Launched officially in October 2016 and completed at the end of September 2020, the PHOTOTRAIN network aimed to implement photo-catalytic technologies for triggering stereoselective organocatalytic transformations, which has been proven to hold promising applications in pharmaceuticals and solar fuels production for sustainable energy. The network trained 14 ESRs from around the world. They were trained in an interdisciplinary and intersectoral environment that was context-sensitive to industrial valorisation of fundamental research and its implementation into exploitable chemical processes; interdisciplinary and cross-fertilizing, combining concepts from different disciplines: chemical engineering, photophysics, photochemistry, organic synthesis, supramolecular chemistry, device engineering, process design, organo and heterogenous catalysis integrating aspects such as transfer of technology, scale-up, valorisation of fundamental science, environmental aspects, energy and ultimately quality of life.
The challenge of developing and transferring light-fuelled processes from a proof-of-principle to an exploitable process is to embark upon a dynamic configuration in which photoactive species are kept separated, act independently and are finally recycled. In particular, through the adoption of a microfluidic system in which programmed different phases allow the formation of photoactive interfaces, the team aimed to implement photo-catalytic technologies at the industrial level for triggering stereoselective organocatalytic transformations (i.e. pharmaceutical applications) and/or solar fuels production.
The main focus of the network was the conversion of solar energy starting from the fundamental bases (photophysics), including the design of photoactive molecules (organic chemistry) and the materials (colloidal chemistry), the study of the photoinduced processes (photochemistry and microscopy), performing and studying the reactions (physical chemistry), building a microfluidic photoreactor (physics and engineering), and planning an industrial-scalable chemical process (private sector). PHOTOTRAIN ESRs also had the opportunity to mobilize between network partners supported by research visits and secondments, allowing them tointegrate in the network with the aim to help them interact with their fellows and within different research, development and innovation environments.
