Synthesis of Coordination Molecular Complexes for Quantum Computing

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Tutor: Guillem Aromí ()​

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.

Molecular Nanoscience: Nanostructured Molecular Nanomagnets with tunable properties for devices



Tutor: E. Carolina Sañudo (esanudo@ub.edu)

The possible technological application of polynuclear metal complexes with interesting magnetic properties range from ultra-high density information storage devices to molecular spintronics or quantum computing. Usually these species have sizes from 1 to several nm, hence they are commonly called nanomagnets. For all these applications two things are needed: i) the synthesis of new examples of nanomagnets with improved magnetic properties and ii) the nano-structuration of the nanomagnets on surfaces or as nanoparticles in order to fabricate devices. The size of nanomagnets can be easily tuned by functionalization of the organic exterior shell, formed by the ligands, this also offers the possibility of designing the ligands in such a way that the nanomagnet can be grafted onto a surface of choice. We propose to tackle these two challenges by using microwave assisted synthesis to prepare new nanomagnets based on the 3d and 4f metals and to study surface deposition and nano-structuration of the prepared species. The complexes prepared will be characterized by usual techniques (NMR, IR, UV-vis, X-ray crystallography, EA and SQUID magnetometry). We use AFM, TEM, SEM, XPS, Maldi-ToF and SQUID to characterize the prepared mono or submonolayers of nano magnets. When possible, we also use synchrotron based techniques like XMCD, GIXRD and HAXPES to understand the properties of the prepared systems. This is a highly interdisciplinary project that calls for a strong background in synthetic coordination chemistry, molecular magnetism and in nanosciences.

Synthesis and Characterization of Coordination Compounds containing Fe for the Information Storage



Tutor: Guillem Aromí ()

The line of research has as its objectives the synthesis and characterization of novel switchable and photo-switchable systems for later nano-structuration and deposition on surfaces for further technological application in the area of memory devices.
The research during the master will involve the design and synthesis of new SC systems that possess the outlined characteristics, the completion of their physico-chemical studies and the subsequent selection of the compounds based on their observed properties for miniaturisation.
The central cavity of the ligands is appropriate for accessing iron complexes exhibiting the phenomenon of SCO while the external groups may play other chemical or structural roles in the search of multifunctional materials.