Project description
Melanin-inspired materials to drive reactions with sunlight
Nature’s own design often holds the key to solving complex challenges in technology. Inspired by melanin, the pigment that gives colour to skin and hair, the MELA-NIR project will create advanced materials that harness sunlight to drive chemical reactions in water. These synthetic melanin-based systems combine broad light absorption, stability in water and long radical lifetimes to drive chemical reactions, offering a non-toxic, scalable alternative to metal-based systems. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MELA-NIR project will combine near-infrared multidimensional spectroscopy to create scalable, non-toxic alternatives to traditional metal-based platforms, opening new doors for solar-powered chemical processes.
Objective
Harnessing solar energy for sustainable chemistry requires platforms with panchromatic absorption, extending into the near-infrared (NIR), and excited-state radicals that persist in biologically relevant aqueous media long enough to drive reactions. Yet no system combines both, leaving a “NIR photoredox gap” that limits green manufacturing, pollutant remediation, and biocompatible chemistry. MELA-NIR will close this gap by developing melanin-inspired radical architectures. Synthetic melanins uniquely combine broad absorption, aqueous stability, and radical lifetimes beyond milliseconds, offering scalable, non-toxic alternatives to scarce metal-based platforms while extending performance into the untapped NIR. MELA-NIR pursues three goals: (i) map radical formation from femtoseconds to seconds using ultrafast transient absorption and IR spectroscopy (WP1); (ii) engineer hydroquinone–quinone donor–acceptor systems and charge-transfer-active cofactors to enhance NIR activity (WP2); and (iii) benchmark optimized scaffolds for NIR-driven photoredox reactivity and antioxidant function in water (WP3). Together, these steps will establish design rules for light-tunable radical buffering and deliver proof-of-concept for green chemistry and redox biology. The fellowship provides interdisciplinary training in spectroscopy, materials chemistry, and photophysics. At Ohio State University with Prof. Bern Kohler, I will gain expertise in ultrafast IR and melanin synthesis, complementing my UV–visible ultrafast background. At Politecnico di Milano with Prof. Giulio Cerullo, I will apply advanced NIR multidimensional spectroscopy to assess reactivity. This two-way transfer will equip me to establish an independent European research line at the physics–chemistry interface. By enabling NIR-induced radical photochemistry in aqueous media, MELA-NIR will advance solar-to-chemical conversion, support the European Climate Law, and position Europe as a leader in sustainable photochemistry.
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 human-validated.
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 human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.