Light reads electron spins inside porous crystals, opening path to quantum chemical sensors

An international team including researchers from the University of Glasgow, University of Tokyo, University of Sheffield and Kobe University has for the first time used light to read out the magnetic spin of electrons trapped inside a metal-organic framework (MOF). The result could lead to a new generation of quantum chemical sensors.

• Electron spins inside a MOF were read optically for the first time, without electrical contacts
• The collaboration involved Glasgow, Tokyo, Sheffield and Kobe universities
• The result opens a path to quantum chemical sensors