Project acronym 4DBIOSERS
Project Four-Dimensional Monitoring of Tumour Growth by Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering
Researcher (PI) Luis LIZ-MARZAN
Host Institution (HI) ASOCIACION CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION COOPERATIVA EN BIOMATERIALES- CIC biomaGUNE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE5, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary Optical bioimaging is limited by visible light penetration depth and stability of fluorescent dyes over extended periods of time. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers the possibility to overcome these drawbacks, through SERS-encoded nanoparticle tags, which can be excited with near-IR light (within the biological transparency window), providing high intensity, stable, multiplexed signals. SERS can also be used to monitor relevant bioanalytes within cells and tissues, during the development of diseases, such as tumours. In 4DBIOSERS we shall combine both capabilities of SERS, to go well beyond the current state of the art, by building three-dimensional scaffolds that support tissue (tumour) growth within a controlled environment, so that not only the fate of each (SERS-labelled) cell within the tumour can be monitored in real time (thus adding a fourth dimension to SERS bioimaging), but also recording the release of tumour metabolites and other indicators of cellular activity. Although 4DBIOSERS can be applied to a variety of diseases, we shall focus on cancer, melanoma and breast cancer in particular, as these are readily accessible by optical methods. We aim at acquiring a better understanding of tumour growth and dynamics, while avoiding animal experimentation. 3D printing will be used to generate hybrid scaffolds where tumour and healthy cells will be co-incubated to simulate a more realistic environment, thus going well beyond the potential of 2D cell cultures. Each cell type will be encoded with ultra-bright SERS tags, so that real-time monitoring can be achieved by confocal SERS microscopy. Tumour development will be correlated with simultaneous detection of various cancer biomarkers, during standard conditions and upon addition of selected drugs. The scope of 4DBIOSERS is multidisciplinary, as it involves the design of high-end nanocomposites, development of 3D cell culture models and optimization of emerging SERS tomography methods.
Summary
Optical bioimaging is limited by visible light penetration depth and stability of fluorescent dyes over extended periods of time. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers the possibility to overcome these drawbacks, through SERS-encoded nanoparticle tags, which can be excited with near-IR light (within the biological transparency window), providing high intensity, stable, multiplexed signals. SERS can also be used to monitor relevant bioanalytes within cells and tissues, during the development of diseases, such as tumours. In 4DBIOSERS we shall combine both capabilities of SERS, to go well beyond the current state of the art, by building three-dimensional scaffolds that support tissue (tumour) growth within a controlled environment, so that not only the fate of each (SERS-labelled) cell within the tumour can be monitored in real time (thus adding a fourth dimension to SERS bioimaging), but also recording the release of tumour metabolites and other indicators of cellular activity. Although 4DBIOSERS can be applied to a variety of diseases, we shall focus on cancer, melanoma and breast cancer in particular, as these are readily accessible by optical methods. We aim at acquiring a better understanding of tumour growth and dynamics, while avoiding animal experimentation. 3D printing will be used to generate hybrid scaffolds where tumour and healthy cells will be co-incubated to simulate a more realistic environment, thus going well beyond the potential of 2D cell cultures. Each cell type will be encoded with ultra-bright SERS tags, so that real-time monitoring can be achieved by confocal SERS microscopy. Tumour development will be correlated with simultaneous detection of various cancer biomarkers, during standard conditions and upon addition of selected drugs. The scope of 4DBIOSERS is multidisciplinary, as it involves the design of high-end nanocomposites, development of 3D cell culture models and optimization of emerging SERS tomography methods.
