Exchange coupling inversion in a high-spin organic triradical molecule

Abstract

The magnetic properties of a nanoscale system are inextricably linked to its local environment. In ad-atoms on surfaces and inorganic layered structures the exchange interactions result from the relative lattice positions, layer thicknesses and other environmental parameters. Here, we report on a sample-dependent sign inversion of the magnetic exchange coupling between the three unpaired spins of an organic triradical molecule embedded in a three-terminal device. This ferro-to-antiferromagnetic transition is due to structural distortions and results in a high-to-low spin ground state change in a molecule traditionally considered to be a robust high-spin quartet. Moreover, the flexibility of the molecule yields an in-situ electric tunability of the exchange coupling via the gate electrode. These findings open a route to the controlled reversal of the magnetic states in organic molecule-based nanodevices by mechanical means, electrical gating or chemical tailoring.

References in corpus (4)

• Mechanical Control of Spin States in Spin-1 Molecules and the Underscreened Kondo Effect
• Temperature and magnetic field dependence of a Kondo system in the weak coupling regime
• Local control of single atom magneto-crystalline anisotropy
• Observing magnetic anisotropy in electronic transport through individual single-molecule magnets

Cited by in corpus (12)

• Robust organic radical molecular junctions using acetylene terminated groups for C-Au bond formation
• Redox-Induced Gating of the Exchange Interactions in a Single Organic Diradical
• Spin decoherence of magnetic atoms on surfaces
• Electrically addressing the spin of a magnetic porphyrin through covalently connected graphene electrodes
• Spin-State dependent Conductance Switching in Single Molecule-Graphene Junctions
• Transport mirages in single-molecule devices
• Designing a mechanically driven spin-crossover molecular switch via organic embedding
• Phenalenyls as tunable excellent molecular conductors and switchable spin filters
• Non-Collinearity in Small Magnetic Cobalt-Benzene Molecules
• Dynamical Screening of Local Spin Moments at Metal-Molecule Interfaces
• Synthesis and Thin Films of Thermally Robust Quartet (S = 3/2) Ground State Triradical
• Overcoming the challenges in controlled thermal deposition of organic diradicals