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.

Involved Institutions:

• Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (CEC)
• Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung
• Max-Planck-Institute for sustainable Materials (MPI SusMat)
• University of Duisburg-Essen