Materials & Nanoscale Magnets

During the last few years, there have been explosive new thrusts into all areas of nanoscience.

One of these is the search for nanoscale magnetic materials for advanced applications such as high density information storage and quantum computing. This has provided an alternative, molecular approach to nanomagnets. Many of these, particularly those of Mn, such as [Mn12O12(O2CR)16(H2O)4] and [Mn4O3Cl4(O2CEt)3(py)3]2 have been found to be the first examples of nanoscale magnets and are referred to as single-molecule magnets (SMMs).

The Mn12 and Mn4 clusters have been found to exhibit hysteresis (as any magnet should) and also to show quantum tunneling effects, showing that they bridge the classical/quantum interface, a fact of great current interest in both the Chemistry and the Physics communities.

The first dimer of exchange-coupled SMMs

Mn12

All these complexes are characterized by different techniques, i.e.: magnetic studies, electrochemistry, Paramagnetic NMR, etc…

Magnetic Studies

Electrochemitry

Paramagnetic NMR