Nuclear spin driven quantum tunneling of magnetization in a new lanthanide single-molecule magnet: bis(phthalocyaninato)holmium anion

The first measurements of magnetization hysteresis loops on a diluted single crystal of [(Pc)2Ho]-.TBA+ (Pc = phthalocyaninato, TBA = tetrabutylammonium) in the subkelvin temperature range are reported. Characteristic staircase-like structure was observed, indicating the occurrence of the quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM), which is a characteristic feature of SMMs. The quantum process in the new lanthanide SMMs is due to resonant quantum tunneling between entangled states of the electronic and nuclear spin systems, which is an essentially different mechanism from those of the known transition-metal-cluster SMMs. Evidence of the two-body quantum process was also observed for the first time in lanthanide complex systems.     

Relaxation dynamics of dysprosium(III) single molecule magnets

Over the past decade, lanthanide compounds have become of increasing interest in the field of Single Molecule Magnets (SMMs) due to the large inherent anisotropy of the metal ions. Heavy lanthanide metal systems, in particular those containing the dysprosium(III) ion, have been extensively employed to direct the formation of a series of SMMs. Although remarkable progress is being made regarding the synthesis and characterization of lanthanide-based SMMs, the understanding and control of the relaxation dynamics of strongly anisotropic systems represents a formidable challenge, since the dynamic behaviour of lanthanide-based SMMs is significantly more complex than that of transition metal systems. This perspective paper describes illustrative examples of pure dysprosium(III)-based SMMs, published during the past three years, showing new and fascinating phenomena in terms of magnetic relaxation, aiming at shedding light on the features relevant to modulating relaxation dynamics of polynuclear lanthanide SMMs.     

Coexistence of Spin–Lattice Relaxation and Phonon-Bottleneck Processes in GdIII–Phthlocyaninato Triple-Decker Complexes under Highly Diluted Conditions

Gd³⁺ complexes have been shown to undergo unusual slow magnetic relaxation processes similar to those of single-molecule magnets (SMMs), even though Gd³⁺ does not exhibit strong magnetic anisotropy. To reveal the origin of the slow magnetic relaxation of Gd³⁺ complexes, we have investigated the magnetic properties and heat capacities of two Gd³⁺-phthalocyaninato triple-decker complexes, one of which has intramolecular Gd³⁺–Gd³⁺ interactions and the other does not. It was found that the Gd³⁺–Gd³⁺ interactions accelerate the magnetic relaxation processes. In addition, magnetically diluted samples, prepared by doping a small amount of the Gd³⁺ complexes into a large amount of diamagnetic Y³⁺ complexes, underwent dual magnetic relaxation processes. A detailed dynamic magnetic analysis revealed that the coexistence of spin–lattice relaxation and phonon-bottleneck processes is the origin of the dual magnetic relaxation processes.     

Control of the Spin Dynamics of Single‐Molecule Magnets by using a Quasi One‐Dimensional Arrangement

Magnetic dipole interactions are dominate in quasi one‐dimensional (1D) molecular magnetic materials, in which TbNcPc units (Tb³⁺=terbium(III) ion, Nc^2?=naphthalocyaninato, Pc^2?=phthalocyaninato) adopt a structure similar to TbPc₂ single‐molecule magnets (SMMs). The magnetic properties of the [TbNcPc]^0/+ (neutral 1 and cationic 2 ) with 1D structures are significantly different from those of a magnetically diluted sample ( 3 ). In particular, the magnetic relaxation time (τ) of 2 in the low‐temperature region is five orders of magnitude slower than that of 3 . Furthermore, the coercivity (H_C) of 2 remained up to about 20 K. The single‐ion anisotropy of Tb³⁺ ions in a 1D structure and the magnetic dipole interactions acting among molecules determines the direction of the magnetic properties. These results show that the spin dynamics can be improved by manipulating the arrangement of SMMs in the solid state.     

Recent Developments in Lanthanide Single‐Molecule Magnets

Single‐molecule magnets (SMMs) exhibiting slow relaxation of magnetization of purely molecular origin are highly attractive owing to their potential applications in spintronic devices, high‐density information storage, and quantum computing. In particular, lanthanide SMMs have been playing a major role in the advancement of this field because of the large intrinsic magnetic anisotropy of lanthanide metal ions. Herein, some recent breakthroughs that are changing the perspective of the field are highlighted, with special emphasis on synthetic strategies towards the design of high‐performance SMMs.     

