Quantum tunneling of magnetization in lanthanide single-molecule magnets, bis(phthalocyaninato)terbium and bis(phthalocyaninato)-dysprosium anions

TL;DR

This study investigates quantum tunneling phenomena in lanthanide single-molecule magnets, specifically bis(phthalocyaninato)terbium and dysprosium anions, revealing staircase magnetization behaviors at very low temperatures.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental evidence of quantum tunneling in lanthanide single-molecule magnets through detailed magnetization measurements.

Findings

Observation of staircase-like magnetization structures.

Identification of resonant quantum tunneling between entangled spin states.

First demonstration of quantum tunneling in lanthanide-based SMMs.

Abstract

Magnetization versus field measurements were performed on single crystals of [(Pc)2TbIII0.02YIII0.98]^TBA+ and [(Pc)2DyIII0.02YIII0.98]^TBA+ (Pc: phthalocyaninato, TBA: tetrabutylammonium) at 0.04 K. The [(Pc)2TbIII] complex, the first lanthanide single-molecule magnet, exhibited clear staircase-like structures, which are assigned to resonant quantum tunneling between entangled states of the electron and nuclear spin systems.