The present proposal for a Medium Size Research project focuses on the advancement of knowledge in the solution treatment of carbohydrates with eco-sustainable, green solvent media. In particular, a selection of simple (glucose and trehalose) and more complex (cyclodextrins and cellulose) carbohydrates will be considered for dissolution in environmentally responsible Ionic Liquids (IL) and Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) media. Such solutions would be characterised using state of the art experimental (X-ray/Neutron scattering, NMR spectroscopy etc.) and computational (Molecular Dynamics) methods, in order to extract atomistically resolved information on the solvation process. The final goal of the study will be to extend the present level of knowledge on the carbohydrates solvation mechanism, in order to enable smart applications ranging from bio-mass handling to enhanced biomaterials cryoprotection and enable more environmentally-aware technologies. The proposing team has well-established reputation in the exploitation of the different techniques for such a task that guarantees the success of the proposed research plan.
This Medium Size Research Project has a high potential for delivering important discoveries and robust comprehension of the interactions in novel, high added value, systems composed of simple or complex CHs and green solvents leading to a combination of bio-mass exploitation and enhanced environmental compatibility. Such a progress will be achieved thanks to the synergy between experimental and computational tools, a very successful approach in applied research.
The Research activity would perfectly fit the state of the art in the field of ILs applications; on the other hand it would surpass the current state of research in the field of DES applications. We stress that our preliminary investigation[11], is the first delivering fundamental information of the solvation of cyclodextrin in these solvation media. No such structural studies exist so far accounting for DES solutions of CHs and the team possesses all the necessary tools and competence to further develop this promising field.
Furthermore, considering additional research themes related e.g. to the cryoprotectant nature of aqueous solutions of trehalose or biomass functionalization, we envisage that our study will provide the first, basic knowledge to develop further research activity that cannot be presently anticipated in the fields of bio-chemistry, pharmacology, green chemistry etc.