Research Interest

Research in the Mao Laboratory centers on physical chemistry at the intersection of quantum information science, ultrafast spectroscopy, and magnetic resonance. We leverage synthetic chemistry and advanced spectroscopic techniques to investigate spin-selective processes in photoexcited molecules and establish design principles for molecular qubits as quantum sensors. Our goals are to: 1.) harness the electronic polarizability and spin coherence of photoexcited molecules for quantum sensing applications, 2.) develop electron spin resonance (ESR) techniques with unprecedented time resolution to probe spin-selective intersystem crossing in photoluminescent molecules and employ them as molecular qubits, and 3.) elucidate and control exotic spin-selective chemical and physical processes through coherent spin manipulation. Students in the Mao group are immersed in a highly interdisciplinary environment where synthetic chemistry and advanced spectroscopy are tightly integrated. They learn to design and synthesize photoactive molecules with tailored spin properties, and to develop and apply spectroscopic techniques, including optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR), pulsed and transient ESR, ultrafast spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods, to probe their behavior. This reciprocal training empowers students to uncover new photophysical and spin phenomena while advancing both molecular design and the development of next-generation spectroscopic tools.

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