Summary and Short BIO
Manuel Melle-Franco is a principal researcher at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) where he leads the Advanced Modelling Lab. The Lab specializes in computer modelling of carbon nanomaterials, covalent organic frameworks, and more generally, in organic and inorganic materials and biomolecules for new technologies.
Manuel Chemistry Degree at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), a Materials Chemistry M.Sc., and a Physics PhD from the University of Kent (UK). Then he worked as a researcher with Francesco Zerbetto at the University of Bologna (Italy) for 8 years before he moved to Portugal to become an independent researcher.
Manuel’s research has produced several high-visibility publications in journals such as Nature, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Chemistry, Chem, Nature Communications, JACS and Angewandte Chemie among others and it has been highlighted in several specialized media outlets as well as in national radio and newspapers.
Covers
Ongoing Supervisions
Clara Alves Ponte
PhD Student
Germán Pérez-Sánchez
Assistant Researcher
Ricardo Ortiz Cano
Junior ResearcherProjects
Alternative SuperConducting Superlattice (SuperSuper)
Local CoordinatorFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Moiré materials have emerged as a two-dimensional platform with a broad range of states between superconducting and insulating. Despite the remarkable scientific progress, an important bottleneck is the lack of a general and facile approach for the production of moiré materials. SuperSuper is targeted at developing a disruptive straightforward b...ConfCof - How conformation and stacking influence electronic properties of Covalent Organic Frameworks. An ab-initio investigation. (ConfCof)
PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are extended networks of organic components. Their structure arises from covalently linking monomers by reticular synthesis. Despite relatively simple overall organisation, experimental structure determinations are challenging and often show poor crystallinity and porosities that vary from theoretical predictio...Engineered Conductive Proteins for Bioelectronics (E-PROT)
Local CoordinatorEuropean Comission
Proteins demonstrate exceptional structural and electrical conduction properties for designing functional materials. The goal of the EU-funded e-Prot project is to rationally design efficient conductive protein systems and produce protein-based conductive structures and materials. This breakthrough relies on a multidisciplinary scientific approa...FantastiCOF: Fabricating and Implementing Exotic Moiré Materials from Covalent Organic Frameworks (FantastiCOF)
Local CoordinatorEuropean Comission
Superconducting devices based on Josephson Junctions (JJs) are among the most versatile devices in superconducting electronics. Yet challenges remain because conventional JJs are created using a variety of materials that have been identified as a source of noise, dissipation and dephasing, and also, that raise compatibility problems during the f...Functionalized graphene for quantum technologies (PTDC/FIS-NAN/4662/2014)
Local CoordinatorFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Grafeno; tecnología quânticas; defeitos pontuais paramagnéticas; spin interactionsPhoto-responsive organic-inorganic hybrid multiferroics: A way toward multifunctional electronics (PTDC/CTM-CTM/4044/2020)
PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Organic-inorganic hybrids Multiferroics Piezoelectricity FerroelectricityProjeto de Investigação Exploratória: Manuel Melle (IF Manuel Melle)
CoordinatorFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Redesigning 2D Materials for the Formulation of Semiconducting Inks (2D INK)
Local CoordinatorEuropean Comission
2D-INK is targeted at developing inks of novel 2D semiconducting materials for low-cost large-area fabrication processes on insulating substrates through a new methodology, which will exceed the properties of state-of-the-art graphene- and graphene oxide based inks. Achieving this would represent an important step forward in the processing of 2D...Redox-active Metal-Organic Frameworks as Electrode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries (RedoxMOFs)
PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
One of the main concerns of modern society is reducing its dependence on fossil fuels. Due to their low cost and low environmental impact, electrical energy storage devices are among the most promising alternatives to conventional fossil fuels, as the electricity generated from renewable sources may be efficiently stored. In particular, lithium-...Supported Covalent Organic Frameworks for the Monitoring of Pharmaceutical Pollutants (Charm)
Local CoordinatorFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Publications
Moiré two-dimensional covalent organic framework superlattices
Zhan, GL; Koek, B; Yuan, YJ; Liu, YK; Mishra, V; Lenzi, V; Strutynski, K; Li, CX; Zhang, RR; Zhou, X; Choi, HS; Cai, ZF; Almarza, J; Mali, KS; Mateo-Alonso, A; Franco, MM; Zhu, YH; De Feyter, S; Loh, KP
2025, NATURE CHEMISTRY, 17, 4.
Tubular Nanostructures from Large-Pore 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks
Almarza, J; Cardillo-Zallo, I; Strutynski, K; Martínez-Abadía, M; Padial, NM; Martí-Gastaldo, C; Melle-Franco, M; Khlobystov, AN; Mateo-Alonso, A
2025, ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION, 64, 23.
Intramolecular Singlet Fission in Individual Graphene Nanoribbons-Competition with a Charge Transfer
Greissel, PM; Beneventi, GM; Weiss, R; Wollny, AS; Dubey, RK; Melle-Franco, M; Clark, T; Mateo-Alonso, A; Guldi, DM
2025, JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, 147, 13, 11277-11290.
A Route toward the On-Surface Synthesis of Organic Ferromagnetic Quantum Spin Chains
Paschke, F; Ortiz, R; Mishra, S; Vilas-Varela, M; Albrecht, F; Peña, D; Melle-Franco, M; Gross, L
2025, JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, 147, 9, 7859-7867.
Interlocked 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks from Overcrowded Nodes
De Bolòs, E; Bera, S; Strutynski, K; Bardin, AA; Lodge, RW; Padial, N; Saeki, A; Martí-Gastaldo, C; Khlobystov, AN; Nannenga, BL; Melle-Franco, M; Mateo-Alonso, A
2025, JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, 147, 3, 2579-2586.
Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity in Two-Dimensional Self-Assembled Molecular Networks
Rana, S; Remigio, M; Geetha, LA; Strutynski, K; Volpi, M; John, S; Baczewski, LT; Paltiel, Y; Resel, R; Melle-Franco, M; Mali, KS; Geerts, YH; De Feyter, S
2025, JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, 147, 46, 42426-42432.
Non-aromatic fluorescence from single α-helical peptides
González-González, C; Lopez-Blanco, R; González-Vera, JA; D'Ingiullo, S; Bouzada, D; Melle-Franco, M; Orte, A; Vázquez, ME
2025, CELL REPORTS PHYSICAL SCIENCE, 6, 6.
Coupled Optical Response of Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons and Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Structures
van der Gon, DD; Laranjeira, J; Milotti, V; Perner, LW; Benalcazar, J; Melle-Franco, M; Pichler, T; Heckl, OH; Ayala, P
2025, ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS, 13, 22.
Rapid Formation of Vinylene-Linked Covalent Organic Frameworks Promoted by Dipole Moment
Ponte, C; Prieto, T; López-Magano, A; Moya, A; Strutynski, K; Estévez, L; Fernandes, SPS; Misa, I; Sardo, M; Rodriguez-Lorenzo, L; Lebedev, OI; Kolenko, YV; Melle-Franco, M; Mas-Ballesté, R; Salonen, LM
2025, CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS, 37, 5, 1923-1934.
Optical detection of hydrogen sulfide by Turn-ON chemosensors based on 2-nitro-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrins
Santos, CIM; Santiago, AM; Dias, CJ; Cavaco, D; Araújo, AR; Justino, G; Melle-Franco, M; Faustino, MAF; Neves, MGPMS; Martinho, JG; Maçôas, EMS
2025, DYES AND PIGMENTS, 240.