The Centro de Química Estrutural (CQE) has two new research laboratories in the Interdisciplinary Building, at Técnico – Alameda campus, since 21 November 2024.
The two spaces – rooms 401 and 403 – are dedicated to synthetic chemistry. One of the rooms houses the MINDlab: Molecular Design&Innovation Laboratory, coordinated by Técnico professor and researcher Alexander Kirillov, which was presented to the public on the same date. This laboratory will be dedicated to research the synthesis of new molecules, particularly ‘in environmental sustainability, health and functional materials’, explains the researcher.
Originally designed 50 years ago, the laboratories ‘were very outdated’. The renovation allowed ‘the installation of new and safer fume hoods, as well as an advanced ventilation system, increasing the useful working area by around 50%’. This will make it possible to accommodate ‘a large number of researchers and PhD and master’s students’, concludes the researcher. These new spaces will also allow for the installation of more equipment and better division into different work areas.
The projects being developed at MINDlab include the synthesis of new catalysts to be applied in the sustainable transformation of abundant raw materials (hydrocarbons, biogas, terpenes) into value-added products. In addition, new bioactive metal-organic molecules are also being developed and incorporated into hybrid functional materials (doped bioplastics, cellulose derivatives and natural oils for biomedical applications) to inhibit the spread of bacteria and bacterial biofilms, as part of another line of research.
The other laboratory will develop new processes and catalysts for the degradation of plastic waste and the various areas of catalysis, organic synthesis and mass spectrometry. This includes the development of new drugs and their mechanism of action studies.
At the inauguration, Alexander Kirillov took those present on a guided tour, including Rogério Colaço, president of Instituto Superior Técnico, who congratulated ‘all people who made it happen’. ‘CQE and Técnico don’t exist without each other. The research units affiliated with Técnico are very important’.
