Mankind is able to design chemical processes which convert raw materials into desired products at high rates and yields.. Nature, on the other hand, has developed very precise catalytic processes via the evolution of enzymes, which are however costly and fragile, and have reaction rates too slow for industrial use. The vision here is to develop new catalysts taking advantages from what discovered in the first three years of the CUBE projects creating novel man-made catalysts which convert simple chemicals into products at higher added value, at high yields and turn-over rates. The chemical conversion of carbon in all its oxidation states, spanning from the simplest to more complex molecules (C1-C6 entities, will be the focal point of this project that aim to the development of advanced new materials for selective catalysis. The PhD candidate will develop novel catalytic materials to tackle the most crucial and challenging reactions of all, involving the activation of C-H in simple hydrocarbon, using not only thermal but also photo ed electro-activation. Till now a considerable variety of molecular units mimicking the active sites discovered in the enzymes have been discovered, tested and compared with other species developed in other technological area (i.e. redox mediators in photovoltaic cells). These species have been then included in sophisticated tridimensional scaffold where the reactive moieties have been included into robust hybrid network based on Zr and Ce sites.

Organic synthesis, coordination chemistry, spectroscopies

The team is an international network with expertise in Synthesis, Characterisation and testing.