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Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences

NWO XS grant for Tomáš Šolomek

Towards precision synthesis of novel materials inspired by carbon nanotubes

25 July 2024

Dr Tomáš Šolomek of the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences has been awarded a 50,000 euro grant in the Open Competition XS call of the Dutch Research Council NWO (Domain Science). He will use the grant to synthetize a new type of conjugated polymers inspired by the topology of carbon nanotubes. Tapping into this novel class of materials could trigger development of breakthrough applications, such as more efficient solar cells, photodetectors, sensitive sensors detecting pollutants or viruses, and (photo)catalysts for sustainable synthesis.
Dr Tomáš Šolomek is a tenure track assistant professor at the Molecular Photonics group of the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS). Photo: HIMS.

Carbon nanotubes have completely transformed the landscape of carbon-based materials. Their unique properties give rise to many potential applications in nearly all areas of material sciences. However, since current methods for chemical synthesis do not allow to fully control their structure, the actual use of carbon nanotubes is severely limited.

On the other hand, there’s a wealth of synthetic methods available to create tailor-made synthetic polymers. Alas, it has not yet been possible to create polymer nanotubes with the unique shape and symmetry of their carbon counterparts. The combination of a well-defined channel and an extended surface, together with the ability to conduct charge both along the nanotube and around its perimeter, has not yet been realised in synthetic polymers.

With his NWO XS grant, Šolomek aims to overcome this conceptual barrier and arrive at a new type of cost-effective polymers that combine the best of the two worlds: The intrinsic structural characteristics of carbon nanotubes and the precision synthesis of synthetic polymers.

See also