For nearly four years (March 2020-February 2024), IFPEN participated in the CCIMC (Coordination Chemistry Inspires Molecular Catalysis) project, coordinated by the CNRS and funded by the European Commission (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2019) [1]. The purpose of this ITN (International Training Network) was to improve our knowledge in the fields of ligand1 design and coordination chemistry in order to develop new homogeneous catalysts, taking into account both their implementation and recycling. This consortium involved 15 doctoral researchers from nine universities in seven different European countries (Figure 1). In addition, eight partners from industry (or associated sectors) contributed to the project, mainly through the secondment of doctoral researchers to these companies, usually for a period of three months.
IFPEN's participation in this network was driven by the excellence of the various European research groups involved and the relevance of the topics covered to our work in the field of molecular catalysis, such as olefin metathesis, the development of new ligands, the activation of small molecules (CO2), and the development of new techniques for immobilizing homogeneous catalysts (ionic liquids, polymeric nanoreactors, etc.).
As one of the partners, IFPEN contributed to the project of three 3 doctoral researchers whom we hosted at our Lyon site, in the “Molecular Catalysis” division, for their secondment period:
- W. Hudsai: Activation of CO2 by Mg hydrides (Coll.) (Coll. FSU3-Germany and LCC4 -Toulouse).[2]
- C. Abou-Fayssal: Biphasic catalysis with metal nanoparticles grafted into polymeric nanoreactors (Coll. DTU5 -Denmark and LCC-Toulouse)
- D. Krishnan: Selective hydrogenation of amides with metal nanoparticles immobilized in ionic liquids (Coll. DTU-Denmark and LCC-Toulouse).
Several events were also held over the course of the four-year project, including three international workshops, two tutorials, one core course, and one international school. It was in this context that IFPEN organized and hosted the 2nd tutorial and the 4th network workshop in 2022, attended by more than 40 consortium members.
IFPEN’s participation in this network raised its profile within the molecular catalysis community, as evidenced by the development of new collaborative initiatives with some of the partners it worked alongside. Examples include the launch of an ANR project with LCC Toulouse [3] and the establishment of a new collaboration with DTU in Denmark, through a jointly supervised PhD program that will begin in 2026. [4]
1 A ligand is an atom, ion, or molecule with functional groups that enable it to bind to one or more central atoms or ions
2 Operation designed to separate the catalyst from the reaction mixture for recycling
3 Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
4 Coordination Chemistry Laboratory – Paul Sabatier University
5 Danmarks Tekniske Universitet
References:
[2] W. Huadsai, L. Vendier, H. Gorls, L. Magna, S. Bontemps, M. Westerhausen, Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2024,
>> DOI : https://doi.org/10.1002/ejic.202400128
[3] Projet “MNP@CCM" : Catalyse biphasique aqueuse avec des nanoparticules métalliques immobilisés dans des nanoréacteurs à base de micelles réticulées. AAPG 2024 - Référence ANR-24-CE07-6647-01
[4] Thèse intitulée « Conversion des alcools en esters par catalyse homogène en cascade dans des liquides ioniques »
Scientific contact: Lionel Magna