Projects
Synthesis of Coordination Molecular Complexes for Quantum Computing
Tutor: Guillem Aromí (aromi@ub.edu)
The design of Coordination Chemistry assemblies represents a promising avenue for the construction of functional molecular devices. Future information technologies represent one of the areas that will benefit from this methodology.
Magnetic coordination clusters have been proposed as possible hardware for implementation of quantum information processing (QIP). Under such approach, universal logic operations (C-NOT or SWAP operations) would be carried out by pairs of weakly coupled well defined electronic spins. In this context, we have been engaged for years in the design of ligands for the assembly of magnetic metal ions in form of molecules displaying two weakly coupled spins (as single ions or aggregates of these). The ultimate goal is developing synthetic methodologies for accessing molecular entities that fulfil the requirements to behave as 2qubit quantum gates.
H-bonded Supramolecular Multifunctional Switchable Materials
Tutor: David Aguilà (david.aguila@ub.edu)
Molecular-based materials exhibiting Spin-Crossover (SCO) are fascinating switchable systems with potential applications for novel technological devices. This research line pretends to provide fundamental research knowledge to enhance the performance of those switchable magnetic materials, allowing them to overcome the current technological limitations. A supramolecular synthetic approach is developed by combining specifically designed SCO compounds and functional organic coligands through H-bonding interactions. The three main challenging tasks that are targeted are 1) Room-temperature photomagnetism, using light-active organic coligands that can influence the spin state of the material providing large space for its structural reorganization. 2) Temperature-dependent fluorescence, producing supramolecular materials able to tune their emission properties due to the temperature-induced SCO conversion of the switchable unit, and 3) Switchable materials with rotational motion for ferroelectricity and gas absorption. Moreover, the potential of this synthetic approach can be exploited to produce H-bonded compounds that allow shaping their supramolecular morphology using additional molecular units, tuning their magnetic properties or even inducing additional ones.
Advanced host‐guest multifunctional systems
Tutor: Leoní A. Barrios (leoni.barrios@ub.edu)
This project is based in the aim of producing sophisticated molecular devices with real interest in nanotechnology.
Here, the study of the intermolecular interactions in advanced host‐guest multifunctional systems will be studied following specific goals, as the design and synthesis of “smart” chiral ligands having non‐nequivalent coordination pockets to be employed in the synthesis of homoleptic and heteroleptic multifunctional host‐guest assemblies.
encapsulating extended qubit prototypes analyzing in detail the synergy between molecular properties included at our will.