Max ERC Funding
2 410 771 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-10-01, End date: 2023-09-30
Project acronym ADJUV-ANT VACCINES
Project Elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms of Synthetic Saponin Adjuvants and Development of Novel Self-Adjuvanting Vaccines
Researcher (PI) Alberto FERNANDEZ TEJADA
Host Institution (HI) ASOCIACION CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION COOPERATIVA EN BIOCIENCIAS
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2016-STG
Summary The clinical success of anticancer and antiviral vaccines often requires the use of an adjuvant, a substance that helps stimulate the body’s immune response to the vaccine, making it work better. However, few adjuvants are sufficiently potent and non-toxic for clinical use; moreover, it is not really known how they work. Current vaccine approaches based on weak carbohydrate and glycopeptide antigens are not being particularly effective to induce the human immune system to mount an effective fight against cancer. Despite intensive research and several clinical trials, no such carbohydrate-based antitumor vaccine has yet been approved for public use. In this context, the proposed project has a double, ultimate goal based on applying chemistry to address the above clear gaps in the adjuvant-vaccine field. First, I will develop new improved adjuvants and novel chemical strategies towards more effective, self-adjuvanting synthetic vaccines. Second, I will probe deeply into the molecular mechanisms of the synthetic constructs by combining extensive immunological evaluations with molecular target identification and detailed conformational studies. Thus, the singularity of this multidisciplinary proposal stems from the integration of its main objectives and approaches connecting chemical synthesis and chemical/structural biology with cellular and molecular immunology. This ground-breaking project at the chemistry-biology frontier will allow me to establish my own independent research group and explore key unresolved mechanistic questions in the adjuvant/vaccine arena with extraordinary chemical precision. Therefore, with this transformative and timely research program I aim to (a) develop novel synthetic antitumor and antiviral vaccines with improved properties and efficacy for their prospective translation into the clinic and (b) gain new critical insights into the molecular basis and three-dimensional structure underlying the biological activity of these constructs.
Summary
The clinical success of anticancer and antiviral vaccines often requires the use of an adjuvant, a substance that helps stimulate the body’s immune response to the vaccine, making it work better. However, few adjuvants are sufficiently potent and non-toxic for clinical use; moreover, it is not really known how they work. Current vaccine approaches based on weak carbohydrate and glycopeptide antigens are not being particularly effective to induce the human immune system to mount an effective fight against cancer. Despite intensive research and several clinical trials, no such carbohydrate-based antitumor vaccine has yet been approved for public use. In this context, the proposed project has a double, ultimate goal based on applying chemistry to address the above clear gaps in the adjuvant-vaccine field. First, I will develop new improved adjuvants and novel chemical strategies towards more effective, self-adjuvanting synthetic vaccines. Second, I will probe deeply into the molecular mechanisms of the synthetic constructs by combining extensive immunological evaluations with molecular target identification and detailed conformational studies. Thus, the singularity of this multidisciplinary proposal stems from the integration of its main objectives and approaches connecting chemical synthesis and chemical/structural biology with cellular and molecular immunology. This ground-breaking project at the chemistry-biology frontier will allow me to establish my own independent research group and explore key unresolved mechanistic questions in the adjuvant/vaccine arena with extraordinary chemical precision. Therefore, with this transformative and timely research program I aim to (a) develop novel synthetic antitumor and antiviral vaccines with improved properties and efficacy for their prospective translation into the clinic and (b) gain new critical insights into the molecular basis and three-dimensional structure underlying the biological activity of these constructs.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 219 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-03-01, End date: 2022-02-28
Project acronym ATMEN
Project Atomic precision materials engineering
Researcher (PI) Toma SUSI
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT WIEN
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2017-STG
Summary Despite more than fifty years of scientific progress since Richard Feynman's 1959 vision for nanotechnology, there is only one way to manipulate individual atoms in materials: scanning tunneling microscopy. Since the late 1980s, its atomically sharp tip has been used to move atoms over clean metal surfaces held at cryogenic temperatures. Scanning transmission electron microscopy, on the other hand, has been able to resolve atoms only more recently by focusing the electron beam with sub-atomic precision. This is especially useful in the two-dimensional form of hexagonally bonded carbon called graphene, which has superb electronic and mechanical properties. Several ways to further engineer those have been proposed, including by doping the structure with substitutional heteroatoms such as boron, nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon. My recent discovery that the scattering of the energetic imaging electrons can cause a silicon impurity to move through the graphene lattice has revealed a potential for atomically precise manipulation using the Ångström-sized electron probe. To develop this into a practical technique, improvements in the description of beam-induced displacements, advances in heteroatom implantation, and a concerted effort towards the automation of manipulations are required. My project tackles these in a multidisciplinary effort combining innovative computational techniques with pioneering experiments in an instrument where a low-energy ion implantation chamber is directly connected to an advanced electron microscope. To demonstrate the power of the method, I will prototype an atomic memory with an unprecedented memory density, and create heteroatom quantum corrals optimized for their plasmonic properties. The capability for atom-scale engineering of covalent materials opens a new vista for nanotechnology, pushing back the boundaries of the possible and allowing a plethora of materials science questions to be studied at the ultimate level of control.
