Beyond the Heisenberg model: anisotropic exchange interaction between a Cu-tetraazaporphyrin monolayer and Fe3O4(100)

Room-temperature-persistent magnetic interaction between coordination complexes and nanoparticles in maghemite-based nanohybrids

Maghemite nanoparticles functionalised with Co(II) coordination complexes at their surface show a significant increase of their magnetic anisotropy, leading to a doubling of the blocking temperature and a sixfold increase of the coercive field. Magnetometric studies suggest an enhancement that is not related to surface disordering, and point to a molecular effect involving magnetic exchange interactions mediated by the oxygen atoms at the interface as its source. Field- and temperature-dependent X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) studies show that the magnetic anisotropy enhancement is not limited to surface atoms and involves the core of the nanoparticle. These studies also point to a mechanism driven by anisotropic exchange and confirm the strength of the magnetic exchange interactions. The coupling between the complex and the nanoparticle persists at room temperature. Simulations based on the XMCD data give an effective exchange field value through the oxido coordination bridge between the Co(II) complex and the nanoparticle that is comparable to the exchange field between iron ions in bulk maghemite. Further evidence of the effectiveness of the oxido coordination bridge in mediating the magnetic interaction at the interface is given with the Ni(II) analog to the Co(II) surface-functionalised nanoparticles. A substrate-induced magnetic response is observed for the Ni(II) complexes, up to room temperature.

Impacts of atmospheric deposition on the heavy metal mobilization and bioavailability in soils amended by lime

Atmospheric deposition is an important source of heavy metal in agricultural soils, but there is limited research on the mobility of these metals in soil and their impact on soil amendment. Here, we performed a dust incubation experiment in soils in the laboratory and a factorial transplant experiment at three field sites with a gradient of atmospheric deposition to examine the impacts of atmospherically deposited heavy metals (Cu, Cd, and Pb) on the mobility and bioavailability in soils with and without lime applications. Results showed that the atmospherically deposited heavy metals showed high mobility and were primarily presented in the soluble ionic fractions in the wet part and acid-exchangeable and reducible fractions in the dry part of atmospheric deposition. Atmospheric dust addition caused the 2p3/2 and 2p1/2 electrons of Cu atoms in uncontaminated soils to transition the 3d vacant states, resulting in similar copper absorption peaks as atmospheric particles by the observation of X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES). In the field, atmospheric deposition can only increase the mobile fractions in the surface soils, but not in the deeper layers. However, the deposition can increase the soluble and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT)-measured bioavailable fractions in profile along with the soil depth. Lime applications cannot significantly reduce the mobile fractions of heavy metals in the surface soils exposed to atmospheric deposition, but significantly reduce the heavy metal concentrations in soil solutions and the DGT-measured bioavailable concentrations, particularly in the deeper layer (6-10 cm). The major implication is that atmospherically deposited heavy metals can significantly increase their bioavailable concentrations in the plough horizon of soil and constrain the effects of soil amendments on heavy metal immobilization, thereby increasing the risks of crop uptake.

Structures and properties of porphyrin-based film materials part I. The films obtained via vapor-assisted methods

This review is devoted to porphyrin-based film materials. Various technological and scientific applications of ones are close to surface and interface related phenomena. In the part I of review the following topics are discussed the recent progress in field of submonolayers, monolayers and multilayers films on the vapor-solid interfaces, including results on (i) conformational behavior of adsorbed molecules, (ii) aggregation and surface phases formation, (iii) on-surface coordination networks, and (iv) on-surface chemical reactions. The examples of combined approaches to developing materials and porphyrin-based film materials application are also presented.

Controlling the magnetism of adsorbed metal-organic molecules

Gaining control on the size or the direction of the magnetic moment of adsorbed metal-organic molecules constitutes an important step towards the realization of a surface-mounted molecular spin electronics. Such control can be gained by taking advantage of interactions of the molecule's magnetic moment with the environment. The paramagnetic moments of adsorbed metal-organic molecules, for example, can be controlled by the interaction with magnetically ordered substrates. Metalloporphyrins and -phthalocyanines display a quasi-planar geometry, allowing the central metal ion to interact with substrate electronic states. This can lead to magnetic coupling with a ferromagnetic or even antiferromagnetic substrate. The molecule-substrate coupling can be mediated and controlled by insertion layers such as oxygen atoms, graphene, or nonmagnetic metal layers. Control on the magnetic properties of adsorbed metalloporphyrins or -phthalocyanines can also be gained by on-surface chemical modification of the molecules. The magnetic moment or the magnetic coupling to ferromagnetic substrates can be changed by adsorption and thermal desorption of small molecules that interact with the fourfold-coordinated metal center via the remaining axial coordination site. Spin-crossover molecules, which possess a metastable spin state that can be switched by external stimuli such as temperature or light, are another promising class of candidates for control of magnetic properties. However, the immobilization of such molecules on a solid surface often results in a quench of the spin transition due to the interaction with the substrate. We present examples of Fe(II) spin-crossover complexes in direct contact with a solid surface that undergo a reversible spin-crossover transition as a function of temperature, by illumination with visible light, or can be switched by the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope.

Electronic structure at transition metal phthalocyanine-transition metal oxide interfaces: Cobalt phthalocyanine on epitaxial MnO films

The electronic structure of the interface between cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) and epitaxially grown manganese oxide (MnO) thin films is studied by means of photoemission (PES) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Our results reveal a flat-lying adsorption geometry of the molecules on the oxide surface which allows a maximal interaction between the π-system and the substrate. A charge transfer from MnO, in particular, to the central metal atom of CoPc is observed by both PES and XAS. The change of the shape of N-K XAS spectra at the interface points, however, to the involvement of the Pc macrocycle in the charge transfer process. As a consequence of the charge transfer, energetic shifts of MnO related core levels were observed, which are discussed in terms of a Fermi level shift in the semiconducting MnO films due to interface charge redistribution.

Strong antiferromagnetic exchange between manganese phthalocyanine and ferromagnetic europium oxide

A record strong antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between an organic magnetic semiconductor and an insulating ferromagnetic oxide is observed.