Nolan M. Gallagher | Searcharxiv

arXiv2021

Magnetic ordering in metal-free radical thin films

Molecular systems are materials that intersect with many different promising fields such as organic/molecular electronics and spintronics, organic magnetism and quantum computing1-7. Particularly, magnetism in organic materials is very intriguing: the possibility to realize long-range magnetic order in completely metal-free systems means that magnetic moments are coupled to useful properties of organic materials, such as optical transparency, low-cost fabrication, and flexible chemical design. Magnetic ordering in light elements, such as nitrogen and carbon, has been studied in magnetic-edged graphene nanoribbons8 and bilayers9, and polymers10 while in organic thin films most of the investigations show this effect as due to the proximity of light atoms to heavy metals, impurities, or vacancies11. Purely organic radicals are molecules that carry one unpaired electron giving rise to a permanent magnetic moment, in the complete absence of metal ions.12-14 Inspired by their tremendous potential, here we investigate thin films of an exceptionally chemically stable Blatter radical derivative15 by using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD)16-18. Here we observe XMCD at the nitrogen K-edge. Our results show a magnetic ordering different than in the single crystals and calculations indicate, although weak, a long-range intermolecular coupling. We anticipate our work to be a starting point for investigating and modelling magnetic behaviour in purely organic thin films. The tuning of the magnetic properties by the molecular arrangement in organic films is an exciting perspective towards revealing new properties and applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Overcoming the challenges in controlled thermal deposition of organic diradicals

We have demonstrated that it is possible to evaporate diradicals in a controlled environment obtaining thin films in which the diradical character is preserved. However, evaporation represents a challenge. The presence of two radical sites makes the molecules more reactive, even in case of very stable single radicals. We have explored the parameters that play a role in this phenomenon. Bulk formation thermodynamics and delocalisation of the unpaired electrons play the major role. The higher the formation energies of the crystal, the more difficult is the evaporation of intact radicals. The larger the delocalization, the more stable is the film exposed to air. The evaporation of different radicals, also with a larger number of radical sites can be successfully addressed considering our findings.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