Summary
Despite more than fifty years of scientific progress since Richard Feynman's 1959 vision for nanotechnology, there is only one way to manipulate individual atoms in materials: scanning tunneling microscopy. Since the late 1980s, its atomically sharp tip has been used to move atoms over clean metal surfaces held at cryogenic temperatures. Scanning transmission electron microscopy, on the other hand, has been able to resolve atoms only more recently by focusing the electron beam with sub-atomic precision. This is especially useful in the two-dimensional form of hexagonally bonded carbon called graphene, which has superb electronic and mechanical properties. Several ways to further engineer those have been proposed, including by doping the structure with substitutional heteroatoms such as boron, nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon. My recent discovery that the scattering of the energetic imaging electrons can cause a silicon impurity to move through the graphene lattice has revealed a potential for atomically precise manipulation using the Ångström-sized electron probe. To develop this into a practical technique, improvements in the description of beam-induced displacements, advances in heteroatom implantation, and a concerted effort towards the automation of manipulations are required. My project tackles these in a multidisciplinary effort combining innovative computational techniques with pioneering experiments in an instrument where a low-energy ion implantation chamber is directly connected to an advanced electron microscope. To demonstrate the power of the method, I will prototype an atomic memory with an unprecedented memory density, and create heteroatom quantum corrals optimized for their plasmonic properties. The capability for atom-scale engineering of covalent materials opens a new vista for nanotechnology, pushing back the boundaries of the possible and allowing a plethora of materials science questions to be studied at the ultimate level of control.
Max ERC Funding
1 497 202 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-10-01, End date: 2022-09-30
Project acronym BIDECASEOX
Project Bio-inspired Design of Catalysts for Selective Oxidations of C-H and C=C Bonds
Researcher (PI) Miguel Costas Salgueiro
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT DE GIRONA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2009-StG
Summary The selective functionalization of C-H and C=C bonds remains a formidable unsolved problem, owing to their inert nature. Novel alkane and alkene oxidation reactions exhibiting good and/or unprecedented selectivities will have a big impact on bulk and fine chemistry by opening novel methodologies that will allow removal of protection-deprotection sequences, thus streamlining synthetic strategies. These goals are targeted in this project via design of iron and manganese catalysts inspired by structural elements of the active site of non-heme enzymes of the Rieske Dioxygenase family. Selectivity is pursued via rational design of catalysts that will exploit substrate recognition-exclusion phenomena, and control over proton and electron affinity of the active species. Moreover, these catalysts will employ H2O2 as oxidant, and will operate under mild conditions (pressure and temperature). The fundamental mechanistic aspects of the catalytic reactions, and the species implicated in C-H and C=C oxidation events will also be studied with the aim of building on the necessary knowledge to design future generations of catalysts, and provide models to understand the chemistry taking place in non-heme iron and manganese-dependent oxygenases.
Summary
The selective functionalization of C-H and C=C bonds remains a formidable unsolved problem, owing to their inert nature. Novel alkane and alkene oxidation reactions exhibiting good and/or unprecedented selectivities will have a big impact on bulk and fine chemistry by opening novel methodologies that will allow removal of protection-deprotection sequences, thus streamlining synthetic strategies. These goals are targeted in this project via design of iron and manganese catalysts inspired by structural elements of the active site of non-heme enzymes of the Rieske Dioxygenase family. Selectivity is pursued via rational design of catalysts that will exploit substrate recognition-exclusion phenomena, and control over proton and electron affinity of the active species. Moreover, these catalysts will employ H2O2 as oxidant, and will operate under mild conditions (pressure and temperature). The fundamental mechanistic aspects of the catalytic reactions, and the species implicated in C-H and C=C oxidation events will also be studied with the aim of building on the necessary knowledge to design future generations of catalysts, and provide models to understand the chemistry taking place in non-heme iron and manganese-dependent oxygenases.
