The Institute of Organic Chemistry invites you to attend the following talk:

Associate Prof. Michal Juríček, University of Zurich, Switzerland

“π-Radical cascades to carbon nanostructures”

Open-shell graphene fragments are attractive material candidates for spintronics and quantum molecular science, as spin interactions between unpaired electrons can enable control of quantum information or induce magnetism. Our research team develops methods to synthesize nanographene π-radicals and investigates the fundamental aspects of their properties, using unpaired electrons to create function. Although the reactivity of these systems is often regarded as a limitation, we have identified specific, well-defined reaction pathways in π-radicals that open new avenues for constructing complex graphene-based nanostructures. This change in perspective allows us to harness reactivity as a synthetic tool and design precise strategies to guide and control these reactions. In this presentation, I will share our recent progress in implementing this concept, highlighting key examples from our latest work.

Bio:

Michal Juríček was born and raised in Slovakia. He graduated from the Comenius University in Bratislava and received his PhD from the Radboud University Nijmegen under the supervision of Prof. Alan E. Rowan. In 2011, he moved to Northwestern University for a postdoctoral stay in the laboratory of Prof. Sir J. Fraser Stoddart. In 2013, he returned to Europe to start his independent research at the University of Basel, hosted by Prof. Marcel Mayor. In April 2017, he joined the University of Zurich as an SNSF Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor for Organic Materials in April 2024. Beyond his passion for chemistry, he loves spending time in nature, ice cream, clean figures, and the rare sight of his empty work desk.