During the research of the ERC-funded project UNBICAT (ERC-CoG, contract number 647550), the Principal Investigator, and his research group have developed new photocatalysts and their application in different organic transformations. A recent development of the project has been the preparation of new photocatalysts and their immobilization onto different materials, making them heterogeneous catalysts. These heterogeneous photocatalysts are able to produce chemicals and products of interest to the chemical industry. Therefore, the heterogeneous photocatalysts developed in this project are expected to become valuable tools for the production of chemicals under more sustainable and milder conditions. The aim of the present Proof of Concept (PoC) project is to study their implementation in cartridges and microchannel reactors for flow chemistry. For this purpose, reaction optimization to scale-up the current mg-scale synthesis of the heterogeneous photocatalysts, and their incorporation onto cartridges and microchannel reactors will be carried out. In addition, the photocatalytic performance of the devices in the preparation of chemicals and products of interest to the industry will be validated using flow chemistry. This PoC project will also contain an analysis of the intellectual property and patent filing procedure required to protect the inventions within the field of synthesis and application of the catalyst. Additionally, a market analysis to identify potential industrial partners will be conducted. These photocatalytic cartridges and microchannel reactors will be valuable tools in different fields of the chemical industry for manufacturing chemicals, but also in academia for the preparation of products and to address other novel transformations.

Natural systems represent a source of inspiration when it comes to the processing of energy and matter. Metalloporphyrins are at the core of many of these processes, harvesting solar energy and catalyzing relevant chemical processes. In contrast to most artificial nanostructured catalysts based on porphyrins, in which the main assembly driving force is π-π stacking or metal-ligand coordination, enzymes teach us that the catalytic sites around the porphyrin metal centers must remain accessible to the relevant substrates (to optimize catalytic performance), embedded in a well-defined compartment (to enhance selectivity), and connected through the protein backbone (to allow for allosteric regulation). In SuprAlloCat we plan to apply some of the lessons learned from nature to target the self-assembly of nanostructured supramolecular polymers with catalytic performance that would combine the broad catalytic scope of homogeneous catalysts, and the allosteric control, selectivity and activity under mild conditions of enzymes. The key to achieve such goal relies on the development of a self-assembly strategy that will allow us to cofacially arrange metalloporphyrins at tailored interstitial distances along a single dimension, thus creating a periodic array of connected nanoreactors with well-defined, accessible catalytic compartments. The MSC candidate, Dr. Alberto de Juan, will focus on the synthesis of porphyrin and ligand molecules equipped with complementary H-bonding units, and will proceed to study their combined assembly into 1D polymers. We will then focus on evaluating unique functions in these supramolecular materials, such as host-guest binding, chiral induction, allosteric regulation and, finally, Lewis-acid catalysis. SuprAlloCat introduces fundamental challenges and unprecedented approaches in chemical self-assembly and constitutes the best research scenario for the candidate to learn from different fields and further develop his scientific career.

The present project aims at realizing a significant step forward in the use of noncovalent interactions as a “tool” to self-assemble phthalocyanines (Pc), planar and aromatic macrocycles which possess several unique physicochemical properties such as an intense absorption in the red/near-infrared region of the solar spectrum, a rich redox chemistry, and a tuneable bandgap. In PhthaloSupra, the fellow will prepare stable Pc-based supramolecular polymers self-assembled though the combination of pi-stacking, and hydrogen or halogen bonding interactions, noncovalent interactions which have never been used “simultaneously” to self-assemble in a controlled fashion Pc derivatives into supramolecular polymers. For such ensembles, he will study some fundamental properties such as their self-assembly mechanism, light-harvesting capability, and helical chirality, all aspects that are raising nowadays a great deal of scientific attention. The photovoltaic properties of some of the prepared architectures will also be investigated contributing to address the European and international growing interest towards reducing energy consumption through the realization of smart materials for low-cost optoelectronic technologies. Diffusion of the PhthaloSupra achievements will be given not only to specialized researchers, but also, an importantly, to the general public in the form of several outreach activities. Undoubtedly, the opportunity for the candidate to work in a group of the highest scientific quality such as the one of Prof. Torres, and in a highly multidisciplinary and challenging project such as PhthaloSupra will strengthen his potential to mature further to an independent, highly trained researcher. Moreover, he will develop transferable skills, such as research management and organization, competencies which will help him to function more effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural environments, thus improving his career perspectives.

The obtainment of enantioenriched molecules is of fundamental importance since two enantiomers of the same drug candidate can display completely different biological properties. In recent years, an increasing interest in employing saturated scaffolds has been observed in medicinal chemistry since they provide tridimensionality and well-defined exit vectors that give access to novel unexplored chemical space, leading to a higher success in drug discovery programs. Among them, some polycyclic bridged skeletons have been identified as suitable saturated bioisosteres of aromatic rings which represent the common two-dimensional, flat moieties that are routinely employed in the drug discovery process. The aim of EnantioBioIso is to provide novel enantioselective strategies for the synthesis of phenyl bioisosteres, enabling unprecedented approaches to obtain bridged skeletons that are of fundamental importance for medicinal chemistry.