Year: 2024

The contribution of heavy-atom substituents to the overall spin-orbit interaction in two classes of organic radical molecular magnets is discussed. In “single-orbital” radicals, spin-orbit coupling (SOC) effects are well described with reference to pairwise anisotropic exchange interactions between singly occupied spin-bearing orbitals on neighboring molecules; anisotropy requires the presence of spin density on heavy-atom sites with principal quantum number n>3. In “multiorbital” radicals, SOC involving virtual orbitals also contributes to anisotropic exchange and, as a result, the presence of heavy (n>3) atoms in formally non-spin-bearing sites can enhance pseudodipolar ferromagnetic interaction terms. To demonstrate these effects, ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic resonance spectroscopies have been used to probe the exchange anisotropy in two organic magnets, one a “single-orbital” ferromagnet, the other a “multiorbital” spin-canted antiferromagnet, both of which contain a heavy-atom iodine (n=5) substituent. While the symmetry of the singly occupied molecular orbital in both radicals precludes spin-orbit contributions from iodine to the overall exchange anisotropy, the symmetry and energetically low-lying nature of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital in the latter allows for appreciable spin density at the site of iodine substitution and, hence, a large exchange anisotropy.

Molecular lanthanide (Ln) complexes are promising candidates for the development of next-generation quantum technologies. High-symmetry structures incorporating integer spin Ln ions can give rise to well-isolated crystal field quasi-doublet ground states, i.e., quantum two-level systems that may serve as the basis for magnetic qubits. Recent work has shown that symmetry lowering of the coordination environment around the Ln ion can produce an avoided crossing or clock transition within the ground doublet, leading to significantly enhanced coherence. Here, we employ single-crystal high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and high-level ab initio calculations to carry out a detailed investigation of the nine-coordinate complexes, [Ho^IIIL₁L₂], where L₁ = 1,4,7,10-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraaza-cyclododecane and L₂ = F^– (1) or [MeCN]⁰ (2). The pseudo-4-fold symmetry imposed by the neutral organic ligand scaffold (L₁) and the apical anionic fluoride ion generates a strong axial anisotropy with an m_J = ±8 ground-state quasi-doublet in 1, where m_J denotes the projection of the J = 8 spin–orbital moment onto the ∼C₄ axis. Meanwhile, off-diagonal crystal field interactions give rise to a giant 116.4 ± 1.0 GHz clock transition within this doublet. We then demonstrate targeted crystal field engineering of the clock transition by replacing F^– with neutral MeCN (2), resulting in an increase in the clock transition frequency by a factor of 2.2. The experimental results are in broad agreement with quantum chemical calculations. This tunability is highly desirable because decoherence caused by second-order sensitivity to magnetic noise scales inversely with the clock transition frequency.

Single-ion anisotropy is vital for the observation of Single-Molecule Magnet (SMM) properties (i.e., a slow dynamics of the magnetization) in lanthanide-based systems. In the case of europium, the occurrence of this phenomenon has been inhibited by the spin and orbital quantum numbers that give way to J = 0 in the trivalent state and the half-filled population of the 4f orbitals in the divalent state. Herein, by optimizing the local crystal field of a quasi-linear bis(silylamido) Eu^II complex, the [Eu^II(N{SiMePh₂}₂)₂] SMM is described, providing an example of a europium complex exhibiting slow relaxation of its magnetization. This behavior is dominated by a thermally activated (Orbach-like) mechanism, with an effective energy barrier of approximately 8 K, determined by bulk magnetometry and electron paramagnetic resonance. Ab initio calculations confirm second-order spin-orbit coupling effects lead to non-negligible axial magnetic anisotropy, splitting the ground state multiplet into four Kramers doublets, thereby allowing for the observation of an Orbach-like relaxation at low temperatures.

Gd complexes have been studied as magnetic coolants due to their large magneto-caloric effect. In this work we present a Gd 2D metal–organic framework (MOF) of formula [Gd(MeCOO)(PhCOO)₂] (1). We characterize the magnetic properties of 1, showing that it displays slow relaxation of the magnetization by ac susceptibility, and single-ion magnetic anisotropy using high-field EPR. By heat capacity and magnetization vs. field at various temperatures we determine the magnetic entropy change of compound 1. We then grow 1 on functionalized silicon, and show that the surface-deposited 2D MOF 1Si can be used as an on-surface magnetic cryogenic coolant.

Also featured as a cover page for Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 21 March 2024, Issue 11, Page 6149 to 6778.

Molecular qubits offer an attractive basis for quantum information processing, but challenges remain with regard to sustained coherence. Qubits based on clock transitions offer a method to improve the coherence times. We propose a general strategy for identifying molecules with high-frequency clock transitions in systems where a d electron is coupled to a crystal-field singlet state of an f configuration, resulting in an M_J = ±1/2 ground state with strong hyperfine coupling. Using this approach, a 9.834 GHz clock transition was identified in a molecular Pr complex, [K(crypt)][Cp′₃Pr^II], leading to 3-fold enhancements in T₂ relative to other transitions in the spectrum. This result indicates the promise of the design principles outlined here for the further development of f-element systems for quantum information applications.