Spin Chirality in a Molecular Dysprosium Triangle: the Archetype of the Non-Collinear Ising Model

TL;DR

This study investigates a Dy3+ triangular cluster where non-collinear magnetic axes lead to a non-magnetic ground state with chiral properties and unique magnetization relaxation behaviors, illustrating a non-collinear Ising model archetype.

Contribution

It provides a detailed experimental and theoretical analysis of spin chirality and non-collinearity effects in a molecular Dy3+ triangle, exemplifying the non-collinear Ising model.

Findings

Cancellation of magnetic moments due to non-collinearity

Chiral nature of the non-magnetic ground doublet

Slow magnetization relaxation with level crossing accelerations

Abstract

Single crystal magnetic studies combined with a theoretical analysis show that cancellation of the magnetic moments in the trinuclear Dy3+ cluster [Dy3(OH)2L3Cl(H2O)5]Cl3, resulting in a non-magnetic ground doublet, originates from the non-collinearity of the single ion easy axes of magnetization of the Dy3+ ions that lie in the plane of the triangle at 120 (deg.) one from each other. This gives rise to a peculiar chiral nature of the ground non-magnetic doublet and to slow relaxation of the magnetization with abrupt accelerations at the crossings of the discrete energy levels.