ChemiQNet

Industrial processes involving chemical reactions are typically controlled by macroscopic parameters, such as temperature or pressure, which usually results in a huge waste of energy and the massive production of unwanted by-products leading to energy consumption and pollution. To overcome these problems, ChemiQ aims at developing « tomorrow's chemistry » with a much higher level of control and selectivity. The ChemiQ consortium will describe and control the chemical reactivity at a microscopic level via the systematic use of quantum phenomena such as quantum coherence induced by laser. The use of coherent wave-packet can be seen as a paradigm shift in chemistry with extensions to biology. This 48-months project unifies relevant state-of-the-art competences in theory and experiment, at the interface between physics and chemistry, creating a new community on the long term to make the European Union the leader in this new chemistry. The project gathers the cutting-edge theoretical developments in the emerging field of molecular quantum dynamics (Multi-Layer approach of the Multi-configuration Time-Dependent Hartree (MCTDH) method, light dressed molecules approaches) with state-of-the-art lab-technology. In particular, the conjunction of the most recent experimental techniques will open the possibility to control the motion of electrons and nuclei, molecular vibrations and rotations, each of them on its natural time scale. It will thus be possible « to operate on » molecular systems controlling all the different aspects of the system like in a sort of « chemical surgery » by a « photonic scalpel ». We target several experimental breakthroughs including coherent control of excited state dynamics in biological chromophores, the control of all the aspects of an elementary process of high industrial interest, the CH activation of methane on nickel surfaces, and experiments with ultra-violet (sub)-femtopulses, opening the door to the field of « attochemistry ».