High-spin molecules with magnetic anisotropy toward single-molecule magnets

High-spin molecules with easy-axis magnetic anisotropy show slow magnetic relaxation of spin-flipping along the axis of magnetic anisotropy and are called single-molecule magnets (SMMs). SMMs behave as molecular-size permanent magnets at low temperature and magnetic relaxation occurs by quantum tunneling processes; such molecules are promising candidates for use in quantum devices. We first discuss intramolecular ferromagnetic interactions for preparing high-spin molecules. Second, we determine the magnetic anisotropy for single metal ions with d(n) configurations and discuss how molecular anisotropy arises from single-ion anisotropy of the assembled component metal ions.     

Fine‐tuning the Local Symmetry to Attain Record Blocking Temperature and Magnetic Remanence in a Single‐Ion Magnet

Remanence and coercivity are the basic characteristics of permanent magnets. They are also tightly correlated with the existence of long relaxation times of magnetization in a number of molecular complexes, called accordingly single‐molecule magnets (SMMs). Up to now, hysteresis loops with large coercive fields have only been observed in polynuclear metal complexes and metal‐radical SMMs. On the contrary, mononuclear complexes, called single‐ion magnets (SIM), have shown hysteresis loops of butterfly/phonon bottleneck type, with negligible coercivity, and therefore with much shorter relaxation times of magnetization. A mononuclear Er^III complex is presented with hysteresis loops having large coercive fields, achieving 7000 Oe at T=1.8 K and field variation as slow as 1 h for the entire cycle. The coercivity persists up to about 5 K, while the hysteresis loops persist to 12 K. Our finding shows that SIMs can be as efficient as polynuclear SMMs, thus opening new perspectives for their applications.     

Magnetic Relaxation in Single‐Electron Single‐Ion Cerium(III) Magnets: Insights from Ab Initio Calculations

Detailed ab initio calculations were performed on two structurally different cerium(III) single‐molecule magnets (SMMs) to probe the origin of magnetic anisotropy and to understand the mechanism of magnetic relaxations. The complexes [Ce^III{Zn^II(L)}₂(MeOH)]BPh₄ ( 1 ) and [Li(dme)₃][Ce^III(cot′′)₂] ( 1 ; L=N,N,O,O‐tetradentate Schiff base ligand; 2 ; DME=dimethoxyethane, COT′′=1,4‐bis(trimethylsilyl)cyclooctatetraenyldianion), which are reported to be zero‐field and field‐induced SMMs with effective barrier heights of 21.2 and 30 K respectively, were chosen as examples. CASSCF+RASSI/SINGLE_ANISO calculations unequivocally suggest that m_J|±5/2〉 and |±1/2〉 are the ground states for complexes 1 and 2 , respectively. The origin of these differences is rooted back to the nature of the ligand field and the symmetry around the cerium(III) ions. Ab initio magnetisation blockade barriers constructed for complexes 1 and 2 expose a contrasting energy‐level pattern with significant quantum tunnelling of magnetisation between the ground state Kramers doublet in complex 2 . Calculations performed on several model complexes stress the need for a suitable ligand environment and high symmetry around the cerium(III) ions to obtain a large effective barrier.     

Mononuclear Dysprosium Alkoxide and Aryloxide Single-Molecule Magnets

Recent studies have shown that mononuclear lanthanide (Ln) complexes can be high-performing single-molecule magnets (SMMs). Recently, there has been an influx of mononuclear Ln alkoxide and aryloxide SMMs, which have provided the necessary geometrical control to improve SMM properties and to allow the intricate relaxation dynamics of Ln SMMs to be studied in detail. Here non-aqueous Ln alkoxide and aryloxide chemistry applied to the synthesis of low-coordinate mononuclear Ln SMMs are reviewed. The focus is on mononuclear Dy^III alkoxide and aryloxide SMMs with coordination numbers up to eight, covering synthesis, solid-state structures and magnetic attributes. Brief overviews are also provided of mononuclear Tb^III, Ho^III, Er^III and Yb^III alkoxide and aryloxide SMMs.     

