Organometallic Chemistry and Polymerization Catalysis

The research of the group is the development of new synthetic strategies for producing small molecules and biodegradable polymers of defined structure, taking into account the growing concerns on sustainable development and environmental protection (low waste production, low energy consumption, reactions without solvent, one-pot catalysis). 

‣ Sequence-Controlled Polymerization and the the control over chain microstructure (i.e. tacticity and monomer sequences) may lead to highly-optimized macromolecules with tailored properties. 

‣ Tandem Catalysis to synthesize polymers with reduction in workload, wasteand energy consumption. 

‣ Supported Catalysis uses materials containing well-identified surface species to improve selectivity and reactivity. 

‣ Advanced characterization by solid-state NMR of surfaces and supported catalysts for their refined understanding.

Computational Chemistry

We perform research on the topic of computational chemistry for nanoporous materials and organometallic compounds and solids, with specific focus on the following themes:

‣ Multi-scale modelling of nanoporous materials and the phenomena of adsorption and transport inside their pores.

‣ Soft Porous Crystals, which are stimuli-responsive or multi-functional porous materials, including metal–organic frameworks, inorganic framework materials, etc.

‣ Use of machine learning techniques in chemistry and material sciences, in order to better understand the structure–property relationships.

Our work is summarized in a few review papers, in Chem. Mater., and Coord. Chem. Rev. You can also look at some highlights of some of our recent results as well.