Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) have been actively studied due to their ability to retain magnetization for long periods of time in the absence of an external magnetic field. Strong interests in these molecules have stemmed from the possibility that information could be stored at higher densities and processed at unparalleled speeds. SMMs are typically paramagnetic (<i>S</i> &gt; ½) compounds of transition metals or rare earth metals with organic ligands separating the metal ions. Unlike bulk magnetism, the magnetic stability of SMMs is from the intrinsic electronic structure of the individual molecules, in particular their magnetic anisotropy, that leads to a large energy barrier and bistability of the magnetic moment. Currently there is a lack of spectroscopic studies to directly probe the anisotropy in SMMs. Inelastic neutron scattering (INS), offers a unique opportunity to directly view transitions among the magnetic levels. The Cold Neutron Chopper Spectrometer (CNCS) and the Disk Chopper Spectrometer (DCS) has been used to probe magnetic excitations in Co(II) and Er(III) SMMs. An external magnet has been paired with INS to aid in the investigation of magnetic excitations. The Vibrational Spectrometer (VISION) has also been used to study both magnetic and phononic excitations. <i>Ab-initio</i> phonon calculations were conducted to compare to experimental INS data. This work demonstrates that INS can provide a direct picture of magnetic excitations and phonons in SMMs that are absent in magnetic susceptibility studies.

Probing molecular magnetism with neutron scattering

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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