The Quest for Optimal 3 d Orbital Splitting in Tetrahedral Cobalt Single‐Molecule Magnets Featuring Colossal Anisotropy and Hysteresis

Cobalt(II) Single-Ion Magnet Coordinated by Double Deprotonation of 2,2'-Bipyridine-6,6'-diol Ligands

In this study, we synthesized a new Co(II) complex, [NMe4]2[Co(bpyO2)2] (1), using deprotonated 2,2'-bipyridine-6,6'-diol ligands (bpyO2 2-). This compound exhibits a significant zero-field splitting (D) value. The far-infrared magneto spectroscopy and high-frequency and field electron paramagnetic resonance (HFEPR) measurements indicated that compound 1 possesses D = -54.8 cm-1 and E ∼ 0 cm-1. These findings were subsequently confirmed by other experimental data, including DC magnetic susceptibilities and variable temperature and variable magnetic field reduced magnetizations. Additionally, we conducted a series of AC magnetic susceptibility measurements to investigate the kinetics of magnetization relaxation. Below 6.6 K and under zero external magnetic field, fast quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM) dominates (∼570 Hz), and temperature-independent out-of-phase signals are observed. Above 8.1 K, temperature-dependent behavior is observed. Furthermore, we examined the AC magnetic susceptibility behavior under external magnetic fields ranging from 300 to 4000 G. The effect of QTM is significantly reduced in the presence of an external magnetic field. Temperature-dependent behavior is primarily governed by Raman relaxation. Through structural analysis of compound 1 and a series of pure nitrogen-coordinated single-ion magnets (SIMs), we propose that the oxo substituents from the double-deprotonated form of the 2,2'-bipyridine-6,6'-diol ligands donate their negative charge to the pyridine ring, forming amido anion sites. This triggers a more pronounced out-of-phase signal than that observed in pure pyridine-coordinated compounds. Moreover, we observed intermolecular interactions, including intermolecular hydrogen bonding, which, to some extent, influenced the slow relaxation of molecules. Therefore, we speculate that the slow relaxation phenomenon of compound 1 may be attributed to the combination of oxo back-donating effects and intermolecular interactions.

Levamisole Based Co(II) Single-Ion Magnet

A new Co(II) complex, [Co(NCS)2(L)2] (1) has been synthesized based on levamisole (L) as a new ligand. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses confirm that the Co(II) ion is having a distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry in the complex. Notably strong intramolecular S⋅⋅⋅S and S⋅⋅⋅N interactions has been confirmed by employing Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM). These intramolecular interactions occur among the sulfur and nitrogen atoms of the levamisole ligands and also the nitrogen atoms of the thiocyanate. Direct current (dc) magnetic analyses reveal presence of zero field splitting (ZFS) and large magnetic anisotropy on Co(II). Detailed ab initio ligand field theory calculations quantitatively predicted the magnitude of ZFS. Prominent field-induced single-ion magnet (SIM) behavior was observed for 1 from dynamic magnetization measurements. Slow magnetic relaxation follows an Orbach mechanism with the effective energy barrier Ueff=29.6 (7) K and relaxation time τo=1.4 (4)×10-9 s.

Magnetic Anisotropy and Relaxation in Four-Coordinate Cobalt(II) Single-Ion Magnets with a [CoIIO4] Core

