Single-chain magnets assembled in cobalt(ii) metal-organic frameworks

Single-chain magnets (SCMs) are one-dimensional (1D) coordination polymers that exhibit magnetic bistability and have potential application in high-density information processing. Usually SCMs are magnetically isolated chains stacked by hydrogen bonds or ππ stacking; however, with the rapid development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), coordination chains assembled in MOFs have also shown SCM behaviour when the 1D magnetic correlation is strong enough in comparison to the other two dimensionalities. The high-dimensional framework of MOFs could also help in the formation of coordination chains that cannot form in isolated one-dimensional coordination systems. This feature article highlights the progress in this field by summarizing cobalt(ii)-based MOFs exhibiting SCM behaviour and classifying them into categories according to the bridging ligands within the Co^II chains, to provide fundamentals for further studies on the magnetic properties of coordination chains assembled in MOFs.