Enantioselective preferential physisorption, chemisorption, and dimerization at spin-polarized inter

Universit Libre de Bruxelles - Free University of Brussels - (ULB) is a major academic institution with international recognition for scientific achievements, see https://www.ulb.be/
The group of Prof. Yves Geerts is active in the design, synthesis, processing and characterization of advanced molecular materials with unprecedented properties, see http://chimpoly.ulb.be/

CISSE is a multi-site Doctoral Network supported by the European Commission through the Marie Sklodowska Curie program, aimed at enabling finest quality research training and transfer of knowledge in an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, and revolutionary research field. The CISSE consortium members carry out research at the forefront of a number of interlinked theoretical and experimental disciplines involving: molecular design, synthetic chemistry, organic materials, nanoscience, electrochemistry, chirality, surface chemistry, industrial scale up, development of analytical methods and instrumentation. CISSE offers a training program in which theoreticians, spectroscopists, synthetic chemists, physicists, & industrialists will work on the complex and unsolved questions related to chirality and spin. CISSE gathers an interdisciplinary network of experts, from 6 universities and 2 industrial organizations, who will deliver a high-level doctoral education to 10 DCs. 6 associated partners (4 academics, 1 non-profit cultural organization and 1 private company) will complete their scientific and managerial training. CISSE will educate DCs as professional scientists, but also as innovators and future leaders. The intensive training program that takes advantage of two secondments offers DCs the unique opportunity to carry research at the forefront of science.

Objective of the PhD thesis: To demonstrate that spin-polarization can lead to specific enantiomeric excess.

Expected results: It has been demonstrated that enantiomers adsorb differently on spin-polarized metallic surfaces and that spin controls the fate of reduced or oxidized species on spin-polarized electrodes. However, few examples are known and no molecular design rules exist. Moreover, the evidences of enantiomeric excess are rather indirect. DC2 will design and synthesize various molecular systems tailored to either adsorb or react on spin-polarized interface. Enantiomeric excess will be assessed locally by STM for systems with preferential physisorption and chemisorption. Adsorption kinetics will be explored with quartz microbalance. Enantioselective oxidative coupling of prochiral monomers to chiral dimers will be performed on spin-polarized electrodes. Conglomerate-forming atropisomers and conformers with various racemization barrier will be used to study their nucleation on various spin-polarized substrates. Enantiomeric excess will be correlated with molecular systems, crystallization conditions, and spin-polarization. Interactions between enantiomers and spin-polarized surfaces will be studied by contact angle measurements. Reaction products will be analyzed by NMR and MS. Enantiomeric excess will be measured by chiral HPLC. Experiments will be repeated to ensure reproducibility.

How to apply? Please, follow the application procedure described in the recruitment leaflet available at     www.cisse-msca.eu

EU funding framework: H2020 / Marie Sk odowska-Curie Actions