EXC 2033:  RESOLV (Ruhr Explores Solvation) - Understanding and Design of Solvent Controlled Processes

• Subject Area: Physical Chemistry ; Chemical Solid State and Surface Research ; Molecular Chemistry ; Theoretical Chemistry ; Process Engineering, Technical Chemistry
• Term: since 2019
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 390677874

RESOLV pioneered Solvation Science as an interdisciplinary research field. Solvents are no longer understood as mere bystanders but have been recognized to play an active and decisive role in chemical processes. RESOLV provides a cohesive framework and innovative techniques, many of them developed by us, for understanding and controlling solvent-driven processes. Exploiting the transformative power of Solvation Science is key to address urgent scientific and societal challenges, such as transitioning from fossil to sustainable carbon and energy sources for chemical feedstock production. We will push the boundaries in the field forward by (i) unravelling the role of the solvent in charge and electron transfer, (ii) designing optimal solvent systems for chemical processes, and (iii) developing solvent engineering for product design. Solvation Science will be leveraged to electrify chemistry through electrosynthesis and molecular energy conversion engines. Under the auspices of our new SusChem Transfer Lab, we will combine lab automation and artificial-intelligence-assisted technologies with our vast expertise in synthesis, spectroscopy, computation, and engineering, to realize disruptive innovations in chemical process and product design. We will establish comprehensive guidelines for maximizing the efficiency of chemical reactions while reducing the environmental footprint. RESOLV will tackle the challenge of optimizing formulations with targeted functionality and long-term stability, both of which are important quality attributes of life-science products. To realize these ambitious goals, RESOLV brings together outstanding researchers from three universities and three Max Planck Institutes covering multiple disciplines, creating a fruitful collaborative culture. This is complemented by setting up novel experimental infrastructure and combining cutting-edge experiments with physics-based and data-enabled computational methods to tackle fundamental scientific questions. RESOLV actively promotes the integration of academic and industrial research in an effort to transform promising innovations into more efficient and sustainable processes and products. RESOLV will implement long-lasting institutional changes by (i) installing new large-scale core facilities, (ii) establishing new professorships and joint Max Planck/RESOLV early career researcher (ECR) groups, (iii) operating an internationally visible graduate program in Solvation Science, (iv) promoting our ECRs by individual career boosters, such as embedding them in our international networks, enabling internships in industry and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, and (v) creating an inclusive environment that allows all talents to feel valued and excel. We are convinced that all RESOLV actions will lead to unprecedented scientific insights into Solvation Science that will propel the transfer from future-proof innovations to chemical processes and products.

• DFG Programme: Clusters of Excellence (ExStra)
• Applicant Institution: Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• Co-Applicant Institution: Technische Universität Dortmund
• Participating Institution: Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Energiekonversion (CEC); Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung; Max-Planck-Institut für Nachhaltige Materialien GmbH (MPI SusMat); Universität Duisburg-Essen
• Spokespersons: Professorin Dr. Viktoria H. Däschlein-Gessner; Professorin Dr. Martina Havenith-Newen; Professorin Dr. Gabriele Sadowski
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Jörg Behler; Professor Dr. Richard Kramer Campen; Professor Dr. Guido Clever; Professorin Dr. Katrin F. Domke; Professor Dr. Simon Ebbinghaus; Professor Dr. Lukas J. Gooßen; Professor Dr. Max Martin Hansmann; Professor Dr. Stefan Huber; Professor Dr. Benjamin List; Professor Dr. Dominik Marx; Professorin Dr. Karina Morgenstern; Professor Dr. Edvardas Narevicius; Professor Dr. Frank Neese; Professor Dr. Jörg Neugebauer; Professorin Dr. Elsa Sanchez Garcia; Professorin Dr. Clara Saraceno; Professor Dr. Lars Schäfer; Dr. Marwin Segler; Professorin Dr. Marialore Sulpizi; Professorin Dr. Kristina Tschulik; Professor Dr. Siegfried R. Waldvogel; Professor Dr. Xijie Wang