Uranium renews hope for monomolecular magnets

After years of research on monomolecular magnets (also called magnetic molecules), scientists have renewed hope that such molecules could one day be used to develop molecular-scale memories. Researchers at INAC recently built a wheel-shaped molecular (uranium-manganese) structure whose hysteresis cycle and energy barrier could be compatible with the applications being targeted. However, these properties were obtained only at a temperature of 4K.
The ingenious idea that changed the course of the research was to use uranium in conjunction with the manganese usually used for these structures. The two materials were combined through an original synthesis method developed during past research. The scientists are now working on different architectures to raise the temperature at which the structure’s magnetic properties are optimal.

Contact: marinella.mazzanti@cea.fr

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