Marc Sigrist

Modifying the properties of 4f single-ion magnets by peripheral ligand functionalisation

We study the ligand-field splittings and magnetic properties of three ErIII single-ion magnets which differ in the peripheral ligand sphere but exhibit similar first coordination spheres by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and SQUID magnetometry. The INS spectra of the three compounds are profoundly different pointing at a strong response of the magnetic behavior to minor structural changes, as they are e.g. encountered when depositing molecules on surfaces. The observation of several magnetic excitations within the J = 15/2 ground multiplet together with single-crystal magnetic measurements allows for the extraction of the sign and magnitude of all symmetry-allowed Stevens parameters. The parameter values and the energy spectrum derived from INS are compared to the results of state-of-the-art ab initio CASSCF calculations. Temperature-dependent alternating current (ac) susceptibility measurements suggest that the magnetisation relaxation in the investigated temperature range of 1.9 K < T < 5 K is dominated by quantum tunnelling of magnetisation and two-phonon Raman processes. The possibility of observing electron paramagnetic resonance transitions between the ground-state doublet states, which can be suppressed in perfectly axial single-ion magnets, renders the studied systems interesting as representations of quantum bits.

Design of Single-Molecule Magnets: Insufficiency of the Anisotropy Barrier as the Sole Criterion

Determination of the electronic energy spectrum of a trigonal-symmetry mononuclear Yb(3+) single-molecule magnet (SMM) by high-resolution absorption and luminescence spectroscopies reveals that the first excited electronic doublet is placed nearly 500 cm(-1) above the ground one. Fitting of the paramagnetic relaxation times of this SMM to a thermally activated (Orbach) model {τ = τ0 × exp[ΔOrbach/(kBT)]} affords an activation barrier, ΔOrbach, of only 38 cm(-1). This result is incompatible with the spectroscopic observations. Thus, we unambiguously demonstrate, solely on the basis of experimental data, that Orbach relaxation cannot a priori be considered as the main mechanism determining the spin dynamics of SMMs. This study highlights the fact that the general synthetic approach of optimizing SMM behavior by maximization of the anisotropy barrier, intimately linked to the ligand field, as the sole parameter to be tuned, is insufficient because of the complete neglect of the interaction of the magnetic moment of the molecule with its environment. The Orbach mechanism is expected dominant only in the cases in which the energy of the excited ligand field state is below the Debye temperature, which is typically low for molecular crystals and, thus, prevents the use of the anisotropy barrier as a design criterion for the realization of high-temperature SMMs. Therefore, consideration of additional design criteria that address the presence of alternative relaxation processes beyond the traditional double-well picture is required.

[ReF6]2−: A Robust Module for the Design of Molecule‐Based Magnetic Materials

A facile synthesis of the [ReF6 ](2-) ion and its use as a building block to synthesize magnetic systems are reported. Using dc and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements, INS and EPR spectroscopies, the magnetic properties of the isolated [ReF6 ](2-) unit in (PPh4 )2 [ReF6 ]⋅2 H2 O (1) have been fully studied including the slow relaxation of the magnetization observed below ca. 4 K. This slow dynamic is preserved for the one-dimensional coordination polymer [Zn(viz)4 (ReF6 )]∞ (2, viz=1-vinylimidazole), demonstrating the irrelevance of low symmetry for such magnetization dynamics in systems with easy-plane-type anisotropy. The ability of fluoride to mediate significant exchange interactions is exemplified by the isostructural [Ni(viz)4 (ReF6 )]∞ (3) analogue in which the ferromagnetic Ni(II) -Re(IV) interaction (+10.8 cm(-1) ) dwarfs the coupling present in related cyanide-bridged systems. These results reveal [ReF6 ](2-) to be an unique new module for the design of molecule-based magnetic materials.

Magnetic Interactions through Fluoride: Magnetic and Spectroscopic Characterization of Discrete, Linearly Bridged [MnIII2(μ-F)F4(Me3tacn)2](PF6)

The nature of the magnetic interaction through fluoride in a simple, dinuclear manganese(III) complex (1), bridged by a single fluoride ion in a perfectly linear fashion, is established by experiment and density functional theory. The magnitude of the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction and the manganese(III) zero-field-splitting parameters are unambiguously determined by inelastic neutron scattering to yield J = 33.0(2) cm(-1) (Ĥ = JŜ1·Ŝ2 Hamiltonian definition) and single-ion D = -4.0(1) cm(-1). Additionally, high-field, high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance and magnetic measurements support the parameter values and resolve |E| ≈ 0.04 cm(-1). The exchange coupling constant (J) is 1 order of magnitude smaller than that found in comparable systems with linear oxide bridging but comparable to typical magnitudes through cyanide, thus underlining the potential of fluoride complexes as promising building blocks for novel magnetic systems.