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Updated: Jun 16, 2025

Author Spotlight: Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks
Published on: June 9, 2023
The Role of Rare-Earth Atoms in the Anisotropy and Antiferromagnetic Exchange Coupling at a Hybrid Metal-Organic
María Blanco-Rey1,2,3, Rodrigo Castrillo2,3, Khadiza Ali2,3,4
1Departamento de Polímeros y Materiales Avanzados: Física, Química y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, San Sebastián, 20018, Spain.
Abstract:
Magnetic anisotropy and magnetic exchange interactions are crucial parameters that characterize the hybrid metal-organic interface, a key component of an organic spintronic device. It is shown that the incorporation of 4f RE atoms to hybrid metal-organic interfaces of CuPc/REAu2 type (RE = Gd, Ho) constitutes a feasible approach toward on-demand magnetic properties and functionalities. The GdAu2 and HoAu2 substrates differ in their magnetic anisotropy behavior. Remarkably, the HoAu2 surface promotes the inherent out-of-plane anisotropy of CuPc, owing to the match between the anisotropy axis of substrate and molecule. Furthermore, the presence of RE atoms leads to a spontaneous antiferromagnetic exchange coupling at the interface, induced by the 3d-4f superexchange interaction between the unpaired 3d electron of CuPc and the 4f electrons of the RE atoms. It is shown that 4f RE atoms with unquenched quantum orbital momentum ( ), as it is the case of Ho, induce an anisotropic interfacial exchange coupling.
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