The Frontier of Molecular Spintronics Based on Multiple-Decker Phthalocyaninato Tb(III) Single-Molecule Magnets

Ever since the first example of a double-decker complex (SnPc2) was discovered in 1936, MPc2 complexes with π systems and chemical and physical stabilities have been used as components in molecular electronic devices. More recently, in 2003, TbPc2 complexes were shown to be single-molecule magnets (SMMs), and researchers have utilized their quantum tunneling of the magnetization (QTM) and magnetic relaxation behavior in spintronic devices. Herein, recent developments in Ln(III)-Pc-based multiple-decker SMMs on surfaces for molecular spintronic devices are presented. In this account, we discuss how dinuclear Tb(III)-Pc multiple-decker complexes can be used to elucidate the relationship between magnetic dipole interactions and SMM properties, because these complexes contain two TbPc2 units in one molecule and their intramolecular Tb(III)-Tb(III) distances can be controlled by changing the number of stacks. Next, we focus on the switching of the Kondo signal of Tb(III)-Pc-based multiple-decker SMMs that are adsorbed onto surfaces, their characterization using STM and STS, and the relationship between the molecular structure, the electronic structure, and the Kondo resonance of Tb(III)-Pc multiple-decker complexes.