Magnetic materials

Development of a new type of molecular switch based on two coupled redox systems. The challenge is to use light for switching between either a paramagnetic (on) and a diamagnetic (off) state, or coupled spin states to give a prototype spintronics device. One possible application would be optical data storage. Both reading and writing/erasing will have to be done with new techniques like scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) and magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM). In principle, these allow addressing of individual molecules, provided that the system is nicely ordered. Obtaining such an order, preferably via (supramolecular) self-organization is an additional goal of the project. In addition, in cooperation with the High-Field Magnet Lab (HFML) of Maan, these and other new magnetic materials, aggregates and monolayers will be probed in very high magnetic fields.

Ph.D. students working in this group: