Surface-Mediated Spin Locking and Thermal Unlocking in a 2D Molecular Array

Molecule-based functional devices may take advantage of surface-mediated spin state bistability. Whereas different spin states in conventional spin crossover complexes are only accessible at temperatures well below room temperature, and the lifetimes of the high-spin state are relatively short, a different behavior exhibited by prototypical nickel phthalocyanine is shown here. Direct interaction of the organometallic complex with a copper metal electrode mediates the coexistence of a high spin and a low spin state within the 2D molecular array. The spin state bistability is extremely non-volatile, since no external stimuli are required to preserve it. It originates from the surface-induced axial displacement of the functional nickel cores, which generates two stable local minima. Spin state unlocking and the full conversion to the low spin state are only possible by a high temperature stimulus. This spin state transition is accompanied by distinct changes in the molecular electronic structure that might facilitate the state readout at room temperature, as evidenced by valence spectroscopy. The non-volatility of the high spin state up to elevated temperatures and the controllable spin bistability render the system extremely intriguing for applications in molecule-based information storage devices.