Max ERC Funding
1 299 998 €
Duration
Start date: 2009-11-01, End date: 2015-10-31
Project acronym CATA-LUX
Project Light-Driven Asymmetric Organocatalysis
Researcher (PI) Paolo Melchiorre
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACIO PRIVADA INSTITUT CATALA D'INVESTIGACIO QUIMICA
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE5, ERC-2015-CoG
Summary Visible light photocatalysis and metal-free organocatalytic processes are powerful strategies of modern chemical research with extraordinary potential for the sustainable preparation of organic molecules. However, these environmentally respectful approaches have to date remained largely unrelated. The proposed research seeks to merge these fields of molecule activation to redefine their synthetic potential.
Light-driven processes considerably enrich the modern synthetic repertoire, offering a potent way to build complex organic frameworks. In contrast, it is extremely challenging to develop asymmetric catalytic photoreactions that can create chiral molecules with a well-defined three-dimensional arrangement. By developing innovative methodologies to effectively address this issue, I will provide a novel reactivity framework for conceiving light-driven enantioselective organocatalytic processes.
I will translate the effective tools governing the success of ground state asymmetric organocatalysis into the realm of photochemical reactivity, exploiting the potential of key organocatalytic intermediates to directly participate in the photoexcitation of substrates. At the same time, the chiral organocatalyst will ensure effective stereochemical control. This single catalyst system, where stereoinduction and photoactivation merge in a sole organocatalyst, will serve for developing novel enantioselective photoreactions. In a complementary dual catalytic approach, the synergistic activities of an organocatalyst and a metal-free photosensitiser will combine to realise asymmetric variants of venerable photochemical processes, which have never before succumbed to a stereocontrolled approach.
This proposal challenges the current perception that photochemistry is too unselective to parallel the impressive levels of efficiency reached by the asymmetric catalysis of thermal reactions, expanding the way chemists think about making chiral molecules
Summary
Visible light photocatalysis and metal-free organocatalytic processes are powerful strategies of modern chemical research with extraordinary potential for the sustainable preparation of organic molecules. However, these environmentally respectful approaches have to date remained largely unrelated. The proposed research seeks to merge these fields of molecule activation to redefine their synthetic potential.
Light-driven processes considerably enrich the modern synthetic repertoire, offering a potent way to build complex organic frameworks. In contrast, it is extremely challenging to develop asymmetric catalytic photoreactions that can create chiral molecules with a well-defined three-dimensional arrangement. By developing innovative methodologies to effectively address this issue, I will provide a novel reactivity framework for conceiving light-driven enantioselective organocatalytic processes.
I will translate the effective tools governing the success of ground state asymmetric organocatalysis into the realm of photochemical reactivity, exploiting the potential of key organocatalytic intermediates to directly participate in the photoexcitation of substrates. At the same time, the chiral organocatalyst will ensure effective stereochemical control. This single catalyst system, where stereoinduction and photoactivation merge in a sole organocatalyst, will serve for developing novel enantioselective photoreactions. In a complementary dual catalytic approach, the synergistic activities of an organocatalyst and a metal-free photosensitiser will combine to realise asymmetric variants of venerable photochemical processes, which have never before succumbed to a stereocontrolled approach.
This proposal challenges the current perception that photochemistry is too unselective to parallel the impressive levels of efficiency reached by the asymmetric catalysis of thermal reactions, expanding the way chemists think about making chiral molecules
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-11-01, End date: 2021-10-31
Project acronym CATGOLD
Project ADVANCING GOLD CATALYSIS
Researcher (PI) Antonio María Echavarren Pablos
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACIO PRIVADA INSTITUT CATALA D'INVESTIGACIO QUIMICA
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE5, ERC-2012-ADG_20120216
Summary We plan to chase new goals by exploring the limits of gold chemistry and organic synthesis. A major goal is to promote copper to the level of gold as the catalyst of choice for the activation of alkynes under homogeneous conditions. Another major goal is to develop enantioselective reactions based on a new chiral catalyst design to overcome the inherent limitations of the linear coordination of d10 M(I) coinage metals. We whish to contribute to bridge the gap between homogeneous and heterogeneous gold catalysis discovering new reactions for C-C bond formation via cross-coupling and C-H activation. We will apply new methods based on Au catalysis to fill the gap that exists between chemical synthesis and physical methods such as graphite exfoliation or laser ablation for the synthesis of nanographenes and other large acenes.
