Project description
2D materials transform chiral detection
Molecular chirality is important in various fields, including pharmaceuticals and environmental science. Mirror-image molecules can have both therapeutic and toxic effects. However, chiral detection methods are expensive, complicated, and often lack the sensitivity needed for real-time or field applications. With this in mind, the ERC-funded 2Dchiral project will use the unique optical properties of new 2D materials. By integrating these materials into optical fibres, researchers plan to develop compact, portable chiroptical probes. These probes will increase sensitivity and reduce costs, resulting in faster and more accurate enantiomer detection for drug development, pollutant monitoring, and food safety. It may also establish a new global standard for low-cost, high-performance chiral analysis.
Objective
Molecular chirality plays a fundamental role in pharmaceuticals, toxicology, and environmental sciences, as enantiomers of the same molecule can have vastly different biological effects. Current chiroptical detection methods, such as circular dichroism and Raman optical activity, require complex, expensive setups with limited sensitivity, often making real-time and field applications impractical. The 2Dchiral project aims to revolutionize chiral detection by leveraging the colossal optical anisotropy of novel 2D materials to create fiber-based chiroptical probes. These functionalized optical fibers will replace bulky polarization optics, improving compactness and portability together with enhancing detection sensitivity by over 10X while reducing costs by 2 – 5X.
Our approach is based on the principle that chiral interactions can be significantly amplified if the illuminating light’s polarization state is tailored to match the symmetry of the target molecule. Instead of using conventional circularly polarized light, we will design custom polarization states via 2D-material-integrated optical fiber probes, ensuring optimal enantiomer-specific signal enhancement. This will enable fast, real-time enantiomeric discrimination in pharmaceuticals, environmental monitoring, and food safety.
The potential impact is significant: improved enantioselective drug screening, detection of chiral pollutants, and real-time quality control in food and chemical industries. Through IP protection, commercialization strategies, and industry engagement, 2Dchiral aims to establish a new standard for low-cost, high-precision chiral analysis, democratizing access to advanced optical sensing worldwide.
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.
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.
- engineering and technology materials engineering fibers
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs
- social sciences sociology social issues social inequalities
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
- medical and health sciences basic medicine toxicology
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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)
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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-2025-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.
16163 Genova
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.