Spectroscopic and magnetic investigations of actinide‐based nanomagnets

Magnetic exchange is an essential feature of transition‐metal nanomagnets because it combines the relatively low spin‐only moments of several ions into a “giant spin” ground state, which can make slow magnetic relaxation very favorable in an axially anisotropic environment. In contrast, most of the early research on lanthanide‐based complexes focused on single‐ion magnets, where the required large moment is generated by the unquenched orbital contribution (which is parallel to the spin in heavy rare earths). With their unfilled 5f electronic shell being on the verge between localization and itinerancy, actinides are expected to combine the best of both 3d and 4f metals in terms of exchange and anisotropy, and are therefore under consideration as potential building blocks for the next generation of single‐molecule magnets. In this Perspective, a review of the recent development in this field is given, and some discrepancies between the spectroscopic and magnetic data are discussed. © 2014 European Commission. International Journal of Quantum Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Neutron powder diffraction and magnetic measurements on CsMnI3

Results of neutron powder diffraction and magnetic measurements on single crystals of CsMnI₃ are reported. Three-dimensional ordering takes place at T_c = 11.1(3) K. Above T_c very broad peaks occur in the neutron powder diffraction diagram, indicating one-dimensional correlations along the chain. Below T_c the Mn²⁺ ions are coupled antiferromagnetically along the chain. Interchain exchange leads to a 120° structure, slightly distorted due to anisotropy. One-third of the chains have their magnetic moment parallel to the c axis and the rest of the chains have magnetic moments making an angle of 50(2)° with the c axis. The magnetic moment as found from neutron diffraction extrapolated to 0 K is 3.7(1)μ_B, indicating a considerable zero-point spin reduction. The intrachain exchange $\text{J}\text{k}$ was found to be ?9.1(1)K, whereas the ratio of the inter- to intrachain interaction was determined as $\text{J′}\text{J}\text{= × 10}{}^{\mathrm{?3}}$. A spin flop occurs at H = 54 kOe on application of a magnetic field parallel to the c axis. When a field perpendicular to the c axis is applied a spin reorientation occurs at 1 kOe.     

Strong spin-orbit effects in small Pt clusters: geometric structure, magnetic isomers and anisotropy

Ab initio density functional calculations including spin-orbit coupling (SOC) have been performed for Pt(n), n = 2-6 clusters. The strong SOC tends to stabilize planar structures for n = 2-5, whereas for clusters consisting of six atoms, three-dimensional structures remain preferred. SOC leads to the formation of large orbital magnetic moments and to a mixing of different spin states. Due to the spin-mixing the total magnetic moment may be larger or smaller than the spin moment in the absence of SOC. Both spin and orbital moments are found to be anisotropic. Because of the strong SOC the energy differences between coexisting magnetic isomers can be comparable to or even smaller than their magnetic anisotropy energies. In this case the lowest barrier for magnetization reversal can be determined by a magnetic isomer which is different from the ground state configuration.     

Molecular alloy with diluted magnetic moments-molecular Kondo system

[Ni(1-x)Cu(x)(tmdt)(2)] (tmdt = trimethylenetetrathiafulvalenedithiolate) was prepared for realizing molecular Kondo systems. Magnetic moments (S = (1)/(2)) are considered to exist at the central {CuS(4)} parts of Cu(tmdt)(2) molecules. The χT-versus-T curve of the system with x ≈ 0.15 showed a broad peak at ~10 K. The decrease in the χT value below 10 K is consistent with a singlet ground state, as expected for a Kondo system. However, in the system with x ≈ 0.27, the χT value decreased when the temperature was lowered to 2 K, indicating antiferromagnetic interactions between magnetic moments through π-d interactions. Although the susceptibility anomaly suggested that the π-d interactions become important at T < 20 K, the observed resistivity (ρ(obs)) showed no resistivity minimum characteristic of a Kondo system down to 4.2 K. However, the differential resistivity Δρ(T) = ρ(obs) - ρ(L)(T) showed a logarithmic resistivity increase at 8-20 K with decreasing temperature, where ρ(L)(T) is a fitted function of ρ(obs) obtained at T > 50 K that is considered to represent approximately the temperature dependence of the resistivity without spin scattering of the conduction electrons.     

Noncollinear magnetization density in VAu4

The spin and orbital magnetic moments of VAu₄ have been calculated using a first principles method that allows for noncollinear magnetic ordering. The large spin–orbit coupling of the Au atom is argued to induce large noncollinear components of the magnetization density as well as a parallel coupling between spin and orbital moments of the V atom, in contrast to expectations from Hund's third rule. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2002     

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism of size-selected, thiolated gold clusters

We report herein the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Au L2,3 edges of a series of Au clusters protected by glutathione (GSH). The samples used here included AuN(SG)M with (N, M) = (10, 10), (15, 13), (18, 14), (22, 16), (25, 18), (29, 20), (39, 24) and a sodium gold(I) thiomalate (SGT) as a reference. Magnetic moments per cluster were found to be increased with size, whereas those per Au-S bond were nearly constant. This finding suggests that a localized hole created by Au-S bonding at the gold/glutathione interface, rather than the quantum size effect, is responsible for the spin polarization of gold clusters.     

