Feringa Lab

Stereoselective additions to alkenylphosphonium salts for the synthesis of P-stereogenic compounds The stereoselective functionalisation of alkenyl P(v) compounds via conjugate additions represents an attractive approach to synthesise chiral organophosphorus compounds. However, asymmetric conjugate...

🎉 Our new paper from @feringalab.bsky.social
is out in @chemicalscience.rsc.org !🧪✨Huge congrats to Xiaobing, whose hard work made it possible. 👏
pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

Dr. Ben Feringa | Feynman Prize Awards Ceremony · Luma Join us for the Foresight Feynman Prizes Awards Ceremony! Named in honor of physicist Richard Feynman, these prizes are granted by the Foresight Institute to…

Ever wanted to attend a talk from Ben Feringa? now's your chance!

Next Tuesday, 24 February 19:00 CET Ben will give his Foresight presentation after receiving the Feynman prize!

If you want to watch please register with the link 👇
luma.com/7mq9lysl

Photoisomerizing molecules in biological membranes Nature Reviews Chemistry - Light-responsive molecular systems, capable of interconverting between isomers using light, can be integrated into biological membranes to mimic and control their dynamic...

Photoisomerizing molecules in biological membranes just got published in Nature Reviews Chemistry! @feringalab.bsky.social

From motion at the nanoscale, to microscale membrane remodeling , to functional biological interfaces. Design principles, challanges, and future applications.🔬✨ rdcu.be/eT4Jd

Very happy to share that I’ve been awarded an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship

I’ll be joining the Complex Materials Group at ETH Zürich, working with Prof. André Studart and Dr. Rafael Libanori on dynamic soft materials.

Many thanks to @embo.org and @feringalab.bsky.social. Excited for what’s next!

Incredibly excited to share the final piece of work from my PhD. In this enjoyable collaboration between the Xavi Ribas and @feringalab.bsky.social we were able to rotate a motor guest inside a molecular cage. 🧪
@jacs.acspublications.org @rug.nl @stratinghinst.bsky.social
#ChemSky lnkd.in/eB25Z2yS

We are hiring! We are looking for a Postdoc in Catalytic Approaches toward Bio-Based Peptide Surfactants. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Application deadline is January 12th 2026

For more information please check out the link 👇
werkenbij.rug.nl/vacature/pos...

Enlightening and inspiring opening lecture from Ben Feringa @feringalab.bsky.social at #JCO2025 @scf-dco.bsky.social

Looking forward to your submissions! 🥼

✨ COLOR THAT THINKS.
Just out in Nature Communications: a hydrogel that changes color, fluorescence, and shape — all controlled by light-gated redox switching! 💡🔋💜
From transparent to deep purple, from still to moving — chemistry meets soft robotics.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

📢We are delighted to announce a #OpenCall for papers to the RSC cross-journal themed collection Celebrating 200 Years of Benzene, guest edited by Ben Feringa @feringalab.bsky.social & Nazario Martin!

Find out more about the collection and how to submit here🔽
www.rsc.org/publishing/j...

Ever wondered how “smart drugs” work? Last Friday, the Bio-subgroup from the Feringa Lab brought science to life at the #EuropeanResearchNight in Groningen!
Even better? They’re helping inspire the next generation of young women to dive into STEM! #WomenInSTEM #ScienceForAll #FeringaLab

good luck!!!!! we miss you already!

Indeno[2,1‐c]fluorene Quasi[8]circulenes Through Intramolecular Cyclization A new class of curved, chiral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emerges from the fusion of indeno[2,1-c]fluorene and quasi[8]circulene motifs. These redox-active, antiaromatic scaffolds offer great syn...

Another great collaboration with @sidlereric.bsky.social and @feringalab.bsky.social is now published in @angewandtechemie.bsky.social!
Building on our previous work, Eric prepared large, formally antiaromatic pi-systems with interesting (chir)optical and redox properties:
doi.org/10.1002/anie...

Diastereoselective C(sp3)–H acetoxylation of phosphoramidites Chiral phosphines are important ligands in asymmetric catalysis, yet their potential as directing groups for asymmetric C–H activation remains unexplored due to the oxidative nature of these…

Check out another recent most read article, from @feringalab.bsky.social

'Diastereoselective C(sp3)–H acetoxylation of phosphoramidites' 🔓

After months of training, Ilayda, Annemarie and Alexandra walked 4x 40 km during the Nijmeegse Vierdaagse (Four Days Marches).

Encouraged by colleagues from the lab, who made a great sign 'Go Molecular Motors Go', they all made it to the finish line.

We are very proud! Well done!🏅

Chiral Induction and Memory via Supramolecular Deracemization The helical chirality of a dynamic crown-ether switch can, by light- or redox-switching to a prochiral state, be erased and subsequently stereoselectively re-formed by relaxation in the presence of a...