Summary
We plan to chase new goals by exploring the limits of gold chemistry and organic synthesis. A major goal is to promote copper to the level of gold as the catalyst of choice for the activation of alkynes under homogeneous conditions. Another major goal is to develop enantioselective reactions based on a new chiral catalyst design to overcome the inherent limitations of the linear coordination of d10 M(I) coinage metals. We whish to contribute to bridge the gap between homogeneous and heterogeneous gold catalysis discovering new reactions for C-C bond formation via cross-coupling and C-H activation. We will apply new methods based on Au catalysis to fill the gap that exists between chemical synthesis and physical methods such as graphite exfoliation or laser ablation for the synthesis of nanographenes and other large acenes.
Max ERC Funding
2 499 060 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-03-01, End date: 2018-02-28
Project acronym chem-fs-MOF
Project Chemical Engineering of Functional Stable Metal-Organic Frameworks: Porous Crystals and Thin Film Devices
Researcher (PI) Carlos MARTI-GASTALDO
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT DE VALENCIA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2016-STG
Summary Metal-Organic-Frameworks (MOFs) offer appealing advantages over classical solids from combination of high surface areas with the crystallinity of inorganic materials and the synthetic versatility (unlimited combination of metals and linkers for fine tuning of properties) and processability of organic materials. Provided chemical stability, I expect combination of porosity with manipulable electrical and optical properties to open a new world of possibilities, with MOFs playing an emerging role in fields of key environmental value like photovoltaics, photocatalysis or electrocatalysis. The conventional insulating character of MOFs and their poor chemical stability (only a minimum fraction are hydrolytically stable) are arguably the two key limitations hindering further development in this context.
With chem-fs-MOF I expect to deliver:
1. New synthetic routes specifically designed for producing new, hydrolytically stable Fe(III) and Ti(IV)-MOFs (new synthetic platforms for new materials).
2. More advanced crystalline materials to feature tunable function by chemical manipulation of MOF’s optical/electrical properties and pore activity (function-led chemical engineering).
3. High-quality ultrathin films, reliant on the transfer of single-layers, alongside establishing the techniques required for evaluating their electric properties (key to device integration). Recent works on graphene and layered dichalcogenides anticipate the benefits of nanostructuration for more efficient optoelectronic devices. Notwithstanding great potential, this possibility remains still unexplored for MOFs.
Overall, I seek to exploit MOFs’ unparalleled chemical/structural flexibility to produce advanced crystalline materials that combine hydrolytical stability and tunable performance to be used in environmentally relevant applications like visible light photocatalysis. This is an emerging research front that holds great potential for influencing future R&D in Chemistry and Materials Science.
Summary
Metal-Organic-Frameworks (MOFs) offer appealing advantages over classical solids from combination of high surface areas with the crystallinity of inorganic materials and the synthetic versatility (unlimited combination of metals and linkers for fine tuning of properties) and processability of organic materials. Provided chemical stability, I expect combination of porosity with manipulable electrical and optical properties to open a new world of possibilities, with MOFs playing an emerging role in fields of key environmental value like photovoltaics, photocatalysis or electrocatalysis. The conventional insulating character of MOFs and their poor chemical stability (only a minimum fraction are hydrolytically stable) are arguably the two key limitations hindering further development in this context.
With chem-fs-MOF I expect to deliver:
1. New synthetic routes specifically designed for producing new, hydrolytically stable Fe(III) and Ti(IV)-MOFs (new synthetic platforms for new materials).
2. More advanced crystalline materials to feature tunable function by chemical manipulation of MOF’s optical/electrical properties and pore activity (function-led chemical engineering).
3. High-quality ultrathin films, reliant on the transfer of single-layers, alongside establishing the techniques required for evaluating their electric properties (key to device integration). Recent works on graphene and layered dichalcogenides anticipate the benefits of nanostructuration for more efficient optoelectronic devices. Notwithstanding great potential, this possibility remains still unexplored for MOFs.
Overall, I seek to exploit MOFs’ unparalleled chemical/structural flexibility to produce advanced crystalline materials that combine hydrolytical stability and tunable performance to be used in environmentally relevant applications like visible light photocatalysis. This is an emerging research front that holds great potential for influencing future R&D in Chemistry and Materials Science.
