“However, with these synthetic catalysts


the active site is shielded and so they do not interfere with each other. This allows one to have a system in which a number of reactions can be happening simultaneously within a single procedure.” The Eindhoven University of Technology


has been the base at which this research has taken place, multidisciplinary


environment provided has been fundamental


and the unique it


has to the


success of the work, according to Palmans. “The institute we work in, the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems,


was


specifically created so that researchers from a number of different disciplines can work within the same building,” she says. “We have polymer chemists to work with the polymer chains, organic chemists to develop the catalysts and


consulting someone via email or at a conference, you can just drop in to their office and ask them directly.” Working with


AT A GLANCE Project Information people from different


scientific fields does sometimes have its problems, as Palmans illustrates: “There are often issues when it


comes to the


language we use. When a physicist explains something to a chemist and starts talking about phase transitions,


the chemist is


usually left with a confused expression on their face! Likewise, when a chemist talks to a physicist using fairly chemistry terms,


standard the physicist is equally


perplexed. It has taken some getting used to, but I feel


that we have all ended up


learning a lot about each other’s subjects.” The research has now reached the stage at which a good understanding of polymer folding has been reached, as


the


Project Objective: We fold synthetic polymer chains in water into compartmentalized, catalytically active nanoreactors. The hydrophobic interior of the folded polymers allows efficient and selective catalysis, reminiscent of the catalysis performed by enzymes. Through this, we aim to open new vistas for catalysis in water, the next step in polymer supported catalysis.


Project Duration and Timing: Start: 2010, duration: not yet known


Project Funding: NWO-ECHO, 1 PhD, k€ 260.0. Marie Curie Actions, 1 post doc, k€ 180.0. The National Research School Catalysis (NRSC-C)


MAIN CONTACT


Project Title: Mimicking enzyme structures for improved organic catalysis


supramolecular recognition units, polymer physicists


to aid our


understanding of the folding and to bring complex methods of analysis, as well as mathematicians


who utilise their


knowledge of modelling.” This wide


array of scientists have


worked together on the research from the beginning,


approaching the task from


different directions but with one common goal. This has resulted in a far more thorough understanding of what has been achieved than is normally realised with a narrower field of researchers. “When we take steps forward, they are not just in the sense


of improved catalysis; we also


understand why these catalysts are behaving like they are and why the polymers are folding like they are. We know the exact shapes of


the particles


and how the supramolecular recognition units will affect these shapes. It is only through working in an institute such as this by which you can achieve such a depth


of knowledge. Rather www.projectsmagazine.eu.com


well as a fairly high level of catalysis. The first experiments on the cascade catalytic systems are now running, but the next


step will structure of be to relate the the polymers back to the


catalytic activity. “We can now shield the catalysts within the polymer; has been proven,”


says Palmans, of catalysis.


that “but


what we really want to do now is to get back to design principals so that we can improve the levels mathematicians we


The are working with


will be crucial for this step, as their knowledge of models will allow us to work on molecular design.” It will be another few years before the results of


final this intriguing research


are published, and it could be that it helps to revolutionise the use of


organic than


catalysts. Until then, it is good to know that scientists from different backgrounds are able to work in harmony, which is surely something to note for anyone with aspirations of project.


 starting a new research 15


Anja Palmans Anja Palmans studied chemical engineering at the Eindhoven University of Technology, followed by a PhD in supramolecular chemistry. After a post-doc at the ETH Zürich and a stay in industry, she returned to Eindhoven in 2002, where she became associate professor in 2010


Contact: Tel: 0031-40-2473105 Email: a.palmans@tue.nl Web: www.tue.nl/en/research/ research-institutes/top-research- groups/institute-for-complex-mo- lecular-systems/people/dr-ara-anja- palmans/


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68