Our research is conducted in the organic chemistry lab located in the old Chemistry Building at Instituto Superior Técnico, in the heart of Lisbon. Our lab is part of the Biospectroscopy and Interfaces group at Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (iBB), which is a Research Unit of IST-UL. iBB was rated “Excellent” in the last international evaluation of the Portuguese Research Units, and it is an internationally recognised research center. iBB offers state-of-the-art facilities, namely optical spectroscopy and microscopy laboratories, and human cell culture facilities including stem cell culture facilities. The imaging infrastructures are part of the Portuguese Platform of Bioimaging, a research infrastructure of strategic interest for open-access to resources of bio-imaging. Ongoing research in sustainable nanochemistry is focused in three main topics: green chemistry (mechanochemistry, sonochemistry, catalysis), nanomedicine (polymer therapeutics, cancer theranostics and radiotheranostics, regenerative nanomedicine) and molecular electronics (non-traditional intrinsic luminescence, organic supercapacitors, sensors). Selected publications are shown below, for more information see the dendrimers and publications sections.
Participation in COST actions
•
CA17140 - Nano2Clinic: Cancer Nanomedicine - From the bench to
the bedside.
•
R. Viveiros et al.
ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng.
2019
,7, 15445 [Green
MIPs]
•
I. Santos et al. Nutrients
2019, 11, 2523 [Ovarian cancer therapeutics]
MOLECULAR ELECTRONICS
GREEN CHEMISTRY
In our lab we are fully committed with the
principles of green chemistry. Our reactions are performed in
solventless conditions, in water or using alternative solvents. We are equipped with a
sonochemical reactor (260 W) and a PM100 planetary ball mill with 50
mL stain less steel and zirconium oxide reactors, with standard and aeration covers.
•
M.B. Gawande et al.
ChemSusChem
2014, 7, 24 [Review]
•
M.B. Gawande et al. Chem. Soc. Rev.
2013, 42, 5522 [Review]
•
M.B. Gawande et al.
Green Chem.
2013, 15, 1226 [Nanocatalysis]
•
R.B. Restani et al.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
2012,
51, 5162 [PURE
dendrimers synthesis]
NANOMEDICINE
In the last few years we have been focused in the development of novel
nanosystems based on
polyurea dendrimers
for dug and gene delivery. Undergoing research work explore
polyurea dendrimers scaffolds for antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancer and
antimalarial (blood stage, collaboration with
IHMT) nanotherapeutics. Ovarian cancer
theranostics with special focus in early detection is also a top priority under a collaborative work with
IPOLGF and
CEDOC.
•
R.B. Restani et al.
Part. Part. Syst.
Charact.
2020
[Pulmonary
hypertension]
•
R.B. Restani et al.
ChemistryOpen,
2018, 7, 772
[Pulmonary delivery]
•
R.B. Restani et al.
Part. Part. Syst.
Charact.
2016,
33, 851 [Pulmonary delivery]
•
A.S. Silva et al. Int. J.
Pharm.
2017, 519, 240
[Lung cancer
theranostics]
•
A.S. Silva et al.
RSC Adv.
2016, 6,
33631
[Lung cancer
theranostics]
•
R.B. Restani et al.
Macromol.
Biosci.
2015, 15, 1045
[Drug
nanodelivery]
•
R.B. Restani et al.
RSC Adv.
2014, 4, 54872
[siRNA
nanodelivery]
The research developed in the last years has been dedicated to the synthesis of polymer-based fluorescent sensors. The undergoing research work is devoted to the synthesis of fullerene-based oxygen and temperature luminescent sensors and novel polymer architectures for the construction of biomimetic electronics, especially jelly photodiodes. The development of microbial fuel cells using organic supercapacitor electrodes is a recent undergoing work in collaboration with
ITQB-UNL.
•
R.F. Pires et al.
J. Appl. Pol. Sci.
2019
[Jelly photodiodes]
•
A. Bragança et al.
Part. Part. Syst. Charact.
2015, 32, 98 [Explosives sensor]
•
A. Lourenço, et al.
RSC Adv.
2014, 4, 63338 [Bisphenol A sensor]
•
V.P. Raje et al.
Biosen. Bioelectron.
2013,
39, 64 [Intracellular zinc and copper sensor]
•
C. Ribeiro
et al.
Biosen. Bioelectron.
2010, 26, 1662 [Fluoride sensor]