RESOLV in a nutshell

By placing the spotlight on the role of the solvent, we have been able to create the field of Solvation Science. In 2012, the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV launched Solvation Science as a new interdisciplinary field of research to provide a much-needed unifying framework for the understanding of solvation processes.

Seven years of research (2012-2018) have opened up new challenges in Solvation Science: We discovered that many crucial chemical transformations do not occur under ambient conditions, in thermal equilibrium or in homogeneous bulk phase. Thus, we established new paradigms in local solvent fluctuations in heterogeneous environments, in solvent control of chemical dynamics and in reactivity and solvation under extreme conditions (2019-2025).

This was achieved by transcending the traditional boundaries between chemistry, biochemistry physics, and chemical engineering, a feat that could only be accomplished by establishing a culture of collaboration among outstanding researchers from multiple fields, and by building cutting-edge research infrastructure.

Today, RESOLV provides a cohesive framework and innovative techniques, many of them developed by us, for understanding and controlling solvent-driven processes.

Exploiting the transformative power of Solvation Science is key to address urgent scientific and societal challenges, such as transitioning from fossil to sustainable carbon and energy sources for chemical feedstock production.

New goals in Solvation Science

RESOLV is now in the pole position to grasp “Holy Grails” in Solvation Science: Quantum solvation from ultralow to ambient temperatures, chemical evolution at cryo-solvation conditions in interstellar grains, designer solvents for resource-efficient chemical processes, and tailor-made formulations for bioactive ingredients.

We will develop sustainable solutions for the future, transform chemistry by integration of AI-assisted methods, and accelerate the transfer of academic innovation into industrial products and processes to address the challenges facing modern society. Tackling such scientific and societal challenges will be at the heart of our research.

We will push the boundaries in the field forward by unravelling the role of the solvent in charge and electron transfer, designing optimal solvent systems for chemical processes, and 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 a new 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.

Spearheading advances in Solvation Science

The uniqueness of RESOLV lies in its combination of cutting-edge spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, advanced computational and AI-assisted methods, and novel synthesis strategies, many of which have been pioneered in RESOLV.

With about 50 leading research groups from three universities and three Max Planck Institutes, RESOLV links researchers by dissolving the barriers between disciplines in natural and engineering sciences.

Being located in the heartland of chemical industries, RESOLV is fostering the rapid translation of ideas into products. These collaborations with our industrial partners are set to intensify further following the establishment of our Transfer Lab.

Thus, RESOLV continues to spearhead new advances in Solvation Science from our leadership position as creators of the field.

RESOLV (2012-2018) ­– Seven years in Solvation Research

RESOLV (2019-2025) ­– One decade is not enough