A delocalized arene-bridged diuranium single-molecule magnet
Author: ["David P. Mills","Fabrizio Moro","Jonathan McMaster","Joris van Slageren","William Lewis","Alexander J. Blake","Stephen T. Liddle"]
Publication: Nature Chemistry
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Abstract
Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) are compounds that, below a blocking temperature, exhibit stable magnetization purely of molecular origin, and not caused by long-range ordering of magnetic moments in the bulk. They thus show promise for applications such as data storage of ultra-high density. The stability of the magnetization increases with increasing ground-state spin and magnetic anisotropy. Transition-metal SMMs typically possess high-spin ground states, but insufficient magnetic anisotropies. Lanthanide SMMs exhibit large magnetic anisotropies, but building high-spin ground states is difficult because they tend to form ionic bonds that limit magnetic exchange coupling. In contrast, the significant covalent bonding and large spin–orbit contributions associated with uranium are particularly attractive for the development of improved SMMs. Here we report a delocalized arene-bridged diuranium SMM. This study demonstrates that arene-bridged polyuranium clusters can exhibit SMM behaviour without relying on the superexchange coupling of spins. This approach may lead to increased blocking temperatures. Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) are multinuclear clusters whose behaviour typically relies on intramolecular spin-coupling interactions between neighbouring metal ions. A diuranium–arene complex has now been prepared that shows behaviour characteristic of an SMM without relying on this type of superexchange mechanism. This may enable the construction of SMMs that maintain their magnetism at higher temperatures.
Cite this article
Mills, D., Moro, F., McMaster, J. et al. A delocalized arene-bridged diuranium single-molecule magnet. Nature Chem 3, 454–460 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1028
