HAP is mineral belonging to the family of apatite (from Greek, 'to deceive', because it was easily confused with other minerals ), and its chemical formula is Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2.  Here, on the left, its structure is reported, highlighting the component ions .

HAP is the main constituent of mammal bones and teeth and has major applications in multiple fields, from medicine to catalysis! 

These remarkable properties, such as non-toxicity, stability, tunable acid-base properties and ion-exchange capability, make it an amazing inorganic material.

NOx are important and dangerous pollutants and today their removal is concerning the international regulations. The most efficient  way to do that is the selective reduction by NH3 in presence of a catalyst. 

HAP can be functionalised and exploited as heterogeneous catalyst for this reaction. Our research is focused on a deep analysis of the mechanisms occurring on the surface, the role played by various modifications of the surface, the formation of by-products and the deactivation of the catalyst.