Research from the Luminescent Sensors and Molecular Logic Gates Laboratory in the Department of Chemistry has been featured on the front cover of the prestigious chemistry journal Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry. The research was a collaborative effort by graduate student Jake Spiteri and Prof. David C. Magri in partnership with researchers from the University of Bordeaux (Bordeaux, France) and AGH University of Science and Technology (Krakow, Poland).
The study reports two series of fluorescent molecular logic gates with different arrangements of the same modular components. One series of molecules function as AND logic gates, while the other series as PASS 0 logic gates. The findings provide insight into the influence of photoelectric field effects on the movement of electrons in molecules. The results have ramifications on the development of smart functional materials including molecular electronics, photocatalysts and photovoltaics.
The research was financially supported by the University of Malta, the CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique), MCST (Malta Council for Science and Technology), the Embassy of France to Malta, the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business and the TAKEOFF Seed Fund.
Molecular engineering of logic gate types by module rearrangement in ‘Pourbaix Sensors’: the effect of excited-state electric fields. Jake C. Spiteri, Sergey A. Denisov, Gediminas Jonusauskas, Sylwia Klejna, Konrad Szaciłowski, Nathan D. McClenaghan and David C. Magri, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 2018, 16, 6195-6201. doi:10.1039/c8b00485d.
Molecular engineering of logic gate types by module rearrangement in ‘Pourbaix Sensors’: the effect of excited-state electric fields. Jake C. Spiteri, Sergey A. Denisov, Gediminas Jonusauskas, Sylwia Klejna, Konrad Szaciłowski, Nathan D. McClenaghan and David C. Magri, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 2018, 16, 6195-6201. doi:10.1039/c8b00485d.