A mononuclear four-coordinate Co(II) complex with a [CoIIO4] core, namely, PPN[Li(MeOH)4][Co(L)2] (1) (PPN = bis(phosphoranediyl)iminium; H2L = perfluoropinacol), has been studied by X-ray crystallography, magnetic characterization, and theoretical calculations. This complex presents a severely distorted coordination geometry. The O-Co-O bite angle is 83.42°/83.65°, and the dihedral twist angle between the O-Co-O chelate planes is 55.6°. The structural distortion results in a large easy-axis magnetic anisotropy with D = -104(1) cm-1 and a transverse component with |E| = +4(2) cm-1. Alternating current (ac) susceptibility measurements demonstrate that 1 exhibits slow relaxation of magnetization at zero static field. However, the frequency-dependent out-of-phase (χ"M) susceptibilities of 1 at 0 Oe do not show a characteristic maximum. Upon the application of a dc field or the dilution with a diamagnetic Zn matrix, the quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM) process can be successfully suppressed. Notably, after dilution with the Zn matrix, the obtained sample exhibits a structure different from that of the pristine complex. In this altered sample, the asymmetric unit does not contain the Li(MeOH)4+ cation, resulting in an O-Co-O bite angle of 86.05° and a dihedral twist angle of 75.84°, thereby leading to an approximate D2d symmetry. Although such differences are not desirable for magnetic studies, this study still gives some insights. Theoretical calculations reveal that the D parameter is governed by the O-Co-O bite angle, in line with our previous report for other tetrahedral Co(II) complex with a [CoIIN4] core. On the other hand, the rhombic component is found to increase as the dihedral angle deviates from 90°. These findings provide valuable guidelines for fine-tuning the magnetic properties of Co(II) complexes.

Popping and Locking: Balanced Rigidity and Porosity of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks for High-Productivity Methane Purification

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) hold great promise in carbon capture, owing to their structural designability and functional porosity. However, intrinsic linker dynamics limit their pressure-swing adsorption application to biogas upgrading and methane purification. Recently, a functionality-locking strategy has shown feasibility in suppressing such dynamics. Still, a trade-off between structural rigidity and uptake capacity remains a key challenge for optimizing their high-pressure CO2/CH4 separation performance. Here, we report a sequential structural locking (SSL) strategy for enhancing the CO2 capture capacity and CH4 purification productivity in dynamic ZIFs (dynaZIFs). Specifically, we isolated multiple functionality-locked phases, ZIF-78-lt, -ht1, and -ht2, by activation at 50, 160, and 210 °C, respectively. We observed multiple-level locking through gas adsorption and powder X-ray diffraction. We uncovered an SSL mechanism dominated by linker-linker π-π interactions that transit to C-H···O hydrogen bonds with binding energies increasing from -0.64 to -2.77 and -5.72 kcal mol-1, respectively, as evidenced by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and density functional theory calculations. Among them, ZIF-78-ht1 exhibits the highest CO2 capture capacity (up to 18.6 mmol g-1) and CH4 purification productivity (up to 7.6 mmol g-1) at 298 K and 30 bar. These findings provide molecular and energetic insights into leveraging framework flexibility through the SSL mechanism to optimize porous materials' separation performance.

Oxygen-Donor Metalloligands Induce Slow Magnetization Relaxation in Zero Field for a Cobalt(II) Complex with {CoO4} Motif

Most 3d metal-based single-molecule magnets (SMMs) use N-ligands or ligands with even softer donors to impart a particular coordination geometry and increase the zero-field splitting parameter |D|, while complexes with hard O-donor ligands showing slow magnetization relaxation are rare. Here, we report that a diamagnetic NiII complex of a tetradentate ligand featuring two N-heterocyclic carbene and two alkoxide-O donors, [LO,ONi], can serve as a {O,O'}-chelating metalloligand to give a trinuclear complex [(LO,ONi)Co(LO,ONi)](OTf)2 (2) with an elongated tetrahedral {CoIIO4} core, D = -74.3 cm-1, and a spin reversal barrier Ueff = 86.9 cm-1 in the absence of an external dc field. The influence of diamagnetic NiII on the electronic structure of the {CoO4} unit in comparison to [Co(OPh)4]2- (A) has been probed with multireference ab initio calculations. These reveal a contrapolarizing effect of the NiII, which forms stronger metal-alkoxide bonds than the central CoII, inducing a change in ligand field splitting and a 5-fold increase in the magnetic anisotropy in 2 compared to A, with an easy magnetization axis along the Ni-Co-Ni vector. This demonstrates a strategy to enhance the SMM properties of 3d metal complexes with hard O-donors by modulating the ligand field character via the coordination of diamagnetic ions and the benefit of robust metalloligands in that regard.

