Largest magnetic anisotropy of a molecule measured at BESSY II
THz-EPR setup in the experimental hall of BESSY II. © HZB
The magnetic properties of the investigated bismuth complex (center) were investigated using THz-EPR spectroscopy at BESSY II. The method uses electromagnetic radiation from the THz to the infrared range in combination with high magnetic fields. © HZB
At the Berlin synchrotron radiation source BESSY II, the largest magnetic anisotropy of a single molecule ever measured experimentally has been determined. The larger this anisotropy is, the better a molecule is suited as a molecular nanomagnet. Such nanomagnets have a wide range of potential applications, for example, in energy-efficient data storage. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Kohlenforschung (MPI KOFO), the Joint Lab EPR4Energy of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (MPI CEC) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin were involved in the study.
The research involved a bismuth complex synthesized in the group of Josep Cornella (MPI KOFO). This molecule has unique magnetic properties that a team led by Frank Neese (MPI KOFO) recently predicted in theoretical studies. So far, however, all attempts to measure the magnetic properties of the bismuth complex and thus experimentally confirm the theoretical predictions have failed.
This important step has now been achieved by using THz electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (THz-EPR) at the synchrotron radiation source BESSY II, which is operated by the HZB in Berlin.
“The results show in a fascinating way that our method can be used to determine extremely high values of the magnetic anisotropy with high accuracy. Through our cooperation with scientists from fundamental research, we are thereby making a great step forward in the understanding of this class of materials,” says Tarek Al Said (HZB), first author of the study, which was recently published in the renowned Journal of the American Chemical Society.
- Nanoislands on silicon with switchable topological texturesNanostructures with specific electromagnetic patterns promise applications in nanoelectronics and future information technologies. However, it is very challenging to control those patterns. Now, a team at HZB examined a specific class of nanoislands on silicon with interesting chiral, swirling polar textures, which can be stabilised and even reversibly switched by an external electric field.
- Lithium-sulphur pouch cells investigated at BESSY IIA team from HZB and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (IWS) in Dresden has gained new insights into lithium-sulphur pouch cells at the BAMline of BESSY II. Supplemented by analyses in the HZB imaging laboratory and further measurements, a new picture emerges of processes that limit the performance and lifespan of this industrially relevant battery type. The study has been published in the prestigious journal Advanced Energy Materials.
- Ernst Eckhard Koch Prize and Synchrotron Radiation Innovation AwardThis year, the Friends of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (Freundeskreis des HZB e. V.) awarded the Ernst Eckhard Koch Prize to Dr. Dieter Skroblin of the Technische Universität Berlin for his outstanding doctoral thesis. The European Innovation Award Synchrotron Radiation went to Dr. Manfred Faubel from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen and Dr. Bernd Winter from the Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin. The award ceremony took place at this year's HZB user meeting.