Spin decoherence in an iron-based magnetic cluster

Continuous wave (cw) and pulsed high frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (HF-EPR) measurements were performed on an Fe-based magnetic cluster: Fe₇O₄(O₂CPh)₁₁(dmem)₂, abbreviated Fe₇. The cw EPR results show that two different molecular species exist in the crystal, with slightly different zero-field-splitting parameters. The spin decoherence time, T₂, was measured at high magnetic fields and low temperatures, which makes it possible to obtain high spin polarization and to significantly reduce decoherence due to electron spin flip-flop processes. Theoretical fitting of T₂ versus temperature shows that, for crystalline samples of this molecule, spin flip-flop fluctuations represent the main source of spin decoherence at low temperatures, as reported also for the Fe₈ single-molecule magnet [Phys. Rev. Lett. 102 (2009) 087603]. Moreover, it is found that T₂ is position dependent within the EPR line, a model for which is given. We also note that this is the third example of an Fe-based cluster that exhibits a measurable decoherence time, and only the second involving a crystal.     

Die magnetischen Eigenschaften der Alkalimetall‐Manganpnictide KMnP,RbMnP, CsMnP,RbMnAs, KMnSb,KMnBi, RbMnBi und CsMnBi – Neutronenbeugungsuntersuchungen und Suszeptibilitätsmessungen

The Magnetic Properties of the Alkali Metal Manganese Pnictides KMnP, RbMnP, CsMnP, RbMnAs, KMnSb, KMnBi, RbMnBi, and CsMnBi – Neutron Diffraction and Susceptibility Measurements In order to determine the spin structures and the magnetic moments of the manganese atoms neutron diffraction experiments and susceptibility measurements were performed on the alkali metal manganese pnictides KMnP, RbMnP, CsMnP, RbMnAs, KMnSb, KMnBi, RbMnBi, and CsMnBi. All compounds order antiferromagnetically. For KMnBi and KMnSb the spin structures may be described in the crystallographic unit cells and Shubnikov group P4'/n'm'm. For the other compounds the lattice constants c have to be doubled, and the Shubnikov group is P4'/n'cc'. With these results it is possible to analyse the correlation between magnetic moments and crystallographic parameters for the complete series of compounds AMnX with A = Na, K, Rb or Cs and X = P, As, Sb or Bi.     

Insights on spin polarization through the spin density source function

Understanding how spin information is transmitted from paramagnetic to non-magnetic centers is crucial in advanced materials research and calls for novel interpretive tools. Herein, we show that the spin density at a point may be seen as determined by a local source function for such density, operating at all other points of space. Integration of the local source over Bader''s quantum atoms measures their contribution in determining the spin polarization at any system''s location. Each contribution may be then conveniently decomposed in a magnetic term due to the magnetic natural orbital(s) density and in a reaction or relaxation term due to the remaining orbitals density. A simple test case, ³B₁ water, is chosen to exemplify whether an atom or group of atoms concur or oppose the paramagnetic center in determining a given local spin polarization. Discriminating magnetic from reaction or relaxation contributions to such behaviour strongly enhances chemical insight, though care needs to be paid to the large sensitivity of the latter contributions to the level of the computational approach and to the difficulty of singling out the magnetic orbitals in the case of highly correlated systems. Comparison of source function atomic contributions to the spin density with those reconstructing the electron density at a system''s position, enlightens how the mechanisms which determine the two densities may in general differ and how diverse may be the role played by each system''s atom in determining each of the two densities. These mechanisms reflect the quite diverse portraits of the electron density and electron spin density Laplacians, hence the different local concentration/dilution of the total and (α–β) electron densities throughout the system. Being defined in terms of an observable, the source function for the spin density is also potentially amenable to experimental determination, as customarily performed for its electron density analogue.     

Calculations of magnetic resonance parameters for the protonated nitroxide radical

Electron and magnetic resonance parameters of the protonated H₂NO radical have been calculated by the INDO and CNDO/SP methods for different models. Calculated changes of magnetic resonance parameters on protonation are consistent with experiment. The most appropriate structure has been found to be one in which the proton is in the plane of the radical with r(O?.H⁺) = 1.05 A.Calculated signns of the proton spin density for the models concerned are opposite to those of the spin density on the proton of a ligand involved in the hydrogen bonding for analogous models of hydrogen bond systems formed by the nitroxide radical.In the case of the protonated radical, taking into account the interaction with a solvent molecule leads to more reasonable results for large O?.H⁺ distances.     

