Letter abstract
Nature Materials 8, 194 - 197 (2009)
Published online: 1 February 2009 | doi:10.1038/nmat2374
Subject Categories: Molecular electronics | Magnetic materials | Nanoscale materials
Magnetic memory of a single-molecule quantum magnet wired to a gold surface
Matteo Mannini1,2, Francesco Pineider1, Philippe Sainctavit3, Chiara Danieli4, Edwige Otero5, Corrado Sciancalepore4, Anna Maria Talarico4, Marie-Anne Arrio3, Andrea Cornia4, Dante Gatteschi1 & Roberta Sessoli1
In the field of molecular spintronics1, the use of magnetic molecules for information technology is a main target and the observation of magnetic hysteresis on individual molecules organized on surfaces is a necessary step to develop molecular memory arrays. Although simple paramagnetic molecules can show surface-induced magnetic ordering and hysteresis when deposited on ferromagnetic surfaces2, information storage at the molecular level requires molecules exhibiting an intrinsic remnant magnetization, like the so-called single-molecule magnets3 (SMMs). These have been intensively investigated for their rich quantum behaviour4 but no magnetic hysteresis has been so far reported for monolayers of SMMs on various non-magnetic substrates, most probably owing to the chemical instability of clusters on surfaces5. Using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism synchrotron-based techniques, pushed to the limits in sensitivity and operated at sub-kelvin temperatures, we have now found that robust, tailor-made Fe4 complexes retain magnetic hysteresis at gold surfaces. Our results demonstrate that isolated SMMs can be used for storing information. The road is now open to address individual molecules wired to a conducting surface6, 7 in their blocked magnetization state, thereby enabling investigation of the elementary interactions between electron transport and magnetism degrees of freedom at the molecular scale8, 9.
- Department of Chemistry and INSTM research unit, University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- ISTM-CNR, URT Firenze, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Institut de Minéralogie et de Physique des Milieux Condensés, CNRS UMR7590, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 75252 Paris Cedex 5, France
- Department of Chemistry and INSTM research unit, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41100, Modena, Italy
- Synchrotron Soleil, Saint Aubin BP48, 91192 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
Correspondence to: Roberta Sessoli1 e-mail: roberta.sessoli@unifi.it
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