ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

The interaction of cells with the extracellular matrix or neighboring cells plays a crucial role in many cellular functions, such as motility, differentiation and controlled cell death. Expanding on pioneering studies on defined 2-D model systems, the role of the currently known determinants (geometry, topography, biochemical functionality and mechanical properties) is currently addressed in more relevant 3-D matrices. However, there is a clear lack in currently available approaches to fabricate well defined microenvironments, which are asymmetric or in which these factors can be varied independently. The central objective of ASMIDIAS is the development of a novel route to asymmetric microenvironments for cell-matrix interaction studies. Inspired by molecular self-assembly on the one hand and guided macroscale assembly on the other hand, directed assembly of highly defined microfabricated building blocks will be exploited to this end. In this modular design approach different building blocks position themselves during assembly on pre-structured surfaces to afford enclosed volumes that are restricted by the walls of the blocks. The project relies on two central elements. For the guided assembly, the balance of attractive and repulsive interactions between the building blocks (and its dependence on the object dimensions) and the structured surface shall be controlled by appropriate surface chemistry and suitable guiding structures. To afford the required functionality, new approaches to (i) topographically structure, (ii) biochemically functionalize and pattern selected sides of the microscale building blocks and (iii) to control their surface elastic properties via surface-attached polymers and hydrogels, will be developed.The resulting unique asymmetric environments will facilitate novel insight into cell-matrix interactions, which possess considerable relevance in the areas of tissue engineering, cell (de)differentiation, bacteria-surface interactions and beyond.

1 484 100 €

Start date: 2011-11-01, End date: 2016-10-31

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.

1 940 396 €

Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2016-12-31

Because fossil resources are a limited feedstock and their use results in the accumulation of atmospheric CO2, the organic chemistry industry will face important challenges in the next decades to find alternative feedstocks. New methods for the recycling of CO2 are therefore needed, to use CO2 as a carbon source for the production of organic chemicals. Yet, CO2 is difficult to transform and only 3 chemical processes recycling CO2 have been industrialized to date. To tackle this problem, my idea is to design novel catalytic transformations where CO2 is reacted, in a single step, with a functionalizing reagent and a reductant that can be independently modified, to produce a large spectrum of molecules. The proof of concept for this new “diagonal approach” has been established in 2012, in my team, with a new reaction able to co-recycle CO2 and a chemical waste of the silicones industry (PMHS) to convert amines to formamides. The goal of this proposal is to develop new diagonal reactions to enable the use of CO2 for the synthesis of amines, esters and amides, which are currently obtained from fossil materials. The novel catalytic reactions will be applied to the production of important molecules: methylamines, acrylamide and methyladipic acid. The methodology will rely on the development of molecular catalysts able to promote the reductive functionalization of CO2 in the presence of H2 or hydrosilanes. Rational design of efficient catalysts will be performed based on theoretical and experimental mechanistic investigations and utilized for the production of industrially important chemicals. Overall, this proposal will contribute to achieving sustainability in the chemical industry. The results will also increase our understanding of CO2 activation and provide invaluable insights into the basic modes of action of organocatalysts in reduction chemistry. They will serve the scientific community involved in the field of organocatalysis, green chemistry and energy storage.

1 494 734 €

Start date: 2013-11-01, End date: 2018-10-31

"Nature has long inspired chemists with its abilities to stabilize ephemeral chemical species, to perform chemical reactions with unprecedented rates and selectivities, and to synthesize complex molecules and fascinating inorganic nanostructures. What natural systems consistently exploit - which is yet fundamentally different from how chemists perform reactions - is their aspect of nanoscale confinement. The goal of the proposed research program is to integrate the worlds of organic and inorganic colloidal chemistry by means of manipulating chemical reactivities and synthesizing novel molecules and nanostructures inside synthetic confined environments created using novel, unconventional approaches based on inorganic, nanostructured building blocks. The three types of confined spaces we propose are as follows: 1) nanopores within reversibly self-assembling colloidal crystals (""dynamic nanoflasks""), 2) cavities of bowl-shaped metallic nanoparticles (NPs), and 3) surfaces of spherical NPs. By taking advantage of these unique tools, we will attempt to develop, respectively, 1) a conceptually new method for catalyzing chemical reactions using light, 2) nanoscale inclusion chemistry (a field based on host-guest ""complexes"" assembled form nanosized components) and 3) to use NPs as platforms for the development of new organic reactions. While these objectives are predominantly of a fundamental nature, they can easily evolve into a variety of practical applications. Specifically, we will pursue diverse goals such as the preparation of 1) a new family of inverse opals (with potentially fascinating optical and mechanical properties), 2) artificial chaperones (NPs assisting in protein folding), and 3) size- and shape-controlled polymeric vesicles. Overall, it is believed that this marriage of organic and colloidal chemistry has the potential to change the fundamental way we perform chemical reactions, paving the way to the discovery of new phenomena and unique structures."

1 499 992 €

Start date: 2013-10-01, End date: 2018-09-30