Magnetic anisotropies in paramagnetic polynuclear metal complexes

The study of the magnetic properties of highly anisotropic paramagnetic molecules is an area of intense current research interest. Of these, single-molecule magnets (SMMs) and single-chain magnets (SCMs) showing non-equilibrium magnetization have remained a key topic over the past two decades. The slow magnetization reversals found in SMMs and SCMs are contingent on two requirements: a large ground-state spin forbidding direct quantum transitions of spin reversal, and a series of excited spin levels, due to the anisotropy of the system, which can act as steppingstones for the thermal relaxation of the spin orientations (the Orbach process). In this critical review, the latter requirement, i.e. the existence of magnetic anisotropies in paramagnetic species, is reviewed with the aim of providing clues towards the rational design of molecule-based magnets (100 references).     

Multiple-decker phthalocyaninato Tb(III) single-molecule magnets and Y(III) complexes for next generation devices

A new magnetic relaxation phenomenon for an Ising dimer of a Tb-phthalocyaninato triple-decker SMM Tb₂(obPc)₃ (1) is reported. In Argand plots, the magnetic relaxation splits from a one-component system into a two-component system (temperature-independent and temperature-dependent regimes) in a dc magnetic field. There was clear evidence that the magnetic relaxation mechanisms for the Tb³⁺ dimer depended heavily on the temperature and the dc magnetic field. The relationships among the molecular structure, ligand field, ground state, and SMM properties in a direct current (dc) magnetic field are discussed. Furthermore, in order to investigate the stability of the complexes in vacuum evaporation (dry) process and the control of their surface morphology after transferring to a surface, we studied the lanthanoid-phthalocyaninato triple-decker molecule Y₂Pc₃ deposited on a Au(1 1 1) surface using a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. It is important to both understand and control the quantum properties of Ln-Pc multiple-decker SMMs with an external field and the monolayer or multi-layer structures on a substrate for next generation devices, such as magnetic information storage.     

Quantification of the Magnetic Anisotropy of a Single-Molecule Magnet from the Experimental Electron Density

Reported here is an entirely new application of experimental electron density (EED) in the study of magnetic anisotropy of single-molecule magnets (SMMs). Among those SMMs based on one single transition metal, tetrahedral Co^II-complexes are prominent, and their large zero-field splitting arises exclusively from coupling between the d and d_xy orbitals. Using very low temperature single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction data, an accurate electron density (ED) was obtained for a prototypical SMM, and the experimental d-orbital populations were used to quantify the d_xy-d coupling, which simultaneously provides the composition of the ground-state Kramers doublet wave function. Based on this experimentally determined wave function, an energy barrier for magnetic relaxation in the range 193–268 cm⁻¹ was calculated, and is in full accordance with the previously published value of 230 cm⁻¹ obtained from near-infrared spectroscopy. These results provide the first clear and direct link between ED and molecular magnetic properties.     

Reaction of Cl with CD4 excited to the second C-D stretching overtone

The effects of vibrational excitation on the Cl+CD(4) reaction are investigated by preparing three nearly isoenergetic vibrational states: mid R:3000 at 6279.66 cm(-1), |2100> at 6534.20 cm(-1), and |1110> at 6764.24 cm(-1), where |D(1)D(2)D(3)D(4)> identifies the number of vibrational quanta in each C-D oscillator. Vibrational excitation of the perdeuteromethane is via direct infrared pumping. The reaction is initiated by photolysis of molecular chlorine at 355 nm. The nascent methyl radical product distribution is measured by 2+1 resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization at 330 nm. The resulting CD(3) state distributions reveal a preference to remove all energy available in the most excited C-D oscillator. Although the energetics are nearly identical, the authors observe strong mode specificity in which the CD(3) state distributions markedly differ between the three Cl-atom reactions. Reaction with CD(4) prepared in the |3000> mode leads to CD(3) products populated primarily in the ground state, reaction with CD(4) prepared in the |2100> mode leads primarily to CD(3) with one quantum of stretch excitation, and reaction with CD(4) prepared in the |1110> mode leads primarily to CD(3) with one quantum of C-D stretch excitation in two oscillators. There are some minor deviations from this behavior, most notably that the Cl atom is able to abstract more energy than is available in a single C-D oscillator, as in the case of |2100>, wherein a small population of ground-state CD(3) is observed. These exceptions likely result from the mixings between different second overtone stretch combination bands. They also measure isotropic and anisotropic time-of-flight profiles of CD(3) (nu(1)=1,2) products from the Cl+CD(4) |2100> reaction, providing speed distributions, spatial anisotropies, and differential cross sections that indicate that energy introduced as vibrational energy into the system essentially remains as such throughout the course of the reaction.     

