MELAnin-inspired radical architectures for Near-InfraRed-driven ultrafast photochemistry in water

Descripción del proyecto

Materiales inspirados en la melanina para provocar reacciones con la luz solar

El diseño propio de la naturaleza suele ser la clave para resolver retos tecnológicos complejos. Inspirado en la melanina, el pigmento que da color a la piel y al cabello, el proyecto MELA-NIR creará materiales avanzados que aprovechan la luz solar para provocar reacciones químicas en el agua. Estos sistemas sintéticos basados en la melanina combinan una amplia absorción de la luz, estabilidad en agua y una larga vida media de los radicales para impulsar reacciones químicas, lo cual los convierte en una alternativa no tóxica y escalable a los sistemas basados en metales. Con el apoyo de las acciones Marie Skłodowska-Curie, el proyecto MELA-NIR combinará la espectroscopia multidimensional en el infrarrojo cercano para crear alternativas escalables y no tóxicas a las plataformas tradicionales basadas en metales, lo que abrirá nuevas perspectivas para los procesos químicos impulsados por energía solar.

Objetivo

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.