NER: A Different Strategy for the Production of Molecule-Based Nanomagnets

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

This Nanoscale Exploratory Research (NER) award to Virginia Polytechnic Institute is supported by Divisions of Chemistry (MPS) and Electrical and Communications Systems (ENG), and this proposal was submitted in response to the solicitation "Nanoscale Science and Engineering" (NSF 01-157). With this award, Professor Yee will design and synthesize single molecule magnets based on radical ion bridged transition-metal networks from vanadium tetracyanoethylene complexes in solvents, and these compounds function at critical temperatures from 100K to room temperatures. Single molecule magnets are well-defined spin-containing molecules that exhibit slow relaxation when they are spin aligned by external magnetic fields, and as such they have potential capacity for storage of information at near the theoretical minimum size limit. Multidentate ligands, such as cyclopentadienyl, hydrotris(pyrazoyl)borate, triazacyclononane or tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine and their derivatives will be used to block three or more coordination sites to construct monodisperse high spin molecular squares and boxes and related structures. Other ligand candidates, such as 7,7,8,8- tetracyanoquinodimethane, that are known to serve in a bridging capacity, but do not mediate in magnetic coupling reactions with vanadium carbonyls, will also be evaluated to determine the bridging capacity and magnetic coupling. This award is for the rational synthesis of families of nanoscopic single molecule magnets, which have potential applications in information storage at near the theoretical minimum size limit. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this project, the proposed research activities will provide education and research opportunities to both graduate and undergraduate students in fields ranging from organic and material chemistry to molecular magnetism.