A robust spin-coupled tetraradical via nonalternant design
Polyradicals in open-shell polycyclic hydrocarbons (PHs) offer access to multiple spin states and hold great promise for spintronics and quantum technologies. Here we report a nonalternant, air-stable tetraradical featuring two fused 7-5-7 rings and a strongly correlated singlet ground state. This molecule displays an exceptional tetraradical character ( y 0 = 1.00, y 1 = 0.89) and exhibits long ambient stability ( t 1/2 = 33 days). Comprehensive electronic structure and magnetic response analyses reveal that the spin topology is governed by both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions, with robust electron correlation ( J 1 = +321 K, J 2 = −44 K, and J 3 = −29 K). The unique nonalternant design suppresses hyperfine and vibrational decoherence, giving rise to long spin relaxation and coherence time. These findings demonstrate that embedding nonalternant motifs into PH polyradicals provides a powerful strategy to simultaneously promote molecular stability, spin-exchange coupling, and spin robustness—key features for materials in the rising field of quantum information science.
Authors
- Yubin Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2613-394X)
- Gaetano Ricci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0181-2513)
- Juan Casado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0373-1303)
- Junzhi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7146-0942)
- Shang‐Da Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0204-9601)
- David Casanova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8893-7089)
- Yushuang Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1089-1818)
- Weixiang Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2346-2468)
Institutions
- Ikerbasque (ES)
- State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry (CN)
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices (CN)
- Quantum Science Center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (CN)
- Donostia International Physics Center (ES)
- Southeast University (CN)
- Universidad de Málaga (ES)
- University of Hong Kong (HK)
- South China University of Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2026-11-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aef6604
- Primary Topic
- Synthesis and Properties of Aromatic Compounds
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00