A single carbon atom controls the geometry and reactivity of CoII(N2S2) complexes

Three- vs. two-carbon N-to-N connectors give rise to monomeric, tetrahedral N2S2Co(II) (μeff = 4.24 BM) or dimeric [(N2S2)Co(II)]2 (diamagnetic) complexes, respectively. Differences in the derivative products of the Lewis acid receivers, W0(CO)3 and W0(CO)4, illustrate nucleophilicity of the thiolate sulfur lone pairs in each case, as well as their structural control.

Air-stable four-coordinate cobalt(ii) single-ion magnets: experimental and ab initio ligand field analyses of correlations between dihedral angles and magnetic anisotropy

For single-ion magnets (SIMs), understanding the effects of the local coordination environment and ligand field on magnetic anisotropy is key to controlling their magnetic properties. Here we present a series of tetracoordinate cobalt(ii) complexes of the general formula [^FL₂Co]X₂ (where ^FL is a bidentate diamido ligand) whose electron-withdrawing -C₆F₅ substituents confer stability under ambient conditions. Depending on the cations X, these complexes adopt structures with greatly varying dihedral twist angle δ between the N-Co-N' chelate planes in the solid state (48.0 to 89.2°). AC and DC field magnetic susceptibility measurements show this to translate into very different magnetic properties, the axial zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameter D ranging from -69 cm^-1 to -143 cm^-1 with substantial or negligible rhombic component E, respectively. A close to orthogonal arrangement of the two N,N'-chelating σ- and π-donor ligands at the Co(ii) ion is found to raise the energy barrier for magnetic relaxation to above 400 K. Multireference ab initio methods were employed to describe the complexes' electronic structures, and the results were analyzed within the framework of ab initio ligand field theory to probe the nature of the metal-ligand bonding and spin-orbit coupling. A relationship between the energy gaps of the first few electronic transitions and the ZFS was established, and the ZFS was correlated with the dihedral angle δ as well as with the metal-ligand bonding variations, viz. the two angular overlap parameters e_σ and e_πs. These findings not only give rise to a Co(ii) SIM showing open hysteresis up to 3.5 K at a sweep rate of 30 Oe s^-1, but they also provide design guidelines for Co(ii) complexes with favorable SIM signatures or even switchable magnetic relaxation properties.

Multi-Technique Experimental Benchmarking of the Local Magnetic Anisotropy of a Cobalt(II) Single-Ion Magnet

A comprehensive understanding of the ligand field and its influence on the degeneracy and population of d-orbitals in a specific coordination environment are crucial for the rational design and enhancement of magnetic anisotropy of single-ion magnets (SIMs). Herein, we report the synthesis and comprehensive magnetic characterization of a highly anisotropic Co^II SIM, [L₂Co](TBA)₂ (L is an N,N'-chelating oxanilido ligand), that is stable under ambient conditions. Dynamic magnetization measurements show that this SIM exhibits a large energy barrier to spin reversal U _eff > 300 K and magnetic blocking up to 3.5 K, and the property is retained in a frozen solution. Low-temperature single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction used to determine the experimental electron density gave access to Co d-orbital populations and a derived U _eff, 261 cm^-1, when the coupling between the d _{x ² - y ²} and d_xy orbitals is taken into account, in very good agreement with ab initio calculations and superconducting quantum interference device results. Powder and single-crystal polarized neutron diffraction (PNPD, PND) have been used to quantify the magnetic anisotropy via the atomic susceptibility tensor, revealing that the easy axis of magnetization is pointing along the N-Co-N' bisectors of the N,N'-chelating ligands (3.4° offset), close to the molecular axis, in good agreement with complete active space self-consistent field/N-electron valence perturbation theory to second order ab initio calculations. This study provides benchmarking for two methods, PNPD and single-crystal PND, on the same 3d SIM, and key benchmarking for current theoretical methods to determine local magnetic anisotropy parameters.

