Distinguished Seminar: ‘Switchable Materials: The Versatility of Spin Crossover Compounds’

Short Bio

«My research focuses on Coordination Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Science, and Nanotechnology. During my PhD at the University of Bordeaux and postdoctoral positions at Mainz, Leiden, and Barcelona, I specialized in the design and synthesis of functional materials, particularly Spin-Crossover (SCO) complexes. A key achievement was consolidating the research on switchable materials at the University of Barcelona.

In 2012, I received the Marie Curie IEF grant to work at LCC-CNRS, where I focused on nanostructuring and nanotechnology to develop switchable functional hybrid materials. Since 2016, as a «Ramón y Cajal» researcher at IMDEA Nanoscience, I founded the Switchable Nanomaterials group, developing switchable coordination complexes for sensors and energy storage, aiming to translate fundamental research into technological innovations. Today, I am supervising 4 PhD students and 4 postdocs. I have published over 95 articles in high-impact international journals (JACS, ACIE, Adv. Mat, ChemSocRev, Nat Comm, etc.). In addition to the IEF-MSCA, I have received recognitions such as «Juan de la Cierva» and «Ramón y Cajal», as well as awards from the Royal Society of Chemistry, AGAUR, and Advanced Light Source (UC Berkeley)».

Abstract

Switchable compounds are an advanced class of materials that undergo reversible changes in their physical or chemical properties in response to external stimuli[1]. Their ability to «switch» between distinct states makes them invaluable for various technological applications, including electronics, photonics, and smart materials[2] Among these, molecule-based spin crossover (SCO) complexes of specific transition metal ions stand out due to their ability to reversibly transition between low-spin (LS) and high-spin (HS) states. These transitions can be triggered by temperature, pressure, light, X-ray irradiation, or guest molecule inclusion, leading to significant variations in their magnetic, electronic, thermal, optical, and structural properties[3] The great potential of such materials lies in the possibility of obtaining functionality in a single molecule, thus achieving a very high level of miniaturization of technology. In addition, these compounds are of technological interest due to their room temperature bistability.

In this presentation, we will provide an overview of SCO materials and highlight our research efforts in designing highly selective SCO-based sensors, integrating them into spintronic devices, and leveraging their thermal regulation properties under ambient conditions for energy-efficient applications (see figure below).