Porous materials play a critical role in chemical separation, catalysis, and biotechnological applications, yet existing frameworks often lack the ability to dynamically respond to their environment. Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), a class of crystalline porous materials, offer tunable structures and high surface areas, but their potential remains largely untapped due to their typically rigid architectures.
LIVINGPORE is an ERC-funded research project that introduces a paradigm shift in porous material design by developing adaptive MOFs with programmable porosity. By integrating amino acid sequences within MOF structures, we aim to create materials that selectively recognize and transform molecular guests. This approach leverages principles of protein folding and molecular recognition, providing a new level of structural and functional control in crystalline materials.
The project is built upon two complementary concepts:
• Transformable Porosity – The ability of MOFs to adjust their pore geometry and chemical environment in response to specific guest molecules, enabling selective separation of enantiomers, biomolecules, or industrially relevant compounds.
• Transformative Porosity – The capacity of MOFs to actively modify the conformation and function of encapsulated molecules, particularly enzymes, facilitating applications in biocatalysis and biomolecular engineering.
To achieve these objectives, LIVINGPORE integrates high-throughput computational modeling, synthetic chemistry, and advanced characterization techniques. The development of a topology-templated algorithm allows for the predictive design of hypothetical MOF structures, accelerating the discovery process through iterative feedback between computational simulations and experimental synthesis. Additionally, x-ray and electron diffraction structural analysis combined with molecular dynamics simulations are employed to elucidate host-guest interactions at an atomic level.
The expected impact of LIVINGPORE spans multiple scientific and technological domains:
• Pharmaceutical Science – Enabling enantioselective separation and targeted drug delivery, enhancing the efficiency of therapeutic molecule production.
• Sustainable Chemistry – Developing porous materials for selective adsorption and catalytic conversion of pollutants, contributing to greener chemical processes.
• Biotechnology – Advancing enzyme stabilization and functional enhancement within confined environments, with potential applications in industrial biocatalysis and biofuel production.
By redefining the functional capabilities of porous molecular frameworks, LIVINGPORE bridges the gap between synthetic materials and biological systems, unlocking new pathways for precision molecular recognition and catalysis. This research not only advances fundamental scientific understanding but also holds promise for technological innovations in medicine, environmental science, and chemical engineering.
