Research
The Supramolecular Chemistry group (SUPRAMOL) at the University of the Balearic Islands in an interdisciplinary team working at the interfaces of organic, supramolecular, computational, and biological chemistries as well as materials science. Our research aims are mainly focused on:
i) Provide theoretical explanations for the formation of supramolecular systems and predict their interactions with the environment. In particular, our aim is to reveal the role of weak and unconventional non-covalent interactions such as anion-π, σ-hole (tetrel, pnictogen, chalcogen and halogen bonds), etc. in different biological events as well as in supramolecular host-guest systems, anion recognition, catalytic processes and crystal engineering.
ii) Functional self-assembled materials, such as supramolecular polymers and liquid crystals, for energy and photonic applications. Our approach consists of the utilization of molecular engineering of organic dyes as tool to control the self-assembly of the molecules and in turn the properties of the new materials.
iii) Biocompatible supramolecular polymers and gels capable of interacting with different biomolecules and carry out different (active or passive) functions. We pursue the preparation of hydrogels tailored with inorganic nanoparticles and enzymes for biocatalytic processes. In the same line, supramolecular systems capable to load, transport and release different cargo is another area of our interest for chemical biology applications.
Members
Coordinator
Dr. Antonio Frontera Beccaria (Full Professor)
Other Members
Dr. Antonio Costa Torres (Full Professor)
Dr. María del Carmen Rotger Pons (Assistant Professor)
Dr. Antonio Bauzá (Assistant Professor)
Dr. Salvador Tomás (Assistant Professor)
Dr. Bartolomé Soberats Reus (Ramon y Cajal Postdoctoral Researcher)
Manuel Vega Reynés (PhD Student)
Eduardo Castellanos Arrescurrenaga (PhD Student)
Sergi Bujosa Vidal (PhD Student)
Bartomeu Galmés Sureda (PhD Student)
Llorenç Rubert (PhD Student)
Selected Publications
Development of Plasmonic Chitosan-Squarate Hydrogels via Bio-Inspired Nanoparticle Growth. E. Castellanos, B. Soberats, S. Bujosa, C. Rotger, R. de la Rica, A. Costa, Biomacromolecules 2020, 21, 966-973
Remote Control of Anion-π Catalysis on Fullerene-Centered Catalytic Triads. J. Lopez-Andarias, A. Bauzá, N. Sakai, A. Frontera, S. Matile, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 10883-10887
Anion-π Catalysis on Fullerenes. J. Lopez-Andarias, A. Frontera, S. Matile, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 13296-13299
A crystalline sponge based on dispersive forces suitable for X-ray structure determination of included molecular guests. E. Sanna, E. C. Escudero-Adán, A. Bauzá, P. Ballester, A. Frontera, C. Rotger, A. Costa. Chem. Sci. 2015, 6, 5466-5472
Hydrogen Bonded Squaramide-Based Foldable Module Induces Both β- and α-Turns in Hairpin Structures of α-Peptides in Water. L. Martínez, G. Martorell, A. Sampedro, P. Ballester, A. Costa, C. Rotger, Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 2980-2983