Metamagnetic Transitions versus Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy in Two Cobalt Arsenates with 1D Co2+ Chains

Molecular Network Approach to Anisotropic Ising Lattices: Parsing Magnetization Dynamics in Er3+ Systems with 0-3-Dimensional Spin Interactivity

We present a wide-ranging interrogation of the border between single-molecule and solid-state magnetism through a study of erbium-based Ising-type magnetic compounds with a fixed magnetic unit, using three different charge-balancing cations as the means to modulate the crystal packing environment. Properties rooted in the isolated spin Hamiltonian remain fixed, yet careful observation of the dynamics reveals the breakdown of this approximation in a number of interesting ways. First, differences in crystal packing lead to a striking 3 orders of magnitude suppression in magnetic relaxation rates, indicating a rich interplay between intermolecular interactions governed by the anisotropic Ising lattice stabilization and localized slow magnetic relaxation driven by the spin-forbidden nature of quantum tunneling of the f-electron-based magnetization. By means of diverse and rigorous physical methods, including temperature-dependent X-ray crystallography, field, temperature, and time-dependent magnetometry, and the application of a new magnetization fitting technique to quantify the magnetic susceptibility peakshape, we are able to construct a more nuanced view of the role nonzero-dimensional interactions can play in what are predominantly considered zero-dimensional magnetic materials. Specifically, we use low field susceptibility and virgin-curve analysis to isolate metamagnetic spin-flip transitions in each system with a field strength corresponding to the expected strength of the internal dipole-dipole lattice. This behavior is vital to a complete interpretation of the dynamics and is likely common for systems with such high anisotropy. This collective interactivity opens a new realm of possibility for molecular magnetic materials, where their unprecedented localized anisotropy is the determining factor in building higher dimensionality.

A Three-Dimensional Coordination Framework with a Ferromagnetic Coupled Ni(II)-CrO4 Layer: Synthesis, Structure, and Magnetic Studies

We report herein on the crystal structure and magnetic studies of a three-dimensional (3D) Ni(II)-chromate coordination polymer, [Ni(CrO₄)(bpym)(H₂O)]_n (1; bpym = 5,5′-bipyrimidin), prepared by self-assembly of Ni(II) and chromate ions with a multi-N donor auxiliary ligands, bpym, through hydrothermal processes. The structure of 1 is composed of Ni(II)-CrO₄ layers with [Ni₃(μ₃-CrO₄)] triangular motifs, in which the Ni(II) centers are bridged by O′:O′:O′:μ₃-CrO₄²⁻ anions, and the resulting layers are further connected by twisted trans-μ₂-N,N′-bpym auxiliary ligands to form a 3D pillar-layered network with an hms topology. The magnetic properties of compound 1 were illustrated by variable field and temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements. The findings reveal that compound 1 shows intralayer ferromagnetic interactions within Ni(II)-CrO₄ layers, and furthers the 3D antiferromagnetic ordering in the resulting of interlayer antiferromagnetic couplings with a Néel temperature (T_N) of 5.6 K. In addition, compound 1 shows the field-induced metamagnetic behavior at temperature below the T_N.

CoMOF5(pyrazine)(H2O)2 (M = Nb, Ta): Two-Layered Cobalt Oxyfluoride Antiferromagnets with Spin Flop Transitions

Two cobalt oxyfluoride antiferromagnets CoMOF₅(pyz)(H₂O)₂ (M = Nb 1, Ta 2; pyz = pyrazine) have been synthesized via conventional hydrothermal methods and characterized by thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, electron spin resonance (ESR), magnetic susceptibility, and magnetization measurements at both static low field and pulsed high field. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicates both compounds 1 and 2 are isostructural and crystallize in the monoclinic space group C2/m with a two-dimensional Co²⁺ triangular lattice in the ab plane, separated by the nonmagnetic MOF₅ (M = Nb 1, Ta 2) octahedra along the c-axis with large intertriangular-lattice Co···Co distance. Because of low dimensionality together with frustrated triangular lattice, compounds 1 and 2 exhibit no long-range antiferromagnetic order until ∼3.7 K. Moreover, a spin flop transition is observed in the magnetization curves at 2 K for both compounds, which is further confirmed by ESR spectra. In addition, the ESR spectra suggest the presence of a zero-field spin gap in both compounds. The high field magnetization measured at 2 K saturates at ∼7 T with M_s = 1.55 μ_B for 1 and 1.71 μ_B for 2, respectively, after subtracting the Van Vleck paramagnetic contribution, which is usually observed for Co²⁺ ions with pseudospin spin of 1/2 at low temperature. Powder-averaged magnetic anisotropy of g = 3.10 for 1 (3.42 for 2) and magnetic superexchange interaction J/k_B = -3.2 K for 1 (-3.6 K for 2) are obtained.