Saiya Fujiwara's research while affiliated with RIKEN and other places

Quantum sensing using molecular qubits is expected to provide excellent sensitivity due to the proximity of the sensor to the target analyte. However, many molecular qubits are used at cryogenic temperatures, and how to make molecular qubits respond to specific analytes remains unclear. Here, we propose a new material design in which the coherence time changes in response to a variety of analytes at room temperature. We used the photoexcited triplet, which can be initialized at room temperature, as qubits and introduce them to a metal–organic framework that can flexibly change its pore structure in response to guest adsorption. By changing the local molecular density around the triplet qubits by adsorption of a specific analyte, the mobility of the triplet qubit can be changed, and the coherence time can be made responsive.

Singlet fission can generate an exchange-coupled quintet triplet pair state ⁵ TT, which could lead to the realization of quantum computing and quantum sensing using entangled multiple qubits even at room temperature. However, the observation of the quantum coherence of ⁵ TT has been limited to cryogenic temperatures, and the fundamental question is what kind of material design will enable its room-temperature quantum coherence. Here, we show that the quantum coherence of singlet fission–derived ⁵ TT in a chromophore-integrated metal-organic framework can be over hundred nanoseconds at room temperature. The suppressed motion of the chromophores in ordered domains within the metal-organic framework leads to the enough fluctuation of the exchange interaction necessary for ⁵ TT generation but, at the same time, does not cause severe ⁵ TT decoherence. Furthermore, the phase and amplitude of quantum beating depend on the molecular motion, opening the way to room-temperature molecular quantum computing based on multiple quantum gate control.

A series of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) assembled with diazatetracene (DAT)-based linkers are synthesized and characterized. Despite different chromophore orientations and spacings, photoinduced persistent radicals were generated in all the MOFs,...

Singlet fission (SF) can generate an exchange-coupled quintet triplet pair state 5TT, which could lead to the realization of quantum computing and quantum sensing using entangled multiple qubits even at room temperature. However, the observation of the quantum coherence of 5TT has been limited to cryogenic temperatures, and the fundamental question is what kind of material design will enable its room-temperature quantum coherence. Here we show that the quantum coherence of SF-derived 5TT in a chromophore-integrated metal-organic framework (MOF) can be over hundred nanoseconds at room temperature. The subtle motion of the chromophores in the MOF leads to the enough fluctuation of the exchange interaction necessary for 5TT generation, but at the same time does not cause severe 5TT decoherence. Furthermore, the phase and amplitude of quantum beating can be controlled by molecular motion, opening the way to room-temperature molecular quantum computing based on multiple quantum gate control.

Singlet fission (SF), converting a singlet excited state into a spin-correlated triplet-pair state, is an effective way to generate a spin quintet state in organic materials. Although its application to photovoltaics as an exciton multiplier has been extensively studied, the use of its unique spin degree of freedom has been largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that the spin polarization of the quintet multiexcitons generated by SF improves the sensitivity of magnetic resonance of water molecules through dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). We form supramolecular assemblies of a few pentacene chromophores and use SF-born quintet spins to achieve DNP of water-glycerol, the most basic biological matrix, as evidenced by the dependence of nuclear polarization enhancement on magnetic field and microwave power. Our demonstration opens a use of SF as a polarized spin generator in bio-quantum technology.

The generation of spin polarization is key in quantum information science and dynamical nuclear polarization. Polarized electron spins with long spin-lattice relaxation times (T1) at room temperature are important for these applications, but have been difficult to achieve. We report the realization of spin-polarized radicals with extremely long T1 at room temperature in a metal-organic framework (MOF) in which azaacene chromophores are densely integrated. Persistent radicals are generated in the MOF by charge separation after photoexcitation. Spin polarization of triplet generated by photoexcitation are successfully transferred to the persistent radicals. Pulse ESR measurements reveal that the T1 of the polarized radical in the MOF is as long as 274 s at room temperature. The achievement of extremely long spin polarization in MOFs with nanopores accessible to guest molecules will be an important cornerstone for future highly sensitive quantum sensing and efficient dynamic nuclear polarization.

Quantum sensing using molecular qubits is expected to provide excellent sensitivity due to the proximity of the sensor to the target analyte. However, many molecular qubits are used at cryogenic temperatures, and how to make molecular qubits respond to specific analytes remains unclear. Here, we propose a new quantum sensor design in which the coherence time changes in response to a variety of analytes at room temperature. We used the photoexcited triplet, which can be initialized at room temperature, as qubits and introduce them to a metal–organic framework that can flexibly change its pore structure in response to guest adsorption. By changing the local molecular density around the triplet qubits by adsorption of a specific analyte, the mobility of the triplet qubit can be changed, and the coherence time can be made responsive.

Singlet fission (SF), converting a singlet excited state into a spin-correlated triplet-pair state, is the sole way to generate a spin quintet state in organic materials. Although its application to photovoltaics as an exciton multiplier has been extensively studied, use of its unique spin degree of freedom is largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that the spin polarization of the quintet multiexcitons generated by SF improves the sensitivity of biological magnetic resonance through dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). We form supramolecular assemblies of a few pentacene chromophores and use SF-born quintet spins to achieve DNP of water-glycerol, the most basic biological matrix, at lower microwave intensities than for conventional triplet-based DNP. Our demonstration opens a new use of SF as a “polarized spin generator” in bio-quantum technology.

Dynamic nuclear polarization utilizing photoexcited triplet electrons (triplet‐DNP) has great potential for room‐temperature hyperpolarization of nuclear spins. However, the polarization transfer to molecules of interest remains a challenge due to the fast spin relaxation and weak interaction with target molecules at room temperature in conventional host materials. Here, we demonstrate the first example of DNP of guest molecules in a porous material at around room temperature by utilizing the induced‐fit‐type structural transformation of a crystalline yet flexible metal–organic framework (MOF). In contrast to the usual hosts, ¹H spin‐lattice relaxation time becomes longer by accommodating a pharmaceutical model target 5‐fluorouracil as the flexible MOF changes its structure upon guest accommodation to maximize the host–guest interactions. Combined with triplet‐DNP and cross‐polarization (CP), this system realizes an enhanced ¹⁹F NMR signal of guest target molecules.