Template-based supramolecules for nanoporous membranes

From the first steps of modern chemistry one of the great challenges has been the control of chirality at the molecular and macromolecular level. The works dedicated to this subject are counted by thousands; nevertheless, they continue to pose challenges of great interest. In this project we intend to combine two topics of research: nanoporous materials and light-controlled chirality. The ground-breaking nature of this work lies in the combination of these two fields to render materials with novel capabilities. The main objective is to develop different types of mechanically and chemically stable polymeric materials that have responsive chiral nanopores whose chirality is modulated by Circular Polarized Light, able to discriminate different optically active chemical species and also determine the chirality of synthetic and biological polymers. Some of the most interesting and successful materials in both research fields have been achieved by combining Supramolecular Chemistry and Liquid Crystals as a tool to prepare novel multifunctional structures that fulfill the required properties. Using this approach our group has prepared nanoporous materials capable of discriminating chemical species according to the size and nature, acidic or basic, of the pore. On the other hand, our group has been a pioneer in the control of helicity of columnar phases through the use of CPL. The scientific background of our group in both fields will allow approaching the objective of the present research line. In fact, the union of both research lines will achieve the fundamental axiom of Supramolecular Chemistry, on which the present project is founded, namely "the whole is more than the sum of the parts".

Involved researchers: José Luis Serrano (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), Joaquín Barberá, Pilar Romero and Alberto Concellón.
PhD: Ivan Marín, Silvia del Moral.

Key recent publications:

Nanomaterials 2022, 12, 4026. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12224026.

Materials Today Chemistry, 2022, 26, 101067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtchem.2022.101067.

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2021, 9, 2882-89. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC05658H.

Org. Chem. Front., 2020, 7, 2008-2015. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QO00537A.

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2019, 7, 2911-2918. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8TC06142D.

Macromolecules, 2018, 51, 2349-2358. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.8b00067.