Roberta Sessoli

Large clusters of metal ions: The transition from molecular to bulk magnets

Clusters of metal ions are a class of compounds actively investigated for their magnetic properties, which should gradually change from those of simple paramagnets to those of bulk magnets. However, their interest lies in a number of different disciplines: chemistry, which seeks new synthetic strategies to make larger and larger clusters in a controlled manner; physics, which can test the validity of quantum mechanical approaches at the nanometer scale; and biology, which can use them as models of biomineralization of magnetic particles.

Magnetic memory of a single-molecule quantum magnet wired to a gold surface

In the field of molecular spintronics, the use of magnetic molecules for information technology is a main target and the observation of magnetic hysteresis on individual molecules organized on surfaces is a necessary step to develop molecular memory arrays. Although simple paramagnetic molecules can show surface-induced magnetic ordering and hysteresis when deposited on ferromagnetic surfaces, information storage at the molecular level requires molecules exhibiting an intrinsic remnant magnetization, like the so-called single-molecule magnets (SMMs). These have been intensively investigated for their rich quantum behaviour but no magnetic hysteresis has been so far reported for monolayers of SMMs on various non-magnetic substrates, most probably owing to the chemical instability of clusters on surfaces. Using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism synchrotron-based techniques, pushed to the limits in sensitivity and operated at sub-kelvin temperatures, we have now found that robust, tailor-made Fe(4) complexes retain magnetic hysteresis at gold surfaces. Our results demonstrate that isolated SMMs can be used for storing information. The road is now open to address individual molecules wired to a conducting surface in their blocked magnetization state, thereby enabling investigation of the elementary interactions between electron transport and magnetism degrees of freedom at the molecular scale.

Quantum tunnelling of the magnetization in a monolayer of oriented single-molecule magnets

A fundamental step towards atomic- or molecular-scale spintronic devices has recently been made by demonstrating that the spin of an individual atom deposited on a surface, or of a small paramagnetic molecule embedded in a nanojunction, can be externally controlled. An appealing next step is the extension of such a capability to the field of information storage, by taking advantage of the magnetic bistability and rich quantum behaviour of single-molecule magnets (SMMs). Recently, a proof of concept that the magnetic memory effect is retained when SMMs are chemically anchored to a metallic surface was provided. However, control of the nanoscale organization of these complex systems is required for SMMs to be integrated into molecular spintronic devices. Here we show that a preferential orientation of Fe4 complexes on a gold surface can be achieved by chemical tailoring. As a result, the most striking quantum feature of SMMs—their stepped hysteresis loop, which results from resonant quantum tunnelling of the magnetization—can be clearly detected using synchrotron-based spectroscopic techniques. With the aid of multiple theoretical approaches, we relate the angular dependence of the quantum tunnelling resonances to the adsorption geometry, and demonstrate that molecules predominantly lie with their easy axes close to the surface normal. Our findings prove that the quantum spin dynamics can be observed in SMMs chemically grafted to surfaces, and offer a tool to reveal the organization of matter at the nanoscale.

Lanthanides in molecular magnetism: so fascinating, so challenging.

Due to their usual large magnetic moments and large magnetic anisotropy lanthanide ions are investigated for the search of Single Molecule Magnets with high blocking temperature. However, the low symmetry crystal environment, the complexity of the electronic states or the non-collinearity of the magnetic anisotropy easy-axes in polynuclear systems make the rationalization of the magnetic behaviour of lanthanide based molecular systems difficult. In this perspective article we expose a methodology in which the use of additional characterization techniques, like single crystal magnetic measurements or luminescence experiments, complemented by relativistic ab initio calculations and a suitable choice of spin Hamiltonian models, can be of great help in order to overcome such difficulties, representing an essential step for the rational design of lanthanide based Single Molecule Magnets with enhanced physical properties.

Single chain magnets: where to from here?

Single chain magnets (SCMs) are an interesting class of molecular polymeric materials displaying slow relaxation of the magnetization. They provide, at low temperatures, a magnetic hysteretic behaviour for a single polymeric chain. Although their behaviour evokes better-known magnetic nanoparticles and single-molecule magnets (SMMs), the similarity is mainly apparent. The fundamental differences in the physical origin of the magnetic behaviour offer perspectives that are still largely unexplored. Here we review the progress made in the synthesis, characterization and theoretical understanding of SCMs, highlighting differences and similarities with SMMs. For each of the points we then present a perspective of the advantages offered by this class of materials and we point out the main aspects that remain to be developed in the field.

