"Quantum molecular tectonics" by Assoc. Professor Maarten Goesten

The majority of envisioned quantum technologies require robust properties, so that noise and disorder need not be suppressed to impractical levels. Thus, there is considerable interest in materials with quantum states that are topologically protected against disorder. Topological quantum chemistry shows how the symmetry of local orbitals at crystallographic sites controls the topology of a material's band structure, offering a clear recipe for designing new quantum materials. To realize these designs in practice, we need chemical platforms that can be easily tuned or functionalized. In this talk, I will show that a large family of "graphene-like" Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) meets this requirement perfectly. Owing to their modular, Lego-like make-up, these frameworks allow direct control over spin entanglement across longer distances by judicious choice of metal and ligand building blocks. They also contain built-in pore space-like tiny scaffolds-for embedding additional quantum functionalities and interfaces, making them highly versatile for next-generation quantum technologies.