Sublimable chloroquinolinate lanthanoid single-ion magnets deposited on ferromagnetic electrodes

A new family of chloroquinolinate lanthanoid complexes of the formula A⁺[Ln(5,7Cl₂q)₄]^-, with Ln = Y³⁺, Tb³⁺ and Dy³⁺ and A⁺ = Na⁺, NEt₄⁺ and K_0.5(NEt₄)_0.5⁺, is studied, both in bulk and as thin films. Several members of the family are found to present single-molecule magnetic behavior in bulk. Interestingly, the sodium salts can be sublimed under high vacuum conditions retaining their molecular structures and magnetic properties. These thermally stable compounds have been deposited on different substrates (Al₂O₃, Au and NiFe). The magnetic properties of these molecular films show the appearance of cusps in the zero-field cooled curves when they are deposited on permalloy (NiFe). This indicates a magnetic blocking caused by the interaction between the single-ion magnet and the ferromagnet. X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirms the formation of hybrid states at the molecule/metal interface.

Determining Key Local Vibrations in the Relaxation of Molecular Spin Qubits and Single-Molecule Magnets

To design molecular spin qubits and nanomagnets operating at high temperatures, there is an urgent need to understand the relationship between vibrations and spin relaxation processes. Herein we develop a simple first-principles methodology to determine the modulation that vibrations exert on spin energy levels. This methodology is applied to [Cu(mnt)₂]^2- (mnt^2- = 1,2-dicyanoethylene-1,2-dithiolate), a highly coherent complex. By theoretically identifying the most relevant vibrational modes, we are able to offer general strategies to chemically design more resilient magnetic molecules, where the energy of the spin states is not coupled to vibrations.

Gas confinement in compartmentalized coordination polymers for highly selective sorption

Discrimination between different gases is an essential aspect for industrial and environmental applications involving sensing and separation. Several classes of porous materials have been used in this context, including zeolites and more recently MOFs. However, to reach high selectivities for the separation of gas mixtures is a challenging task that often requires the understanding of the specific interactions established between the porous framework and the gases. Here we propose an approach to obtain an enhanced selectivity based on the use of compartmentalized coordination polymers, named CCP-1 and CCP-2, which are crystalline materials comprising isolated discrete cavities. These compartmentalized materials are excellent candidates for the selective separation of CO₂ from methane and nitrogen. A complete understanding of the sorption process is accomplished with the use of complementary experimental techniques including X-ray diffraction, adsorption studies, inelastic- and quasi-elastic neutron scattering, magnetic measurements and molecular dynamics calculations.

Phase Transitions in Spin-Crossover Thin Films Probed by Graphene Transport Measurements

Future multifunctional hybrid devices might combine switchable molecules and 2D material-based devices. Spin-crossover compounds are of particular interest in this context since they exhibit bistability and memory effects at room temperature while responding to numerous external stimuli. Atomically thin 2D materials such as graphene attract a lot of attention for their fascinating electrical, optical, and mechanical properties, but also for their reliability for room-temperature operations. Here, we demonstrate that thermally induced spin-state switching of spin-crossover nanoparticle thin films can be monitored through the electrical transport properties of graphene lying underneath the films. Model calculations indicate that the charge carrier scattering mechanism in graphene is sensitive to the spin-state dependence of the relative dielectric constants of the spin-crossover nanoparticles. This graphene sensor approach can be applied to a wide class of (molecular) systems with tunable electronic polarizabilities.

Photomagnetic properties of an Fe(ii) spin-crossover complex of 6-(3,5-diamino-2,4,6-triazinyl)-2,2′-bipyridine and its insertion into 2D and 3D bimetallic oxalate-based networks

The Fe(ii) complex of 6-diaminotriazyl-2,2′-bipyridine shows the LIESST effect and has been used as a countercation of two oxalate-based ferromagnets.

Electric field controllable magnetic coupling of localized spins mediated by itinerant electrons: a toy model

In this paper, we propose a toy model to describe the magnetic coupling between the localized spins mediated by the itinerant electron in partially delocalized mixed-valence (MV) systems.

Molecular spintronics: the role of coordination chemistry

Welcome to this themed issue of Dalton Transactions entitled ‘Molecular spintronics: the role of coordination chemistry’.

Near Room-Temperature Memory Devices Based on Hybrid Spin-Crossover@SiO2 Nanoparticles Coupled to Single-Layer Graphene Nanoelectrodes

The charge transport properties of SCO [Fe(Htrz)2 (trz)](BF4 ) NPs covered with a silica shell placed in between single-layer graphene electrodes are reported. A reproducible thermal hysteresis loop in the conductance above room-temperature is evidenced. This bistability combined with the versatility of graphene represents a promising scenario for a variety of technological applications but also for future sophisticated fundamental studies.

Light-induced decarboxylation in a photo-responsive iron-containing complex based on polyoxometalate and oxalato ligands

A new iron-oxalato polyoxometalate exhibits a remarkable photocoloration effect in the solid state based entirely on an intramolecular process.

A new photoresponsive molecular polyanion in which two Fe(iii) ions are simultaneously coordinated by two [A-α-PW₉O₃₄]^9– polyoxometalate units and two oxalato ligands has been obtained. When irradiated with UV light its potassium salt, 1, exhibits a remarkable photocoloration effect, attributable to the partial reduction of the POM units to give rise to a mixed-valence species. The photoinduced process is intramolecular and involves electron transfer from the oxalato ligands, which partially decompose releasing CO₂, towards the Fe(iii) and the POM. This mechanism has been confirmed by DRS, IR, XPS and Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetism and elemental analysis. An analogous derivative of 1 containing malonato ligands does not exhibit such photoactive behaviour, which is evidence that the oxalate ligand is essential for the photoactivity of 1. To our knowledge, 1 represents the first POM-based compound in which the photocoloration effect does not require the presence of intermolecular short interactions.

