Project description
Large-scale production of single-atom catalysts could boost fine chemical synthesis
In the fine chemical industry, catalysts –typically soluble organic molecules or organometallic complexes –are essential for accelerating chemical reactions. However, traditional catalysts face several limitations: they are costly, unstable and require complex, expensive separation processes. The ERC-funded CATSYNEX project is addressing these challenges by scaling up the production of solid single-atom catalysts (SACs), which provide efficiency, precision, stability, reusability and reduced costs. This breakthrough could transform industrial catalysis, making processes more sustainable and affordable.
Objective
The CATSYNEX project, born from the ERC-StG SAC_2.0 project, addresses the pressing need for scalable production of single-atom catalysts to revolutionize industrial catalysis.
While homogeneous catalysts dominate pharmaceutical synthesis due to their precision, they suffer from recovery, instability, and cost issues. Heterogeneous catalysts offer easier separation but struggle with lower degree of selectivity and activity when used in pharmaceutical reactions.
Single-atom catalysts bridge this gap, offering atomically precise control during catalyst formulation, enhanced catalyst stability, higher turnover frequencies, and reduced material costs. However, current synthesis methods limit single-atom catalysts to laboratory scale. CATSYNEX aims to change this by developing scalable SAC production methods.
The scientific validation involves optimizing SAC synthesis for uniform dispersion and high catalytic activity, ensuring reproducibility across batches and scaling to industrial quantities. Catalytic performance will be tested against traditional catalysts to showcase SAC superiority at different scales (from mg to kg), and over multiple catalytic cycles. Business validation includes analyzing IP landscape, regulatory framework, market appeal, and manufacturing economics.
Through CATSYNEX, SACs are poised to become valuable tools for various chemical industries, driving innovation by making pharmaceutical synthesis more efficient, more sustainable, and cost-effective, and addressing some of the pressing critical challenges of the 21st-century manufacturing processes.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
20133 Milano
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.