Research group
Cultural Heritage and Responsive Materials
Position
PhD student
André Seco completed his bachelor's in Applied Chemistry in 2017 and his master's in Bioorganic Chemistry in 2019, both at NOVA School of Science and Technology. During his final undergraduate year, he briefly worked on perovskite-type sensitizers for solar cell applications. For his master's thesis, titled "Control and Stability of Multiresponsive Supramolecular Structures," he focused on the reactivity of flavylium compounds in supramolecular structures. After the master’s, he contributed to the project "Photoresponsive Self-Assembled Nanomaterials for Drug and Gene Delivery" through a research grant. Currently, he is in the final phase of his PhD, where he is exploring the dual roles of flavylium compounds in both nature’s color palette and supramolecular devices.
Representative Publications
Evolution of Flavylium-Based Color Systems in Plants: What Physical Chemistry Can Tell Us
10.3390/ijms22083833
A pseudorotaxane formed from a cucurbit[7]uril wheel and a bioinspired molecular axle with pH, light and redox-responsive properties
10.1515/pac-2019-0225
Exploring the pH-dependent kinetics, thermodynamics and photochemistry of a flavylium-based pseudorotaxane
10.1515/pac-2021-0603
Light‐ and pH‐regulated Water‐soluble Pseudorotaxanes Comprising a Cucurbit[7]uril and a Flavylium‐based Axle
10.1002/chem.202102343
