Vanadyl dithiolate single molecule transistors: the next spintronic frontier?

On the road towards quantum devices, chemistry can offer elementary pieces with a built-in function, like [TbPc2] − which functions as a molecular transistor for nuclear spin detection. We argue that a large class of molecules have similar potential. In particular, we review the recent progress regarding highly coherent spin qubits based on vanadium dithiolate complexes. We propose their use as single molecule transistors to read and control a triple nuclear spin qubit, which could enable a low-current nuclear spin detection scheme by means of a spin valve effect. The combination of a cutting-edge project of rational design of molecular spin qubits and a series of experiments in molecular spintronics for quantum computing are reviewed and discussed.