Magnetic Anisotropy and Spin‐Parity Effect Along the Series of Lanthanide Complexes with DOTA

Spotting trends: Upon going from Tb(III) to Yb(III) centers in the complexes of the DOTA(4-) ligand, a reorientation of the easy axis of magnetization from perpendicular to parallel to the Ln-O bond of the apical water molecule is experimentally observed and theoretically predicted (SMM=single-molecule magnet). Only ions with an odd number of electrons show slow relaxation of the magnetization.

Magnetic Anisotropy of Dysprosium(III) in a Low-Symmetry Environment: A Theoretical and Experimental Investigation

A mixed theoretical and experimental approach was used to determine the local magnetic anisotropy of the dysprosium(III) ion in a low-symmetry environment. The susceptibility tensor of the monomeric species having the formula [Dy(hfac)(3)(NIT-C(6)H(4)-OEt)(2)], which contains nitronyl nitroxide (NIT-R) radicals, was determined at various temperatures through angle-resolved magnetometry. These results are in agreement with ab initio calculations performed using the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) method, validating the predictive power of this theoretical approach for complex systems containing rare-earth ions, even in low-symmetry environments. Susceptibility measurements performed with the applied field along the easy axis eventually permitted a detailed analysis of the temperature and field dependence of the magnetization, providing evidence that the Dy ion transmits an antiferromagnetic interaction between radicals but that the Dy-radical interaction is ferromagnetic.

HIGH-FREQUENCY EPR SPECTRA OF A MOLECULAR NANOMAGNET : UNDERSTANDING QUANTUM TUNNELING OF THE MAGNETIZATION

EPR spectra have been recorded in very high field, up to 25T, and at high frequency, up to 525 GHz, on a polycristalline sample of Mn12ac (see paper for detailed formula), the first example of molecular cluster behaving like a nanomagnet. The simulation of the spectra has provided an accurate determination of the parameters of the spin hamiltonian (see paper for formula and values of the various parameters). The presence of the fourth order term in the total spin justifies the irregularities in the spacing of the jumps, recently observed in the hysteresis loop of Mn12ac and attributed to acceleration of the relaxation of the magnetization due to Quantum Tunneling between degenerate M states of the ground S=10 multiplet of the cluster. The term in (S_+^4 + S_-^4) is responsible of the transverse magnetic anisotropy and plays a crucial role in the mechanism of Quantum Tunneling. The HF-EPR spectra have for the first time evidenced its presence and quantified it.

Spin Chirality in a Molecular Dysprosium Triangle: The Archetype of the Noncollinear Ising Model

Single crystal magnetic studies combined with a theoretical analysis show that cancellation of the magnetic moments in the trinuclear Dy3+ cluster [Dy{3}(mu{3}-OH)2L3Cl(H2O){5}]Cl{3}, resulting in a nonmagnetic ground doublet, originates from the noncollinearity of the single-ion easy axes of magnetization of the Dy3+ ions that lie in the plane of the triangle at 120 degrees one from each other. This gives rise to a peculiar chiral nature of the ground nonmagnetic doublet and to slow relaxation of the magnetization with abrupt accelerations at the crossings of the discrete energy levels.

A dense metal-organic framework for enhanced magnetic refrigeration

X iv :1 21 2. 28 77 v1 [ co nd -m at .m tr lsc i] 1 2 D ec 2 01 2 Magnetic cryocooling with Gd centers in a light and compact framework G. Lorusso, J. W. Sharples, E. Palacios, O. Roubeau, E. K. Brechin, R. Sessoli, A. Rossin, F. Tuna, E. J. L. McInnes, D. Collison, and M. Evangelisti a) Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón (ICMA), CSIC − Universidad de Zaragoza, Departamento de F́ısica de la Materia Condensada, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain School of Chemistry and Photon Science Institute, The University of Manchester, M13-9PL Manchester, United Kingdom School of Chemistry, The University of Edinburgh, EH9-3JJ Edinburgh, United Kingdom Department of Chemistry and INSTM, Università degli Studi di Firenze, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organometallici (ICCOM), CNR, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, ItalyThe three-dimensional metal-organic framework Gd(HCOO)3 is characterized by a relatively compact crystal lattice of weakly interacting Gd(3+) spin centers interconnected via lightweight formate ligands, overall providing a remarkably large magnetic:non-magnetic elemental weight ratio. The resulting magnetocaloric effect per unit volume is decidedly superior in Gd(HCOO)3 than in the best known magnetic refrigerant materials for liquid-helium temperatures and low-moderate applied fields.