Enthalpy relaxation of an epoxy–anhydride resin by temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry

The enthalpy relaxation of an epoxy–anhydride resin was studied by physical aging and frequency‐dependence experiments with alternating differential scanning calorimetry (ADSC), which is a temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry technique. The samples were aged at 80 °C, about 26 K below the glass‐transition temperature, for periods up to 3800 h and then scanned under the following modulation conditions: underlying heating rate of 1 K min⁻¹, amplitude of 0.5 K, and period of 1 min. The enthalpy loss was calculated by the total heat‐flow signal, and its variation with the log (aging time) gives a relaxation rate (per decade), this value being in good agreement with that calculated by conventional DSC. The enthalpy loss was also analyzed in terms of the nonreversing heat flow, revealing that this property is not suitable for calculating enthalpy loss. The effect of aging on the modulus of the complex heat capacity, |Cp*|, is shown by a sharper variation on the low side of the glass transition and an increase in the inflexional slope of |Cp*|. Likewise, the phase angle also becomes sharper in the low‐temperature side of the relaxation. The area under the corrected out‐phase heat capacity remains fairly constant with aging. The dependence of the dynamic glass transition, measured at the midpoint of the variation of |Cp*|, on ln(frequency) allows one to determine an apparent activation energy, Δh*, which gives information about the temperature dependence of the relaxation times in equilibrium over a range close to the glass transition. The values of Δh*, determined from ADSC experiments in a range of frequencies between 4.2 and 33 mHz and at an amplitude of 0.5 K, and an underlying heating rate of 1 K min⁻¹, were analyzed and compared with that obtained by conventional DSC from the dependence of the fictive temperature on the cooling rate. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 2272–2284, 2000     

Spectroscopic Studies of the Magnetic Excitation and Spin-Phonon Couplings in a Single-Molecule Magnet

Large separations between ground and excited magnetic states in single-molecule magnets (SMMs) are desirable to reduce the likelihood of spin reversal in the molecules. Spin-phonon coupling is a process leading to magnetic relaxation. Both the reversal and coupling, making SMMs lose magnetic moments, are undesirable. However, direct determination of large magnetic states separations (>45 cm⁻¹) is challenging, and few detailed investigations of the spin-phonon coupling have been conducted. The magnetic separation in [Co(12-crown-4)₂](I₃)₂(12-crown-4) ( 1 ) is determined and its spin-phonon coupling is probed by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and far-IR spectroscopy. INS, using oriented single crystals, shows a magnetic transition at 49.4(1.0) cm⁻¹. Far-IR reveals that the magnetic transition and nearby phonons are coupled, a rarely observed phenomenon, with spin-phonon coupling constants of 1.7–2.5 cm⁻¹. The current work spectroscopically determines the ground–excited magnetic states separation in an SMM and quantifies its spin-phonon coupling, shedding light on the process causing magnetic relaxation.     

Development of Single‐Molecule Magnets†

Single‐molecule magnets (SMMs) are paramagnetic molecules that can be magnetized below a certain temperature and have potential applications in high‐density information storage, magnetic qubits, spintronic devices, etc. The discovery of the first SMM, Mn₁₂, opened a new era of molecular magnetism and promoted collaborative researches between chemists and physicists for their exotic quantum as well as classical magnetic properties. In the recent past, great efforts have been made to develop strategies for constructing new SMMs with high energy barriers (U_eff) and blocking temperatures (T_B), resulting in great and fast development of SMMs. In this concise review, we highlight the main synthetic approaches and representative results in the design and synthesis of high performance SMMs. We hope to give the readers a basic understanding of SMMs and a snapshot of the representative researches on SMMs from a perspective of synthetic chemists.     

Site‐Resolved Two‐Step Relaxation Process in an Asymmetric Dy2 Single‐Molecule Magnet

Elaborate chemical design is of utmost importance in order to slow down the relaxation dynamics in single‐molecule magnets (SMMs) and hence improve their potential applications. Much interest was devoted to the study of distinct relaxation processes related to the different crystal fields of crystallographically independent lanthanide ions. However, the assignment of the relaxation processes to specific metal sites remains a challenging task. To address this challenge, a new asymmetric Dy₂ SMM displaying a well‐separated two‐step relaxation process with the anisotropic centers in fine‐tuned local environments was elaborately designed. For the first time a one‐to‐one relationship between the metal sites and the relaxation processes was evidenced. This work sheds light on complex multiple relaxation and may direct the rational design of lanthanide SMMs with enhanced magnetic properties.     

