RSA CE&C 2015-2021 Group descriptions

52 Research facilities The Macro-Organic Chemistry research group is part of the inter-departmental division Molecular Science and Technology (MST) and the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS) and many instruments there are shared and fully operative for our group. Typically, all of the molecular characterization techniques (high-field NMR, IR, mass spectrometry, etc.) and a large variety of separation techniques (HPLC, GLC, HPLC-MS, GPC, etc.) are available and run by a highly dedicated and experienced staff. More specific instruments that are available include circular dichroism, SAXS, AFM, TEM, SEM, fluorescence, light scattering and many more. In general, the facilities are of high quality. Most important are the superb synthesis labs in the Helix building. Prospects Development of the research field The field of complex molecular systems is at the forefront of many new areas of science and engineering. Although strongly inspired by fundamental scientific questions, our research also directly addresses applications like neuromorphic computing, hydrogen formation, circularly polarized electroluminescence and spin-controlled chemistry in the energy/information domain and multivalent bioactive systems for stem cells to organoids and active catalysts for several diseases in the life sciences. As one of the pioneering research groups in the field of supramolecular polymers, we will continue to disclose themany opportunities that emerge from this rather new field. As one of the major new directions, we foresee that the combination of covalent and non-covalent synthesis will allow us to arrive at a new level of control in order to fabricate functional supramolecular systems (see G. Vantomme, E.W. Meijer, The construction of supramolecular systems, Science 363, 1396-1397 (2019)). Viability The research group will be active in the current setup until 2025, when E.W. Meijer will retire. G. Vantomme will successfully continue the group in close collaboration with A.R.A. Palmans and other members of the SMO division. Some of the research lines present today will continue, while new directions will be developed. The group remains active within the MST division and ICMS. We aim to extend the Functional Molecular Systems (FMS) Gravitation program in one form or another, while A.R.A Palmans and G. Vantomme are members of the new Gravitation program Interactive Polymer Materials (IPM) and will write ERC proposals as well as national proposals for NWO. Five key publications from the evaluation period B. van Genabeek, B. Lamers, B.F.M. de Waal, M. van Son, A.R.A. Palmans, E.W. Meijer, Amplifying (im)perfection: The impact of crystallinity in discrete and disperse block co-oligomers, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 139, 14869-14872 (2017). N.J. Van Zee, B. Adelizzi, M.F.J. Mabesoone, X. Meng, A. Aloi, R.H. Zha, M. Lutz, I.A.W. Filot, A.R.A. Palmans, E.W. Meijer, Potential enthalpic energy of water in oils exploited to control supramolecular structure, Nature 558, 100-103 (2018). B. Adelizzi, A. Aloi, A.J. Markvoort, H.M.M. Ten Eikelder, I.K. Voets, A.R.A. Palmans, E.W. Meijer, Supramolecular block copolymers under thermodynamic control, J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 140, 7168-7175 (2018). G. Vantomme, E.W. Meijer, The construction of supramolecular systems, Science 363, 1396-1397 (2019). C. Kulkarni, A.K. Mondal, T.K. Das, G. Grinbom, F. Tassinari, M.F.J. Mabesoone, E.W. Meijer, R. Naaman, Highly Efficient and Tunable Filtering of Electrons’ Spin by Supramolecular Chirality of Nanofiber-Based Materials. Advanced Materials, 32, 1904965 (2020).