ProfessorSandrine Heutz

Overview
Our group uses interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches crossing chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering to understand and exploit molecular properties for device applications. In particular, we are looking at new ways to store and transmit information, and to harvest or save energy, using molecular semiconductors. Some examples of current research are described below.

New molecular film growth methods
We are developing an organic vapour phase deposition (OVPD) chamber for the growth of high quality molecular thin films. In OVPD, the material is sublimed in a high temperature environment and swept towards a cooled substrate using a stream of inert heated carrier gas in a low vacuum environment. Advantages of OVPD include: low cost, accurate control over stoichiometry, low material waste and access to new film properties. It also allowed us to create nanowires with excellent charge transport characteristics. We are also seeking to control molecular film properties using interface interactions, notably using templating.

Molecular magnetism
Molecular magnets are an exciting new class of materials; they have mostly been obtained as powders and synthesised from solution. Building on our discovery of switchable magnetic couplings in molecular films, we are exploring fundamental mechanisms governing magnetic exchange, and developing new approaches to increase the strength of the magnetic couplings .

Spin-photon interactions
We are studying how the spin of molecular structures is affected by photoexcitation. A particular example includes the process of singlet fission, whereby one photon can generate two charge pairs via the creation of triplet pairs. Using an approach combining novel controlled thin film growth methods coupled with time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance, we were able to shed new light on the mechanism for fission and on the role of molecular geometry on the efficiency of the process.

Molecular Qubits
We are investigating the potential of organic or organo-metallic molecules as sources of spins which can be used in the context of quantum-based applications. Thanks to controlled growth methods, we were able to achieve spin relaxation times above the μs range at 80K, which was a record at the time of publication.

Biocompatible optoelectronic devices
Here we plan to use the chemical resemblance of our polyaromatic thin films with biologically relevant molecules such as chlorophyll or amino acids, in order to develop molecular biosensors, based on the change of optoelectronic or magnetic properties of the thin film upon adsorption of the biomolecule. Alternatively, the same principle could be used to functionalise inorganic sensors for selective biomolecule absorption with a high degree of versatility.