Applying Unconventional Spectroscopies to the Single-Molecule Magnets,Co(PPh3)2X2 (X=Cl,Br, I): Unveiling Magnetic Transitions and Spin-Phonon Coupling

Large separation of magnetic levels and slow relaxation in metal complexes are desirable properties of single-molecule magnets (SMMs). Spin-phonon coupling (interactions of magnetic levels with phonons) is ubiquitous, leading to magnetic relaxation and loss of memory in SMMs and quantum coherence in qubits. Direct observation of magnetic transitions and spin-phonon coupling in molecules is challenging. We have found that far-IR magnetic spectra (FIRMS) of Co(PPh₃)₂X₂ ( Co-X ; X=Cl, Br, I) reveal rarely observed spin-phonon coupling as avoided crossings between magnetic and u-symmetry phonon transitions. Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) gives phonon spectra. Calculations using VASP and phonopy programs gave phonon symmetries and movies. Magnetic transitions among zero-field split (ZFS) levels of the S=3/2 electronic ground state were probed by INS, high-frequency and -field EPR (HFEPR), FIRMS, and frequency-domain FT terahertz EPR (FD-FT THz-EPR), giving magnetic excitation spectra and determining ZFS parameters (D, E) and g values. Ligand-field theory (LFT) was used to analyze earlier electronic absorption spectra and give calculated ZFS parameters matching those from the experiments. DFT calculations also gave spin densities in Co-X , showing that the larger Co(II) spin density in a molecule, the larger its ZFS magnitude. The current work reveals dynamics of magnetic and phonon excitations in SMMs. Studies of such couplings in the future would help to understand how spin-phonon coupling may lead to magnetic relaxation and develop guidance to control such coupling.     

The structure of low temperature triplet energy traps in organic solids from pmdr spectroscopy 11. 1,3,5-Trichloro and hexachlorobenzenes

The new technique of polarized microwave PMDR spectroscopy is used to determine the structure of the low temperature (1.6 – 4.2°K) triplet energy traps. The structure of 1.3,5-trichlorobenzene (Tri-CB) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) molecules in hexamethylbenzene (HMB) host as well as in their own neat crystals (present as x-traps) is determined from the linear polarization characteristics of their optically detected microwave zerofield (zf) transitions as well as from the analysis of their phosphorescence emission. The former technique gives the direction of the principal magnetic axes of these trap molecules in the crystal as well as the relative order of their zf levels.ln HMB host, deviation from trigonal symmetry is found to be only slight for HCB and absent for Tri-CB. ln the neat crystals, large deviations from trigonal symmetry are observed for the traps of both HCB and Tri-CB. In HCB x- traps, the HCB molecule is found to be slightly contracted along the CCl axis near parallel to the c′ crystal axes. Deviation From planarity is also strongly suggested by the large value of the zf parameter D. ln addition, the principal magnetic axis of the 2|E| moment for HCB x-traps is found to lie only 5° off the molecular N axis. The |D| + |E| and |D| — |E| moments, however, are 15° away from the A and B molecular axis, respectively.In Tri-CB neat crystal. two traps are observed optically with their phosphorescence origins 10 cm^?1 apart. The zf parameter E is found to have a non-zero value and is opposite in sign for the two traps. If the distortion is to be blamed on pseudo-Jahn-Teller forces, the results lead to the conclusion that the x-(shallow) trap is contracted while the y- (deep) trap is expanded along an in-plane axis going through the CCl bonds near parallel to the a axis of the Tri-CB crystal. The plane containing the |D| + |E| and |D| — |E| moments of the x-trap suffers a rotation around the N-molecular axis, which is almost parallel to the 2|E| moment. Th |D| + |E| moment is 10° off the A axis and the |D| — |E| moment is 10° off the B axis. The 2|E| transition moment of the y-trap lies off the molecular N axis and the plane containing the |D| + |E| and |D| — |E| moments moves upward from theThe results of these and other studies suggest that low temperature trapping in neat crystals of this type results from crystal induced geometrical and orientational changes in the molecules at point defects. The observed traps are those molecules for which the crystal field induced deformation leads to a lowering in their singlet-triplet transition energy as compared with that for the host lattice.