane to methacrylic acid” Special issue: Heteropoly Acids Special
Issue - Edited by I. Kiricsi, Appl. Catal., A: General, 256/1-2 (2003) 275-290
N. Ballarini, F.Cavani, E. Degli Esposti, D. De Santi, S. Luciani, F. Trifirò, C. Cortelli, R. Leanza,
G. Mazzoni, A. Brückner, E. Bordes-Richard, “The dynamic nature of vanadyl pyrophosphate,
catalyst for the selective oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride”, In “Catalysis of Organic
Reactions “, M.L. Prunier (Ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2009, p. 485-490.
F. Cavani, D. De Santi, S. Luciani, A. Lofberg, E. Bordes-Richard, C. Cortelli, R. Leanza,
“Transient reactivity of vanadyl pyrophosphate, the catalyst for n-butane oxidation to maleic
anhydride, in response to in-situ treatments”, Appl. Catal. A 376 (2010) 66–75
In collaboration with scientists from CNRS
E. Garcin, R. Surantyn, A. Chambosse, A. Foucault, G. Coudurier, J.C. Volta, J.Ph. Nogier, A.M.
De Kersabiec, F. Cavani, J. Van Ommen, B. Grzyvbowska, M. Czervenka, K. Malec, A.
Andersson, "Chemical characterization of Eurocat Ti-V-O catalysts", Catal. Today, 20 (1994) 23-34
F. Cavani, A. Colombo, F. Trifirò, M.T. Sananes Schulz, J.C. Volta and G.J. Hutchings, "The effect
of cobalt and iron dopants on the catalytic behavior of V/P/O catalysts in the selective oxidation of
n-pentane to maleic and phthalic anhydrides", Catal. Lett., 43 (1997) 241-247
M. Cimini , J.-M.M. Millet, F. Cavani, “Mechanisms of molybdenum substitution in vanadium
antimonate “, J. Solid State Chem., 177 (4-5) (2004) 1045-1052
M. Cimini, J. M. M. Millet, N. Ballarini, F. Cavani, C. Ciardelli and C. Ferrari, “Synthesis,
characterization and evaluation as catalysts for propane ammoxidation of VMoSbO systems with
rutile-type structure “, Catal. Today, 91-92 (2004) 259-264