Project description
Advancing chirality in surface science and separation
Chirality, the property of molecules that makes them distinct from their mirror images, plays a crucial role in chemistry, biology, and physics. Many chemical processes, such as catalysis, crystallisation, and adsorption, are highly sensitive to chirality. Surfaces offer a unique opportunity to study chirality, as they can promote the separation of enantiomers due to the constraints of their two-dimensional environment. However, the reduced symmetry at interfaces enhances molecular chirality, allowing both chiral and prochiral molecules to form chiral superstructures. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SURF-CHIR project aims to explore how nanoconfinement conditions, created through scanning probe nanolithography, influence chirality in on-surface crystallisation. The project will also enhance enantioselective separation and advance chiral chromatography techniques.
Objective
An object, or a molecule is said to be chiral if it can be distinguished from its mirror image. Chirality plays an important role in many areas of chemistry, biology, and physics. Many chemical processes involving solid surfaces such as catalysis, crystallization, adsorption, and so forth, are sensitive to chirality. Thus, surfaces are not fertile playground studying chirality, but they can also be used to promote the separation of mirror-image molecules, i.e. enantiomers, due to additional constraints created by the two-dimensional (2D) environment. Because of the reduced symmetry at the interface, these constraints enhance the expression of molecular chirality, allowing not only chiral molecules, but also prochiral molecules to produce chiral superstructures. Even so, recognition processes based on non-covalent interactions could be used to separate enantiomorphs in 2D systems. This new method could be used to resolve racemic mixtures.
In this project, nanoconfinement conditions created using scanning probe nanolithography will reveal how the shape and size of the confinement, as well as the nanolithography process itself, affect the chirality of on-surface crystallization processes. Robust chiral surfaces will be created using covalent functionalization of graphite and applied for enantioselective separation. Also, bulk chiral graphitic materials will be synthesized and used as stationary phase in chiral chromatography. SURF-CHIR will allow me to pursue a highly innovative research line in surface science, providing me a perfect platform for my personal development in terms of research and training in a topic of key importance, i.e. chirality, and state-to-the-art imaging techniques. This project will also allow me to strengthen my team-working and leadership skills as well as widen my scientific network and collaborations. In summary, this MSCA grant will be a positive turning point in my academic career towards scientific excellence.
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.
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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-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European 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-2022-PF-01
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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.
3000 Leuven
Belgium
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.