🔥Hot of the press: Chiral induction and chiral memory via host-guest binding now published in
@angewandtechemie.bsky.social! One of my favourite projects and a super rewarding collaboration with @sidlereric.bsky.social, Yohan and @feringalab.bsky.social!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Honored to give a plenary lecture at the European Polymer Conference in Groningen. Wonderful to see colleagues in my hometown — and of course, biking back to the university made it even better! 🚲🌱 #EPC2025 #GreenChemistry #Groningen

Proud to have signed the Stockholm Declaration on Chemistry for the Future.

A call to transform chemistry, where science empowers human well-being without degrading our ecosystems.
Read it. Share it. Sign it.

www.stockholm-declaration.org

#SustainableScience #GreenChemistry

The SUCCeSS Nobel Symposium on Chemistry for Sustainability in Stockholm was packed with meaningful exchanges.

It was a pleasure to continue conversations with friends on green chemistry, sustainable science, and sustainable research operations.
#SustainableChemistry #GreenChemistry #NobelSymposium

Aaand now we also have a Post-Doc position on Biobased Butenolides as Acrylate Replacement for Coatings!

www.benferinga.com/vacancies/

Congratulations David! 😊

Vacancies - Ben Feringa Research Group Discover our open positions! Join us as a Postdoc in Photopharmacology or a PhD researcher in Energy Storage for Redox Flow Batteries.

We have opened opened 3 more positions:

PhD positions:
- 2x Artificial Molecular Machines
- 1x The Origin of Homochirality

1x Engineering Doctorate (EngD) - Sustainable Process Design

Please find more information on the application process here via the link below.

www.benferinga.com/vacancies/

With our recently co-founded startup Circolide we are looking for enthusiastic candidates who would like to pursue a Chemical Engineering Doctorate (EngD) in Sustainable Process Design. Please find more information here:

www.rug.nl/about-ug/wor...

👩‍🔬Our new paper is out in Chem! @feringalab.bsky.social We unveil how light-driven rotary motors behave in lipid membranes—and why system-specific characterization is crucial.

Structure & polarity shape membrane interaction and function. Read (or see comments): doi.org/10.1016/j.ch...

We’ve developed artificial muscles using a photoswitchable amphiphile that self-recovers after actuation—no external reset needed.
By tuning molecular motion, we link nanoscale assembly dynamics to macroscopic movement.
Think: light-powered, self-healing soft actuators.
Great work Adrien and Shaoyu!

Diastereoselective C(sp3)–H acetoxylation of phosphoramidites Chiral phosphines are important ligands in asymmetric catalysis, yet their potential as directing groups for asymmetric C–H activation remains unexplored due to the oxidative nature of these reactions. We present a Pd-catalysed, P(iii)-directed diastereoselective acetoxylation of phosphoramidites, with DFT calculat

New from @feringalab.bsky.social:

'Diastereoselective C(sp3)–H acetoxylation of phosphoramidites'

#OpenAccess 🔓

pubs.rsc.org/en/cont...

Last week we had a group of our students visit the Emerald Isle Conference on Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering! Jelmer received a poster price and Thomas won the best flash presentation! Great work both of you! 🌳@rscsustainability.rsc.org @rsc.org @acs.org @greenchemistry.rsc.org

📣 Nobel Prizewinner Ben Feringa invites you to tune in at 16:30 CEST today to an interesting 🔴 livestreamed conversation on "Research & Innovation for a Competitive Europe."

Details and broadcast link 👉 buff.ly/LPnai8b

#FrontierResearch 🧪 @feringalab.bsky.social

Multi-State Redox and Light-Driven Switching of Pseudorotaxanation and Cation Shuttling The modulation of molecular recognition underpins numerous wide-ranging applications and has inspired the development of a myriad of switchable receptors, in particular photo- or redox-responsive hosts. Herein, we report a highly versatile three-state cation receptor family and switch system based on an overcrowded alkene strapped with crown ethers, which can be switched by both redox and light stimuli, thereby combining the advantages of both approaches. Specifically, the neutral switches can be quantitatively converted between anti- and syn-folded receptor geometries by irradiation, leading to the discovery of a significant increase or decrease in cation binding affinity, which was exploited to shuttle the pseudorotaxane-forming dibenzylammonium guest between the switchable crown ethers of slightly different sizes. Alternatively, two-electron oxidation to the orthogonal, dicationic, nonvolatile state completely turns off cation binding to the host, thereby ejecting the guest. Upon reduction, the metastable syn-folded state is first formed, which then thermally relaxes, resulting in a unique, autonomous, and cation-dependent multistate switching cascade.

Just published in @jacs.acspublications.org, our project @feringalab.bsky.social on responsive crown ethers! Redox-switching? Light-switching? Why not both and get the best of all worlds, including guest shuttling, pseudorotaxanes, cascades and (non)volatile states.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...