Redox-Active Organics Systems for Magneto-Optical Phases

Modern technologies increasingly require materials that can manipulate light and magnetism in precise ways. One such phenomenon is the Faraday effect the rotation of light as it passes through a material in the presence of a magnetic field. This effect is crucial for devices ranging from telecommunications equipment to highly sensitive sensors for biomedical and imaging applications. Traditionally, these functions rely on inorganic materials containing rare and expensive elements, which are costly, rigid, and not easily adapted to flexible or miniaturized devices. This project aims to develop new organic materials carbon-based molecules that are light, tunable, and sustainable to replace or complement these conventional systems. By designing disc-shaped molecules with high electronic symmetry and tailoring their ability to undergo reversible redox reactions, we will create compounds that respond strongly to magnetic fields and can rotate light efficiently. A key innovation lies in assembling these molecules into liquid-crystalline films, where their orderly arrangement maximizes their magneto-optical performance. This dual approach, combining molecular design with controlled supramolecular organization, is expected to push the boundaries of how much rotation can be achieved with organic materials. The project will be carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in collaboration with world-leading experts in organic materials and magneto-optical measurements, and will later be continued at the University of Vienna to transfer the acquired knowledge back to Austria. By bridging chemistry, physics, and materials science, this research will not only generate new knowledge on the interplay between molecular structure and magneto-optical effects, but also lay the groundwork for miniaturized, flexible, and sustainable devices for telecommunications, sensing, and future optoelectronic technologies.