Alkali Metal Based Triimidosulfite Cages as Versatile Precursors for Single‐Molecule Magnets

Based on the potassium [{S(tBuN)₂(tBuNH)}₂K₃(tmeda)‐K₃{(HNtBu)(NtBu)₂S}₂] (1) and sodium precursors [S(tBuN)₃(thf)₃‐Na₃SNa₃(thf)₃(NtBu)₃S] (2), [S(tBuN)₃(thf)₃Na₃{(HNtBu)(NtBu)₂S}] (3) and [(tmeda)₃S‐{Na₃(NtBu)₃S}₂] (4) the syntheses and magnetic properties of three mixed metal triimidosulfite based alkali‐lanthanide‐metal‐cages [(tBuNH)Dy{K(0.5tmeda)}₂{(NtBu)₃S}₂]_n (5) and [ClLn{Na(thf)}₂{(NtBu)₃S}₂] with Ln=Dy (6), Er (7) are reported. The corresponding potassium (1) and sodium (2–4) based cages are characterized through XRD and NMR experiments. Preventing lithium chloride co‐complexation led to a significant increase of SMM performance to previously reported sulfur‐nitrogen ligands. The subsequent Dy^III‐complexes 5 and 6 display slow relaxation of magnetization at zero field, with relaxation barriers U=77.0 cm⁻¹ for 5, 512.9 and 316.3 cm⁻¹ for 6, respectively. Significantly, the latter complex 6 also exhibits a butterfly‐shaped hysteresis up to 7 K.

Extreme -Tensor Anisotropy and Its Insensitivity to Structural Distortions in a Family of Linear Two-Coordinate Ni(I) Bis-N-heterocyclic Carbene Complexes

We report a new series of homoleptic Ni(I) bis-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes with a range of torsion angles between the two ligands from 68° to 90°. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements revealed a strongly anisotropic g-tensor in all complexes with a small variation in g_∥ ∼ 5.7-5.9 and g_⊥ ∼ 0.6. The energy of the first excited state identified by variable-field far-infrared magnetic spectroscopy and SOC-CASSCF/NEVPT2 calculations is in the range 270-650 cm^-1. Magnetic relaxation measured by alternating current susceptibility up to 10 K is dominated by Raman and direct processes. Ab initio ligand-field analysis reveals that a torsion angle of <90° causes the splitting between doubly occupied d_xz and d_yz orbitals, which has little effect on the magnetic properties, while the temperature dependence of the magnetic relaxation appears to have no correlation with the torsion angle.

Pentacoordinate Cobalt(II) Single Ion Magnets with Pendant Alkyl Chains: Shall We Go for Chloride or Bromide?

Four pentacoordinate complexes 1-4 of the type [Co(L1)X2] and [Co(L2)X2] (where L1=2,6-bis(1-octyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine for 1 and 2, L2=2,6-bis(1-dodecyl-1H-benzimidazol -2-yl)-pyridine for 3 and 4; X = Cl- for 1 and 3, X...

Field-induced slow magnetic relaxation behaviours in binuclear cobalt(II) metallocycle and exchange-coupled cluster

Precise control of structures and magnetic properties of a molecular material constitutes an important challenge to realize the tailor-made magnetic function. Herein, we reported that the ligand-directed coordination self-assembly of...

