Quantum Catalysis Beyond Chemistry: Engineering Information Pathways in Molecular Devices

Lipka-Bartosik et al. (2023) discuss catalysis in quantum information theory, where a quantum object enables a transformation and returns unchanged. This idea proposes to design molecular systems—drawing on principles from both chemistry and quantum information—that catalyze not just chemical transformations, but also information flow or logic operations. For instance, could a molecular catalyst transiently mediate quantum entanglement or coherence between reactants, thereby catalyzing a "logical" operation at the molecular level? This cross-disciplinary approach could pave the way for programmable chemical computers or ultra-sensitive quantum sensors, bridging the gap between chemical catalysis and quantum computing hardware.

References:

1. Catalysis in Quantum Information Theory. Patryk Lipka-Bartosik, H. Wilming, N. Ng (2023).