New multifunctional magnets
Molecular materials offer potential applications in molecular sensors, data recording and storage, and information processing. These materials are created through self-assembling molecular building blocks at low temperatures (close to absolute zero), which makes them incredibly difficult to synthesise. The EU-funded MULTICYCHEM(opens in new window) (Multifunctional molecular magnets through cyanide chemistry) project worked to develop strategies for the design and synthesis of several multifunctional molecules. Using cyanide molecules, the project created several types of magnetic materials, including light-switchable magnets and porous magnetic compounds. For porous magnetic materials, four new molecules were created and characterised. Three of these can be switched on and off by the reversible removal of methanol molecules. The fourth showed the strongest magnetic properties ever reported for a cyanide-based molecular material. Another major breakthrough for MULTICYCHEM was creating molecules whose characteristics change in response to changes in pressure and temperature. This includes a range of physical parameters like ferromagnetism, photomagnetism, changes in colour and changes in direction of magnetism. Project researchers also created several molecules and salts that become magnetic when exposed to green laser light. Further work in this area focused on crystallising the compounds for in-depth analysis. Scientists developed and characterised many new materials through an iterative design process that should eventually have real-world applications. While molecular materials are still some time away from use in commercial applications, MULTICYCHEM has improved our understanding of them substantially.
