Luminescence thermometry in a Dy₄ single molecule magnet

Area of Science:

• Inorganic Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Quantum Computing

Background:

• Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) are crucial for developing high-density data storage and quantum computing.
• Dysprosium (Dy)-based complexes are promising candidates for SMMs due to their large magnetic anisotropy.
• Luminescent thermometry offers non-contact, high-resolution temperature sensing capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel tetranuclear dysprosium complex.
• To investigate the magnetic properties of the complex, specifically its potential as a single-molecule magnet.
• To explore the luminescent thermometry capabilities of the dysprosium complex.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of the tetranuclear linear complex [Dy4(1,1,4-H3Lr)2(OAc)6]·CH3OH (1·CH3OH).
• X-ray crystallography to determine the molecular structure and coordination geometries of DyIII ions.
• Magnetic susceptibility measurements to identify SMM behavior and relaxation pathways.
• Luminescence spectroscopy to evaluate thermometric performance over a wide temperature range.

Main Results:

• The complex exhibits two types of octacoordinated DyIII ions with distorted triangular dodecahedral and square antiprism geometries.
• The Dy4 complex functions as a single-molecule magnet with an anisotropic energy barrier of 39.7 K.
• The complex demonstrates luminescent thermometry in the 11-295 K range, with a maximum relative thermal sensitivity of 1.6% K−1.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized Dy4 complex is the first SMM exhibiting luminescent thermometry.
• This system represents a rare example of a dysprosium SMM with thermometric characteristics.
• The combined magnetic and luminescent properties suggest potential applications in magnetic sensing and temperature measurement.