MOFSONG

Singlet oxygen, an excited state of molecular oxygen is a highly reactive species, relevant for an array of applications, ranging from sustainable oxidation catalysis to photodynamic therapy (PDT). The development of tailored materials capable of precisely controlling the generation and manipulation of singlet oxygen is paramount for advancing these applications. PDT, in particular, serves as a compelling example highlighting the importance of controlled singlet oxygen management. It relies on the interplay between a photosensitizer (PS), light, and ground state oxygen (3O2), producing highly reactive oxygen species such as the cytotoxic singlet oxygen (1O2) that is used to destroy cancer and microbial pathogens. Currently PDT faces two key limitations: the control of oxygen supply and limited light penetration inside the tissues. MOFSONG project addresses these limitations by proposing innovative materials capable of decoupling the light irradiation and the 1O2 release steps. The proposed approach involves the design and synthesis of porous Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) combining two types of organic linkers: arenes and porphyrins in a single porous structure. Porphyrins are excellent PSs capable of generating 1O2, and arenes are aromatic molecules capable of trapping this 1O2 in their structure upon a cycloaddition reaction and endoperoxide (EPO) formation, while porosity favors the concentration and fast diffusion of oxygen species. Thus, MOFs containing EPO can be generated by illumination at the optimum porphyrin excitation wavelength and stored at low temperature until being used to controllably release 1O2 in a desired environment upon heating. The project objectives involve the synthesis of molecular building units, the development of porous materials assisted by the design of experiments and robotic synthesis, comprehensive structural and spectroscopic investigations and the study of 1O2 dynamics. The success of the project is assured through an interdisciplinary consortium of five research partners providing all the necessary expertise and state of the art facilities.