Imidosulfonate scorpionate ligands in lanthanide single-molecule magnet design: slow magnetic relaxation and butterfly hysteresis in [ClDy{Ph2PCH2S(NtBu)3}2]

Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) harbour vast opportunities for potential pioneering applications upon optimization like big data storage and quantum computing. Lanthanides were found to be highly suitable candidates in the design of such molecules, as they intrinsically hold a large unquenched orbital momentum and a strong spin-orbit coupling, warranting a high magnetic anisotropy. An indispensable element in successfully tailoring SMMs is the ligand design. Polyimido sulfur ligands offer a promising choice because the polar S⁺-N^--bond facilitates both electronic and geometric adaptability to various f-metals. In particular, the acute N-Ln-N bite angle generates advantageous magnetic properties. The [Ph₂PCH₂S(NtBu)₃]^- anion, introduced from [(thf)₃K{Ph₂PCH₂S(NtBu)₃}] (2) to a series of complexes [ClLn{Ph₂PCH₂S(NtBu)₃}₂] with Ln = Tb (3a), Dy (3b), Er (3c), Ho (3d), and Lu (3e), provides tripodal shielding of the metal's hemisphere as well as a side-arm donation of a soft phosphorus atom. For the Tb and Er complexes 3a and 3d, slow magnetic relaxation (U_eff = 235 and 34.5 cm^-1, respectively) was only observed under an applied dc field. The dysprosium congener 3b, however, is a true SMM with relaxation at zero field (U_eff = 66 cm^-1) and showing a butterfly hysteresis close to 3.5 K. Upon magnetic dilution with the diamagnetic and isostructural lutetium complex 3e or application of a magnetic field, the energy barrier to spin reversal is increased to 74 cm^-1.

Benchmarking magnetic and spectroscopic properties on highly stable 3d metal complexes with tuneable bis(benzoxazol-2-yl)methanide ligands

Two series a and b of 3d metal based complexes 1-4 [M^II{(4-R-NCOC₆H₄)₂CH}₂], (with M = Mn (1), Fe (2), Co (3), Ni (4) and R = H (a) or Me (b)) were synthesised and structurally characterized. The complexes were found to crystallize differently depending on the dication ionic radius and the ligand substitution. All complexes showed remarkable X-ray diffraction resolution that will allow further advanced diffraction experiments. Subsequently, their spectroscopic and magnetic properties were analysed. Complexes 3a and 3b notably show slow magnetic relaxation of their magnetization and represent simple model systems relaxing through a phonon-bottleneck process (3a) or as a field-induced single-molecule magnet (3b, U_eff = 45.0 cm^-1). Remarkably, the magnetic anisotropy in the manganese complex 1b results in induced slow magnetic relaxation. The influence of the dual 4-methylation of the ligands was investigated and found to generate important variations in the physical features of the corresponding complexes. Accessible via one-pot synthesis, these are highly robust against oxidation and moisture. Through smart ligand engineering, they represent stable and tuneable compounds for benchmarking purposes through standard and less-standard characterization methods.

Enhancing Steric Hindrance via Ligand Design in Dysprosium Complexes: From Induced Slow Relaxation to Zero-Field Single-Molecule Magnet Properties

The synthesis and magnetic characterization of three novel Dy compounds, [Dy{PPh₂S(N^tBu)₂}₂(μ-Cl₂)Li(THF)₂] (1), [Dy{PhS(N^tBu)₂}₂(μ-Cl₂)Li(THF)₂] (2), and [Dy{MeS(N^tBu)₃}₂(μ-Cl₂)Li(THF)₂] (3), based on the sulfur-nitrogen ligands RS(N^tBu)_x^- (where R = PPh₂, x = 2 for (1); R = Ph, x = 2 for (2); and R = Me, x = 3 for (3)) are reported. They represent rare examples of lanthanide-based complexes containing sulfur-nitrogen ligands, whose suitability to enhance the magnetic anisotropy in 3d metals was only recently established. Changes in the ligand field environment drastically affect the magnetic properties, with compounds 1 and 2 displaying field-induced single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior, while compound 3 shows slow relaxation at zero field. These trends strongly suggest that ligand engineering strategies toward linear dysprosium complexes, similar to those for dysprosocenium complexes, should enhance the SMM performances of SN-based lanthanide compounds.