Max ERC Funding
1 527 351 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-01-01, End date: 2021-12-31
Project acronym CHEMCOMP
Project Building-up Chemical Complexity
into Multifunctional Molecule-based Hybrid Materials
Researcher (PI) Jose Ramon Galan Mascaros
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACIO PRIVADA INSTITUT CATALA D'INVESTIGACIO QUIMICA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2011-StG_20101014
Summary Molecular sciences offer unparalleled opportunities for the development of tailor-made materials. By chemical design, molecules with the desired features can be prepared and incorporated into hybrid systems to yield molecule-based materials with novel chemical and/or physical properties. The CHEMCOMP project aims to develop new hybrid materials targeting the study of new physical phenomena that have already been theoretically predicted or experimentally hinted. The main goals will be:
i) Molecules with memory: Memory effect at the molecular scale is of great interest because it represents the size limit in the miniaturization of information storage media. My goal will be to develop spin crossover molecules with bulk-like hysteretic behavior where the switching between the low spin ground state and the high spin metastable state can be controlled through external stimuli.
ii) Bistable organic conductors: Bistable molecules could also be embedded into hybrid organic conductors to induce structural phase transitions. This strategy will allow for the transport properties to be controlled through external stimuli in unprecedented switchable conducting media.
iii) Hybrid conducting magnets: Combination of magnetism and electrical conductivity has given rise to new phenomena in the past, such as spin glass behavior or giant magnetoresistance. We propose to incorporate Single Molecule Magnets (molecules with magnet-like behavior) into organic (super)conductors to understand and optimize the synergy between these two physical properties.
iv) Chiral magnets and conductors: New phenomena is expected to appear in optically active media. Experimental evidence for the so-called MagnetoChiral Dichroism has already been found. Electrical Magnetochiral Anisotropy has been predicted. I will develop systematic strategies for the preparation of hybrid chiral materials to understand and optimize the synergy between chirality and bulk physical properties.
Summary
Molecular sciences offer unparalleled opportunities for the development of tailor-made materials. By chemical design, molecules with the desired features can be prepared and incorporated into hybrid systems to yield molecule-based materials with novel chemical and/or physical properties. The CHEMCOMP project aims to develop new hybrid materials targeting the study of new physical phenomena that have already been theoretically predicted or experimentally hinted. The main goals will be:
i) Molecules with memory: Memory effect at the molecular scale is of great interest because it represents the size limit in the miniaturization of information storage media. My goal will be to develop spin crossover molecules with bulk-like hysteretic behavior where the switching between the low spin ground state and the high spin metastable state can be controlled through external stimuli.
ii) Bistable organic conductors: Bistable molecules could also be embedded into hybrid organic conductors to induce structural phase transitions. This strategy will allow for the transport properties to be controlled through external stimuli in unprecedented switchable conducting media.
iii) Hybrid conducting magnets: Combination of magnetism and electrical conductivity has given rise to new phenomena in the past, such as spin glass behavior or giant magnetoresistance. We propose to incorporate Single Molecule Magnets (molecules with magnet-like behavior) into organic (super)conductors to understand and optimize the synergy between these two physical properties.
iv) Chiral magnets and conductors: New phenomena is expected to appear in optically active media. Experimental evidence for the so-called MagnetoChiral Dichroism has already been found. Electrical Magnetochiral Anisotropy has been predicted. I will develop systematic strategies for the preparation of hybrid chiral materials to understand and optimize the synergy between chirality and bulk physical properties.
Max ERC Funding
1 940 396 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2016-12-31
Project acronym CHIRALLCARBON
Project Chiral Allotropes of Carbon
Researcher (PI) Nazario Martín
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE5, ERC-2012-ADG_20120216
Summary The aim of the present project is to answer fundamental questions about how to introduce chirality into a variety of carbon nanostructures and how it modifies the properties in the search for new applications in materials science and nanotecnology. Thus, it describes a fundamental and technological research program designed to gain new knowledge for the development of novel covalent and supramolecular chiral carbon nanoforms, and their further chemical modification for the preparation of sophisticated supramolecular 3D nanoarchitectures. Our research activity should reinforce and integrate the strong position of Europe in the knowledge of carbon nanoforms.
This important scientific challenge has not been properly addressed so far due to the inherent difficulties to work on these materials and, particularly, to the lack of an efficient chemical protocol to prepare chiral carbon nanoforms.
