Paramagnetic ionic liquids (ILs) have been around for decades, but their magnetic properties have been generally overlooked until recent reports of the manipulation of ILs via magnets at room temperature. The liquid nature of ILs makes them unique in their potential applications and magnetic behavior in non-ordered systems. There is now growing interest in the magnetic properties of ILs, but confusion exists whether ordered magnetic behavior as compared to paramagnetic behavior exists. Herein we present examples of paramagnetic and ordered magnetic behavior, the latter of which only exists at low temperatures. We have synthesized room temperature ionic liquids containing transition metal and lanthanide halide-based anions, paired with a glass-forming phosphonium cation [R3R'P]+. With lanthanide ILs, interesting behavior is observed for the ILs with deviations below 50K, and is likely the result of formation of small metal-halide clusters in the IL during glass formation, resulting in spin glass-like magnetic behavior.

Magnetism and paramagnetism in metal-based ionic liquids

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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