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.