Summary
The aim of the present project is to answer fundamental questions about how to introduce chirality into a variety of carbon nanostructures and how it modifies the properties in the search for new applications in materials science and nanotecnology. Thus, it describes a fundamental and technological research program designed to gain new knowledge for the development of novel covalent and supramolecular chiral carbon nanoforms, and their further chemical modification for the preparation of sophisticated supramolecular 3D nanoarchitectures. Our research activity should reinforce and integrate the strong position of Europe in the knowledge of carbon nanoforms.
This important scientific challenge has not been properly addressed so far due to the inherent difficulties to work on these materials and, particularly, to the lack of an efficient chemical protocol to prepare chiral carbon nanoforms.
Max ERC Funding
2 235 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-04-01, End date: 2019-03-31
Project acronym CoopCat
Project Cooperative Catalysis: Using Interdisciplinary Chemical Systems to Develop New Cooperative Catalysts
Researcher (PI) Jesus CAMPOS MANZANO
Host Institution (HI) AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DEINVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2017-STG
Summary Catalysis, a multidisciplinary science at the heart of many industrial processes, is crucial to deliver future growth and minimize anthropogenic environmental impact, thus being critical to our quality of life. Thus, the development and fundamental understanding of innovative new catalyst systems has clear, direct and long-term benefits to the chemical manufacturing sector and to the broader knowledge-based economy.
In this ERC project I will develop novel innovative cooperative catalysts using interdisciplinary chemical systems based on main group elements, transition metals and molecular clusters to achieve better efficiency and improve chemical scope and sustainability of key chemical transformations.
This will be achieved through 3 complementary and original strategies based on catalytic cooperation: (i) Transition-Metal Frustrated Lewis Pairs (TM-FLPs); (ii) hybrid systems combining low-valent heavier main group elements with transition metals (Hybrid TM/MGs); and (iii) intercluster compounds (ICCs) as versatile heterogeneized materials for Green Catalysis.
These systems, of high synthetic feasibility, combine fundamental concepts from independent areas, e.g. FLPs and low-valent heavier main group elements with transition metal chemistry, and homogeneous with heterogeneous catalysis. The overall approach will be pivotal in discovering novel reactions that rely on the activation of otherwise unreactive substrates. The experience and knowledge gained from (i)-(iii) will be used to inform the design of a second generation of ICC materials in which at least one of the nanoscale bricks is based on polymetallic TM-FLPs or Hybrid TM/MG systems.
Delivering ground-breaking new fundamental science, this pioneering project will lay the foundation for future broad ranging benefits to a number of EU priority areas dependant on innovations in catalysis: innovative and sustainable future energy systems, solar technologies, sustainable chemistry, manufacturing, and healthcare.
Summary
Catalysis, a multidisciplinary science at the heart of many industrial processes, is crucial to deliver future growth and minimize anthropogenic environmental impact, thus being critical to our quality of life. Thus, the development and fundamental understanding of innovative new catalyst systems has clear, direct and long-term benefits to the chemical manufacturing sector and to the broader knowledge-based economy.
In this ERC project I will develop novel innovative cooperative catalysts using interdisciplinary chemical systems based on main group elements, transition metals and molecular clusters to achieve better efficiency and improve chemical scope and sustainability of key chemical transformations.
This will be achieved through 3 complementary and original strategies based on catalytic cooperation: (i) Transition-Metal Frustrated Lewis Pairs (TM-FLPs); (ii) hybrid systems combining low-valent heavier main group elements with transition metals (Hybrid TM/MGs); and (iii) intercluster compounds (ICCs) as versatile heterogeneized materials for Green Catalysis.
These systems, of high synthetic feasibility, combine fundamental concepts from independent areas, e.g. FLPs and low-valent heavier main group elements with transition metal chemistry, and homogeneous with heterogeneous catalysis. The overall approach will be pivotal in discovering novel reactions that rely on the activation of otherwise unreactive substrates. The experience and knowledge gained from (i)-(iii) will be used to inform the design of a second generation of ICC materials in which at least one of the nanoscale bricks is based on polymetallic TM-FLPs or Hybrid TM/MG systems.
Delivering ground-breaking new fundamental science, this pioneering project will lay the foundation for future broad ranging benefits to a number of EU priority areas dependant on innovations in catalysis: innovative and sustainable future energy systems, solar technologies, sustainable chemistry, manufacturing, and healthcare.
Max ERC Funding
1 445 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-02-01, End date: 2023-01-31
