Projects

Lewis structures play a key role in the description of chemical reactivity. However, quantum mechanics does not know such concepts. Maximum Probability Domains provide chemical insight into quantum chemical descriptions by revealing domains in which the probability of finding two and only two electrons is maximal. In this project we take important steps towards increasing the applicability of MPDs.

Nanotechnology can bring solutions to the most diverse technological problems society faces. Here, we make nanomaterials work in lighting and imaging by bringing together quantum dots as printable semiconductors and ALD as a method par excellence for surface functionalization and encapsulation. This will result in a new generation of opto-electronic appliances, combining high performance, energy efficiency and low cost.

Electricity driven production of organics from CO2 may become a key contributor to a circular economy. The materials used are sensitive to CO2 and the intermediate H2. We will investigate impact of these gases, and other constituents of the aqueous media around the materials, on their performance and lifetime particularly when microorganisms are interacting with them.

In this project we will study the crystallization process of pharmaceutical compounds using state-of-the-art nonlinear optical scattering techniques, combined with more traditional linear scattering and x-ray scattering techniques. The proposed techniques provide complementary information about different stages of the process, from aggregation and nucleation to subsequent growth. This opens a window into the fundamental mechanisms of ...

N-containing heterocycles can be found in several bioactive small molecules, and it is well known that these are very prominent scaffolds in drug discovery. Additionally, the availability of organic reactions for different functionalizations is the key factor that may be limiting the development of new drugs. It is widely accepted that investments in basic chemistry for the development of new synthetic methodologies towards heterocycles are ...

Drug discovery is a lengthy, expensive, difficult, and inefficient process with quite a low rate of new therapeutic discoveries from existing molecules or new molecular entities. These projects generally start with a high-throughput screening campaign of commercially available compound libraries

against the target of interest. However in recent years, it became clear that current combinatorial libraries are not enough. As a mission of ...

The total number of different proteins present in Earth organisms is estimated to be up to 10 million. While their identification in terms of primary sequences is expanding at an increasing rate, elucidation of their function and three-dimensional structure is drastically lacking behind. Most of the currently used approaches in proteomics for unraveling the structure and function of proteins require protein hydrolysis into more manageable ...

Transition metal catalysis lies at the heart of modern innovative science. To expand this area in organic synthesis, the challenge is to identify novel strategies for the formation of organo-metallic intermediates under mild conditions, and to discover new methods for their subsequent transformation. In this proposal we will focus on the trapping of transient C(sp3)- and C(sp2)-Pd species via C-H activation, or employing oxygen/nitrogen ...

DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, is a nucleic acid with a double helical strand containing the genetic instructions for the development and function of all living organisms. Since 1953, when Watson and Crick first reported the molecular structure of DNA, extensive research has been put into decoding genetic information and understanding how it works. The most commonly used method is by DNA sequencing in which the DNA is first cut into small pieces ...