Enhanced Magnetic Properties in a Copper β-Diketonato Complex Film Stabilized by I··· I Interactions on a Graphite Surface at 2 K for Molecular Spintronics

The magnetic and structural properties of an organic film, composed of a β-diketonato complex functionalized with iodine atoms (C 30 H 18 CuI 4 O 4 ), deposited on a graphite surface are probed using synchrotron radiation spectroscopies and scanning tunneling microscopy. The Cu 2+ complexes form a halogen-bonded network at the interface, and the molecules in the film preferentially remain parallel to the graphite surface. For a temperature of 2 K, the complex film is paramagnetic; no preferential easy axis of magnetization is detected. The engineering and characterization of organic films composed of molecular magnets is essential for developing novel applications in spintronics and nanomagnetism due to the appealing magnetic and electronic properties of these materials.