Content overview: “Light reads electron spins inside porous crystals, opening path to quantum chemical sensor”. An international team led by the University of Glasgow, including researchers from the University of Tokyo, University of Sheffield, and Kobe University, has achieved a breakthrough in quantum sensing by using light to read out the magnetic spin of electrons trapped inside a metal-organic framework (MOF). MOFs are porous crystalline materials with vast internal surface areas, making them ideal for trapping and sensing molecules. The ability to optically detect electron spins in MOFs could pave the way for a new generation of highly sensitive quantum chemical sensors.
These sensors could detect individual molecules, with potential applications in environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, and industrial process control. The research marks the first time spin-dependent optical readout has been demonstrated in a MOF, combining the fields of quantum physics and materials chemistry. This listing links straight to the original page, where the content is available in full.