Molecularly Encoded Quantum Materials (MolEQ): Chemistry-Driven Design of Quantum Matter
Name of applicant
Kasper Steen Pedersen
Title
Professor
Institution
Technical University of Denmark
Amount
DKK 12,997,628
Year
2025
Type of grant
Semper Ardens: Accomplish
What?
MolEQ will create a new class of quantum materials by embedding functional molecules directly inside layered two-dimensional crystals. These molecules are not passive guests but ordered, active components that control structure and program properties such as magnetism, valence, and quantum coherence, enabling unprecedented materials designed at the atomic scale.
Why?
Quantum materials promise breakthroughs in quantum computing, sensing, and energy, yet today they are almost exclusively built from a handful of simple crystals that cannot easily be modified. This severely restricts our ability to design materials with new behaviors. MolEQ changes this by using chemistry to deliberately encode functions and symmetries, unlocking a vast design space.
How?
MolEQ combines molecular design, synthesis, atomic-resolution electron crystallography, property characterization, and predictive modeling in a closed-loop discovery platform. This accelerates progress from idea to functional material, expanding the palette of quantum matter from a few dozen examples to an effectively unlimited library of molecule-crystal hybrids with transformative properties.