Proximal magnetometry of monolayers of single molecule magnets on gold using polarized muons

TL;DR

This study uses polarized muons to investigate the magnetic properties of a monolayer of Fe4 single molecule magnets on gold, revealing preserved magnetic behavior with slight energy scale modifications compared to bulk Fe4.

Contribution

It demonstrates the application of low energy muon spin rotation to analyze monolayer magnetic properties and compares these with bulk behavior, highlighting changes in magnetic interactions.

Findings

Monolayer Fe4 maintains bulk-like magnetic properties.

Small differences in temperature dependence suggest altered energy scales.

Intramolecular magnetic interactions increase by approximately 60% in the monolayer.

Abstract

The magnetic properties of a monolayer of Fe4 single molecule magnets grafted onto a Au (111) thin film have been investigated using low energy muon spin rotation. The properties of the monolayer are compared to bulk Fe4. We find that the magnetic properties in the monolayer are consistent with those measured in the bulk, strongly indicating that the single molecule magnet nature of Fe4 is preserved in a monolayer. However, differences in the temperature dependencies point to a small difference in their energy scale. We attribute this to a ~60% increase in the intramolecular magnetic interactions in the monolayer.