Magnetic exchange interaction between unpaired π- and d-electrons in nanographene-metal coordination complexes
The combination of open-shell nanographenes (NGs) and magnetic transition metals holds great promise for generating various new quantum phases applicable in spintronics and quantum information technologies. However, a crucial aspect in accomplishing this is to comprehend the magnetic exchange interactions between unpaired π- and d-electrons, a topic that has been seldom addressed. In this study, we focus on magnetic π-d exchange interactions between open-shell NGs and a magnetic coordination center of Fe or Co by employing scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. We synthesize two sets of NG-metal coordination complexes on a Au(111) substrate, secured by coordination bonds of carboxyl acid-Fe (Co). Through analysis of the excitation spectra, we observe a characteristic exchange coupling of 9 meV (5 meV) between the unpaired π-electron and the Fe (Co) d-shell electrons. Our experimental findings are qualitatively in agreement with multiconfigurational quantum chemistry calculations. This work provides evidence that a substantial magnetic exchange coupling can be achieved and engineered in metal-organic coordination systems, paving the way for designing and customizing extended radical metal-organic frameworks with precisely tailored magnetic properties.
Authors
- Jinfeng Jia
- Dandan Guan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3714-8813)
- Thomas Frederiksen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7523-7641)
- Yaoyi Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0054-4054)
- Canhua Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2240-3559)
- Yashi Jiang
- Pei Nian Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2014-2244)
- Hao Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6495-874X)
- Deng‐Yuan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1721-9183)
- Bingkai Yuan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6216-0353)
- Liang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8339-468X)
- Can Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0370-2695)
- Xiaoxue Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8234-9593)
- Shiyong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0297-4525)
- Bingxin Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3506-507X)
- Ricardo Ortiz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3535-0812)
- Xin-Yu Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5936-4740)
- Yuqiang Zheng
Institutions
- Ikerbasque (ES)
- East China University of Science and Technology (CN)
- China Pharmaceutical University (CN)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Hefei University (CN)
- Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics (CN)
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering (CN)
- Donostia International Physics Center (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- National Science Review
- Published
- 2025-01-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaf033
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Magnetism in coordination complexes
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.56
Funders
- European Commission
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación