Throughout the project, several major discoveries were made:
1) Nanoscopic morphology of water-soluble supramolecular polymers. Advanced techniques were used to map out the nanoscopic morphology of water-soluble supramolecular polymers, significantly enhancing the understanding of their structural behavior.
2) Synthesis of novel discrete oligomers. Despite initial challenges, the team successfully synthesized discrete oligomers and nitrogen-based discotic molecules that self-assemble into supramolecular polymers, aligning with project goals.
3) Bridging covalent and non-covalent polymerization. A groundbreaking method was developed to close the gap between covalent and non-covalent polymers, unlocking new possibilities for designing sustainable materials.
4) Breakthrough in bioactive hydrogels. Using super-resolution microscopy, we observed unexpected clustering of receptors and ligands in dynamic hydrogels. This discovery brings supramolecular hydrogels closer to mimicking natural extracellular matrices, advancing the field of biomedical materials.
5) Discovery of a unique gel-sol-gel-sol transition. A novel material was identified that undergoes a reversible phase transition—transforming from a hydrogel to a liquid upon dilution, then back to a gel upon further dilution. This dilution-induced self-assembly is a unique phenomenon in multicomponent supramolecular systems.
6) Advancing chirality-driven chemistry for green energy. The project demonstrated that chiral molecules could enhance the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in electrochemical water splitting, particularly in systems with a high nitrogen/carbon ratio.
In conclusion, the research was highly successful after a somewhat slow start. The results are unforeseen and it is only the beginning. Where the overall objective remains challenging the results in the endeavor to reach that ultimate goal, we discovered many new aspects; see also below. Up to now, 29 papers are published (all open access), but many more are still in the process of writing. The results obtained are also a start for new projects mainly in collaboration with others. Especially where our new functional materials can be used in optoelectronic devices and biomaterial applications. Finally, the project created a completely new insights into the original of homochirality in nature, which has now become the major research topic of the group today. Without the ERC results, this idea which is a spin-off from the so-called Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) effect could never been emerged.
The project has pushed the boundaries of supramolecular chemistry, revealing that combining covalent and non-covalent synthesis offers far greater potential than previously anticipated. The unexpected self-assembly behaviors, receptor clustering, and chirality-driven chemistry highlight the vast, untapped possibilities in functional materials. Beyond fundamental science, these discoveries have direct implications for biomedicine, sustainable polymers, and green energy technologies.
