Research & Projects

Advanced chiral surface systems
  • Understanding molecular recognition in crystallization of chiral molecules
  • Preparation of defined monolayers with helical molecules
  • Evaluation of the chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS)
  • Self-assembly and physics of chiral nanoparticles (collaboration w/UNIGE)
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Sketch of the principle of spin filtering by helical molecules aligned on a surface (Kettner et al. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2018, 9, 2025)
Single molecule surface dynamics induced by tunneling electrons

By taking advantage of the spatial resolution of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), we perform single molecule manipulation

  • Propulsion of single molecular motors.
  • Switching of molecules into different configurations
  • Induction of action modes (hopping, rolling, flipping)
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Artistic expression of the nanocar (Kudernac et al. Nature 2011, 479, 208)
Surface chemistry for functional extended networks
  • 2D metalorganic networks for catalysis (CO2 activation, water splitting) and new magnetic layers
  • 1D metalorganic wires as new quantum transport devices
  • Topochemistry and stereoselectivity in surface chemistry
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Sketch of diastereoselective Ullmann coupling of bromohelicenes (Mairena et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 15186)