Radical Materials: Molecular and Supramolecular Architectures using Paramagnetic Ligands

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Throughout history, every major technological advancement has been a direct result of the discovery and development of a new material. The Bronze Age, the Iron Age and the Information Age, which should arguably be called the Silicon Age, are all familiar examples of this link between technology and materials. Predicting the next Age is difficult, but possibilities include the “Spintronic Age”, harnessing the quantum spin of conducting electrons, or the “Quantum Computing Age”, using quantum logic functions to revolutionize our computational landscape. It is certain that the next Age will involve (1) miniaturization to the molecular level, and (2) new materials with unprecedented magnetic, conductive, and optical properties. Our research is pushing the envelope of materials design in these areas. This research program is primarily a synthetic, inorganic chemistry endeavor. At the core of our approach to the creation of molecule-based materials is the design and use of paramagnetic molecules as ligands. We make molecules that have a magnetic moment (because they have an unpaired electron) and we use these molecules to link metal ions together. We can choose the metal ions such that they, too, have large magnetic moments as well as other desirable (e.g., optical) properties, but the unique and most important aspect of our approach is the design of the paramagnetic ligands (i.e., the linker molecules). We have pioneered a series of paramagnetic ligands based on sulfur- and nitrogen-containing cyclic chemical “building blocks” called thiazyls and these allow for the creation of molecule-based materials with enhanced or entirely new, technologically relevant properties. The present research proposal includes six specific projects that provide good examples of the broad applicability of our umbrella research program. One of the short-term project goals is the advancement of single molecule magnet (SMM) design by incorporating actinide ions into our thiazyl ligand complexes. This contributes to a current global effort focused on improving the design of SMMs, which are known to be capable of acting as quantum-computing bits (qubits). Several of the other projects include short-term goals related to enhancing so-called “material memory” in molecule-based materials that can be switched between two or more states with different material properties (e.g., magnetic, or optical properties). In the long-term, our efforts will make a significant contribution to the state-of-art of our technology, improving the energy efficiency of our electronics and making possible what was once inconceivable. These efforts are directly related to sectors in which Canadian innovation is recognized globally (e.g., Research In Motion) and will improve the quality of life for us all.