Polymer mediated self-assembly of magnetic nanoparticles

We present a simple polymer-mediated process of assembling magnetic FePt nanoparticles on a solid substrate. Alternatively absorbing the PEI molecule and FePt nanoparticles on a HO-terminated solid surface leads to a smooth FePt nanoparticle assembly with controlled assembly thickness and dimension. Magnetic measurements show that the thermally annealed FePt nanoparticle assembly as thin as three nanoparticle layers is ferromagnetic. The magnetization direction of this thin FePt nanoparticle assembly is readily controlled with the laser-assisted magnetic writing. The reported process can be applied to various substrates, nanoparticles, and functional macromolecules and will be useful for future magnetic nanodevice fabrication.     

Structures and magnetic properties of metal cubes

Structures and magnetic properties of copper(II), nickel(II) and manganese(II) cubes are presented. In the cubes, four metal ions are assembled into the cubes by tridentate Schiff base ligands. Magnetic succeptibility measurements revealed the copper and nickel cubes have high-spin ground state, while the manganese cube has a S=0 spin ground state.     

Aggregation of Electrochemically Active Conjugated Organic Molecules and Its Impact on Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries

Molecule aggregation in solution is acknowledged to be universal and can regulate the molecule's physiochemical properties, which however has been rarely investigated in electrochemistry. Herein, an electrochemical method is developed to quantitatively study the aggregation behavior of the target molecule methyl viologen dichloride. It is found that the oxidation state dicationic ions stay discrete, while the singly-reduced state monoradicals yield a concentration-dependent aggregation behavior. As a result, the molecule's energy level and its redox potential can be effectively regulated. This work does not only provide a method to investigate the molecular aggregation, but also demonstrates the feasibility to tune redox flow battery's performance by regulating the aggregation behavior.     

Analysis of the magnetic coupling in nitroxide organic biradicals

The magnetic coupling in organic biradicals has been analyzed by means of ab initio wave function-based methods. Attention is focused on the coupling between the spin moments localized on the NO-groups in meta and para phenylene-bridged nitroxides, and bis(nitronyl) nitroxide and bis(imino) nitroxide biradicals. The leading mechanisms governing the coupling have been isolated by means of class-partitioned CI calculations. It was found that the mechanisms of the coupling in the para and meta phenylene-bridged nitroxides are similar to that found in transition metal complexes, while for the other biradicals the dominance of other mechanisms (like the spin polarization) imposes restrictions on the computational strategy to be followed to best estimate the coupling.     

Relaxation equations for the magnetic moment of a system of coupled spins

Redfield's equation [4] for the spin-density matrix is used to derive the macroscopic relaxation equations for the magnetic moment of a system of three nuclear spins coupled by dipole-dipole interaction. The relaxation is due to the Brownian rotation of the molecule in which the spin nuclei are randomly placed. The relaxation problem is solved for a system of spins at the vertices of an isosceles triangle; four exponentials are involved. A formula is derived for the number of relaxation equations governing the magnetic moment in the case of an arbitrary number of interacting spins.     

A tight-binding method for predicting magnetic ordering in Gd-containing solids: Application to GdB2C2

Herein we present a method to compute d-f mediated exchange coupling in Gd-containing systems with a spin-dependent extended Hückel-tight binding (EHTB) method. EHTB parameters were chosen to exactly reproduce the spin density functional calculation (SDFT) energy gap of the S = 45/2 and 39/2 spin patterns for a model compound, Gd6CoI12(OPH3)6. Comparison between SDFT and EHTB results shows a good match between the spin-pattern energy distribution for the two methods. We applied our EHTB method to the solid-state compound GdB2C2 by considering 6 different variations in the ordering of the 4f7 moments. Calculations indicate that this metallic system should exhibit antiferromagnetic ordering of the 4f7 moments with a magnetic structure consistent with published neutron diffraction results.     

Effect of Li and Na impurities on the electronic and magnetic properties of beryllium oxide

The ab initio pseudopotential method (VASP package) within the gradient approximation (GGA) for the exchange-correlation potential is used to study the effect of Li and Na substitution for Be atoms on the electronic and magnetic properties of wurtzite-like beryllium monoxide BeO with an impurity concentration of 0.028. When Li impurity is introduced into BeO, the system is found to remain nonmagnetic. At the same time, the BeO:Na system adopts magnetic moments (~0.8 fu_B per cell) through the spin polarization of the 2p-state of oxygen atoms surrounding the impurity center. After lithium incorporation into BeO, the spectrum of BeO:Li becomes metal-like, while the introduction of sodium results in the magnetic semimetal type of the BeO:Na spectrum     

Magnetic Memory in an Isotopically Enriched and Magnetically Isolated Mononuclear Dysprosium Complex

The influence of nuclear spin on the magnetic hysteresis of a single‐molecule is evidenced. Isotopically enriched Dy^III complexes are synthesized and an isotopic dependence of their magnetic relaxation is observed. This approach is coupled with tuning of the molecular environment through dilution in an amorphous or an isomorphous diamagnetic matrix. The combination of these approaches leads to a dramatic enhancement of the magnetic memory of the molecule. This general recipe can be efficient for rational optimization of single‐molecule magnets (SMMs), and provides an important step for their integration into molecule‐based devices.