Olivier Kahn International Award communication

The 2013 laureate, Dr. Marta Mas-Torrent, has made original contributions in the field of materials science and multifunctional materials. The laureate is working in the very active Department of Molecular Nanoscience and Organic Materials in Barcelona where she developed her own ideas at the interface between chemistry, physics, materials and applied science, from fundamental research to patents, towards technological applications. She successfully transformed organic molecules in readable switchable devices towards use as bits in information storage. The impressive, steady and creative endeavours of the laureate have exploited the fact that molecules can be synthesised in large amounts, tailored for specific applications and can spontaneously selfassemble in more complex structures to process them into original devices. In this way, Dr Marta Mas-Torrent conceived, synthesized, processed and studied successfully new magnetic and conducting molecular systems, selfassembled on surfaces, which can be switched under external stimuli between different states where the molecular magnetic response can be exploited to codify information. Such an exploration of the organic world, from tailored synthesis to useful device, is a valuable contribution to the development of molecular magnetism and related fields.