Covalent chiral functionalization of graphite for enantioselective separation

An object, or a molecule is said to be chiral if it can be distinguished from its mirror image. Chirality plays an important role in many areas of chemistry, biology, and physics. Many chemical processes involving solid surfaces such as catalysis, crystallization, adsorption, and so forth, are sensitive to chirality. Thus, surfaces are not only fertile playground studying chirality, but they can also be used to promote the separation of mirror image molecules, i.e. enantiomers, due to additional constraints created by the two-dimensional (2D) environment. Because of the reduced symmetry at the interface, these constraints enhance the expression of molecular chirality, allowing not only chiral molecules, but also prochiral molecules to produce chiral superstructures. Even so, recognition processes based on non-covalent interactions could be used to separate enantiomorphs in 2D systems. This new method could be used to resolve racemic mixtures. In this project, nanoconfinement conditions created using scanning probe nanolithography will reveal how the shape and size of the confinement, as well as the nanolithography process itself, affect the chirality of on-surface crystallization processes. Robust chiral surfaces will be created using covalent functionalization of graphite and applied for enantioselective separation. Also, bulk chiral graphitic materials will be synthesized and used as stationary phase in chiral chromatography. CHIRAL-SURF will allow me to pursue a highly innovative research line in surface science, providing me a perfect platform for my personal development in terms of research and training in a topic of key importance, i.e. chirality, and state-to-the-art imaging techniques. This project will also allow me to strengthen my team-working and leadership skills as well as widen my scientific network and collaborations. In summary, this research grant will be a positive turning point in my academic career towards scientific excellence.