Systems Chemistry
Systems chemistry studies how new properties emerge from the collective behaviour of molecules. Inspired by the complexity of living systems, systems chemistry provides a bottom-up approach to complexity for the development of synthetic systems with ‘life-like’ properties.
Interview by Giovanni Scalabrin (9 settembre 2025)
Non-equilibrium chemistry
Within the domain of systems chemistry, our specific interest is in the development of synthetic systems that operate out-of-equilibrium. Like living systems, such systems are able to extract energy from the environment to carry out work. We study the physical-organic chemistry that explains how a collection of interacting molecules can achieve this and consequently pass from ‘inactive’ to ‘active’ matter.
Contribution to the CARMA-project (15 november 2025).
Length scales
We study non-equilibrium chemistry at all length scales ranging from the molecular, to nano up to the macroscopic dimension. The following animations provide an (incomplete) overview of the systems that we have been studying in recent years.
Molecular
Nature Nanotechnology (2025) – link
Nano
Nature Chemistry (2016) – link
Macro
Nature Nanotechnology (2020) – link