Laboratory of Functional Nanoporous Materials
  Laboratoire des Matériaux Fonctionnels Nanoporeux
Groupe Freddy Kleitz Group  
 
 
   
 
 

 

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Our research activities concentrate mainly on the synthesis of functional nanomaterials exhibiting well-defined pores in the range of 1-100 nm, i.e. nanoporous materials (ex. ordered microporous and mesoporous materials, hollow core-shell particles, nanotubes), and the study  of their chemical reactivity and physical properties.

 

The research is oriented towards developing methodologies for the preparation and the functionalization of mesoporous materials (pores between 2 and 15 nm) comprising inorganic and organic components assembled at the nanoscale. The research emphasizes the design of hybrid and composite solid systems selective positioning of active guest species (organics, oligomers, clusters, inorganic nanoparticles) in specific sites inside inorganic matrices and the control of their local environment. The underlying theme is that the association of specific functions with controlled spatial environment could provide improved nanomaterials that have a variety of distinct properties in a single hybrid structure (cooperative and synergy effects). The primary objective is to design hybrid mesoporous materials incorporating desirable functional groups and having proper particle morphologies for selective sorption and separation applications (pollutant removal, chromatography, biomolecule separation), liquid-phase heterogeneous catalysis (recyclable size-and-shape selective solid catalysts for fine chemicals), and future biomaterials and biomedical applications (drug and bioactive molecule delivery, diagnostic and medical imaging). Inorganic porous structures are also synthesized to serve as hosts or template for the manufacture of nanostructured objects (metal or metal oxide nanoparticles, nanowires, ordered non-siliceous networks…) with specific physical properties. Emphasis is also put on formation mechanisms of mesostructured materials, adsorption and diffusion properties and selective surface functionalization methods.

In addition to the technological aspects, the research emphasizes fundamental understanding of host-guest interactions within nanopores and solid matrices, confinement effects, cooperative processes, interfacial interactions and transport phenomena at the nanoscale.