A Coordination Chemistry Approach to the Synthesis of Single- Molecule Magnets

在该项目中，加州大学伯克利分校化学系的Jeffrey R.Long教授在化学系化学结构、动态和机理B计划的资助下，正在开发新型的单分子磁体。这些非凡的分子就像微小的纳米条形磁铁，因此有可能为信息存储和处理等技术带来革命性的变化。该项目的主要重点是利用合成化学来定制具有原子级精度的分子的局部环境，以产生具有优化性能的新的单分子磁体，最终目标是实现在室温或接近室温下工作的单分子磁体。该项目位于无机化学、有机化学和物理化学的交界处，因此非常适合广泛教育和培训年轻科学家。最后，将与当地社区推广计划合作，制作关于物质状态和磁性等主题的虚拟科学课程，并向旧金山湾区的小学生教授。该项目旨在开发新的合成方法来增强单分子磁体的磁各向异性，增强磁耦合，增加磁弛豫时间，目标是实现前所未有的工作温度。除了单分子磁体的各种技术应用外，它们的大小和电子结构导致了经典和量子性质的共存，例如磁滞和磁化的量子隧道。因此，单分子磁体提供了一个平台，可以用来在量子物理和经典物理的交叉点上预测并从根本上研究新颖的磁性行为。此外，将成为产生设计者磁性的目标的外来过渡金属、镧系元素和榄系元素配位环境有可能产生新的化学反应。最后，预计建议分子的磁性将提供对其他奇异而独特的磁性物种行为的直接洞察，如表面吸附原子、单链磁体和块状磁性材料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In this project, funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamic & Mechanism B Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Jeffrey R. Long of the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, is developing new classes of single-molecule magnets. These remarkable molecules behave as tiny, nanoscopic bar magnets, and therefore offer the potential to revolutionize technologies such as information storage and processing. The primary focus of this project is to employ synthetic chemistry to tailor the local environment of molecules with atomic-level precision to give rise to new single-molecule magnets with optimized properties, with the ultimate goal of realizing single-molecule magnets that operate at or near room temperature. This project lies at the interface of inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, and is therefore well-suited to broadly educate and train young scientists. Finally, virtual science lessons on topics such as states of matter and magnetism will be produced in collaboration with a local community outreach program and taught to elemental school students in the Bay Area. This project aims to develop novel synthetic approaches to enhance magnetic anisotropy, strengthen magnetic coupling, and increase magnetic relaxation times in single-molecule magnets, with the goal of realizing unprecedented operating temperatures. In addition to the myriad technological applications envisioned for single-molecule magnets, their size and electronic structure gives rise to the coexistence of classical and quantum properties, such as magnetic hysteresis and quantum tunneling of the magnetization, respectively. Therefore, single-molecule magnets provide a platform that can be used to predictably engender and fundamentally study novel magnetic behavior at the intersection of quantum and classical physics. Further, the exotic transition metal, lanthanide, and actinide coordination environments that will be targeted for generating designer magnetism have the potential to engender novel chemical reactivity. Finally, it is expected that the magnetic properties of the proposed molecules will afford direct insight into the behavior of other exotic though distinct magnetic species, such as surface adsorbed adatoms, single-chain magnets, and bulk magnetic materials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.