Switching of Slow Magnetic Relaxation Dynamics in Mononuclear Dysprosium(III) Compounds with Charge Density

The symmetry around a Dy ion is recognized to be a crucial parameter dictating magnetization relaxation dynamics. We prepared two similar square-antiprismatic complexes, [Dy(LOMe)2(H2O)2](PF6) (1) and Dy(LOMe)2(NO3) (2), where LOMe = [CpCo{P(O)(O(CH3))2}3], including either two neutral water molecules (1) or an anionic nitrate ligand (2). We demonstrated that in this case relaxation dynamics is dramatically affected by the introduction of a charged ligand, stabilizing the easy axis of magnetization along the nitrate direction. We also showed that the application of either a direct-current field or chemical dilution effectively stops quantum tunneling in the ground state of 2, thereby increasing the relaxation time by over 3 orders of magnitude at 3.5 K.

Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Anion Exchange in a Gadolinium MOF: Incorporation of POMs and [AuCl₄]. Polymers (Basel) 2016;8:E171. [PMID: 30979261 PMCID: PMC6431858 DOI: 10.3390/polym8050171]

The encapsulation of functional molecules inside porous coordination polymers (also known as metal-organic frameworks, MOFs) has become of great interest in recent years at the field of multifunctional materials. In this article, we present a study of the effects of size and charge in the anion exchange process of a Gd based MOF, involving molecular species like polyoxometalates (POMs), and [AuCl₄]-. This post-synthetic modification has been characterized by IR, EDAX, and single crystal diffraction, which have provided unequivocal evidence of the location of the anion molecules in the framework.

Enhanced superconductivity in atomically thin TaS2

The ability to exfoliate layered materials down to the single layer limit has presented the opportunity to understand how a gradual reduction in dimensionality affects the properties of bulk materials. Here we use this top–down approach to address the problem of superconductivity in the two-dimensional limit. The transport properties of electronic devices based on 2H tantalum disulfide flakes of different thicknesses are presented. We observe that superconductivity persists down to the thinnest layer investigated (3.5 nm), and interestingly, we find a pronounced enhancement in the critical temperature from 0.5 to 2.2 K as the layers are thinned down. In addition, we propose a tight-binding model, which allows us to attribute this phenomenon to an enhancement of the effective electron–phonon coupling constant. This work provides evidence that reducing the dimensionality can strengthen superconductivity as opposed to the weakening effect that has been reported in other 2D materials so far.

As a material's thickness decreases towards the atomic-scale, dimensional confinement may promote behaviour not found in the bulk, with potential technological applications. Here, the authors study superconductivity in TaS₂ as it is mechanically exfoliated towards the two-dimensional limit.

High-Quality Metal-Organic Framework Ultrathin Films for Electronically Active Interfaces

Currently available methodologies arguably lack the exquisite control required for producing metal-organic framework (MOF) thin films of sufficient quality for electronic applications. By directing MOF transfer with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), we achieve very smooth, homogeneous, highly oriented, ultrathin films across millimeter-scale areas that display moderate conductivity likely due to electron hopping. Here, the SAM is key for directing the transfer thereby enlarging the number and nature of the substrates of choice. We have exploited this versatility to evolve from deposition onto standard Si and Au to nonconventional substrates such as ferromagnetic Permalloy. We believe that this strategy might be useful for the integration of MOFs as active interfaces in electronic devices.

Switching the Magnetic Vortex Core in a Single Nanoparticle

Imaging and manipulating the spin structure of nano- and mesoscale magnetic systems is a challenging topic in magnetism, yielding a wide range of spin phenomena such as skyrmions, hedgehog-like spin structures, or vortices. A key example has been provided by the vortex spin texture, which can be addressed in four independent states of magnetization, enabling the development of multibit magnetic storage media. Most of the works devoted to the study of the magnetization reversal mechanisms of the magnetic vortices have been focused on micrometer-size magnetic platelets. Here we report the experimental observation of the vortex state formation and annihilation in individual 25 nm molecular-based magnetic nanoparticles measured by low-temperature variable-field magnetic force microscopy. Interestingly, in these nanoparticles the switching of the vortex core can be induced with very small values of the applied static magnetic field.

SIMPRE1.2: Considering the hyperfine and quadrupolar couplings and the nuclear spin bath decoherence

SIMPRE is a fortran77 code which uses an effective electrostatic model of point charges to predict the magnetic behavior of rare-earth-based mononuclear complexes. In this article, we present SIMPRE1.2, which now takes into account two further phenomena. First, SIMPRE now considers the hyperfine and quadrupolar interactions within the rare-earth ion, resulting in a more complete and realistic set of energy levels and wave functions. Second, and to widen SIMPRE's predictive capabilities regarding potential molecular spin qubits, it now includes a routine that calculates an upper-bound estimate of the decoherence time considering only the dipolar coupling between the electron spin and the surrounding nuclear spin bath. Additionally, SIMPRE now allows the user to introduce the crystal field parameters manually. Thus, we are able to demonstrate the new features using as examples (i) a Gd-based mononuclear complex known for its properties both as a single ion magnet and as a coherent qubit and (ii) an Er-based mononuclear complex. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Alkoxide-intercalated NiFe-layered double hydroxides magnetic nanosheets as efficient water oxidation electrocatalysts

Alkoxide-intercalated NiFe-layered double hydroxides were synthesizedviathe nonaqueous methanolic route. These magnetic nanosheets can be exfoliated in water and exhibit an outstanding behaviour as OER electrocatalysts.