Christian Serre

Christian Serre is a research director at CNRS. He obtained his PhD in materials chemistry in 1999 under the supervision of Professor 
Gérard Férey at Versailles. After a post-doctorate in the USA at Rhodia, he began his career at CNRS in 2001 at the Lavoisier Institute 
in Versailles, where he was one of the main discoverers of the reference MOFs 'MIL' (Matériaux Institut Lavoisier). In 2016, he set up a new Institute at the École Normale Supérieure and ESPCI Paris, in partnership with CNRS and PSL University, dedicated to porous solids and associated composites for the environment, energy and health.

Christian Serre's expertise focuses on the design of new porous metal-organic structures, known as Metal Organic Frameworks. He was one of the first to explore this family of solids based on acid cations (e.g. Fe3+, Ti4+) with complex solution chemistry, in order to access stable structures in the presence of water. Based on a meticulous study of solution formation mechanisms and numerical simulation, Christian Serre has been able to develop a series of new porous solids over the last two decades, many of which have become reference materials. Christian Serre has also worked hard to develop green synthesis protocols at room temperature, paving the way for both nanoscience and large-scale production. This effort has played a major role in making this new family of porous materials attractive for many potential applications. Christian Serre was one of the pioneers to propose the use of biodegradable and biocompatible crystallized hybrid porous solids for the delayed release of active ingredients (Grant ERC). He has also demonstrated that, in environmental terms, these solids are effective for CO2 capture and indoor air pollution control. More recently, he was among the first to reveal the interest of these solids for dehumidification or refrigeration.

To date, he has published over 450 articles and holds 43 patent families (5 licenses).

Christian is one of the co-founders of SquairTech, a start-up dedicated to indoor air quality. He was awarded an ERC fellowship in 2008 and has since received numerous scientific awards, including the CNRS bronze medal, the prize of the inorganic chemistry division of the French chemical society, the Berthelot medal and the state-founded prize of the Académie des Sciences, of which he has been a member since 2024.

Updated 07/30/2025