Recent Advances in Molecular Magnetic Materials

Keith S. Murray

doi:10.1071/CH09260

RESEARCH FRONT

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Recent Advances in Molecular Magnetic Materials

Keith S. Murray ^A

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^A School of Chemistry, Monash University, Building 23, Clayton, Vic. 3800, Australia. Email: keith.murray@sci.monash.edu.au

Professor Keith S. Murray, F.R.A.C.I., gained his B.Sc. (Hons.) (1963) and Ph.D. (1966) degrees at the University of Manchester where his lifelong interests in d-block chemistry and magnetochemistry began, undoubtedly influenced by his mentors Dr David Machin and Professor (Lord) Jack Lewis, F.R.S. He has spent the whole of his academic career at Monash University, starting as a postdoctoral Senior Teaching Fellow in 1966, with Professor Bruce O. West, F.R.A.C.I., and rising through the ranks to be awarded a Personal Chair in Chemistry, in 1997. He is presently on a fractional professorial position, devoting himself fully to research, and from 2010 will be an Adjunct Professor. His research work has covered the areas of bioinorganic chemistry, molecular magnetism, and spin switching (crossover) polynuclear species and it is the latter two areas that are occupying his present research efforts, with support from the Australian Research Council, and they form the basis of this review.

Australian Journal of Chemistry 62(9) 1081-1101 https://doi.org/10.1071/CH09260
Submitted: 30 April 2009 Accepted: 2 June 2009 Published: 17 September 2009

Abstract

This review describes advances made in three areas of molecular magnetic materials of the types A: extended frameworks (coordination polymers) showing long-range magnetic order, B: spin-coupled clusters with emphasis on single molecule magnets and (n × n) grid species, C: polynuclear spin-switching (spin crossover) compounds of Fe^II with emphasis on dinuclear compounds and one-dimensional (1D) and three-dimensional (3D) (framework) materials, including porous ‘hybrid’ systems. The work of the author and his group is largely used to provide examples, together with results from other groups and collaborators that are included for comparison and completeness. Supramolecular aspects such as cluster–cluster and chain–chain interactions are discussed where relevant. A brief discussion is also given of the recent studies, carried out elsewhere, dealing with aspects of spintronics and the possible future relevance to molecular computers (type B materials) and with memory and other device possibilities (type C materials)

Acknowledgements

The author thanks his colleagues Stuart Batten and Boujemaa Moubaraki, and his students and post-doctoral researchers for their great input to this molecular magnetism research; Ken Van Langenberg, David Price, Paul Jensen, Suzanne Neville, Leigh Jones, David Turner, Stuart Langley, Ian Gass, Caspar Schneider, Tamsyn Ross, and Nicholas Chilton. The involvement of members of the Batten group, Martin Duriska, Jinzhen Lu, and Anthony Chesman is gratefully acknowledged. Very fruitful collaborations continue with Cameron Kepert, Len Lindoy, Hans Toftlund, Christine McKenzie, Colette Boskovic, Richard Robson, Sally Brooker, Paul Kruger, Peter Steel, Andrew Brodie, Eric Ainscough, Chris Sumby, Jean-Francois Létard, Greg Halder, and Karena Chapman, and all their students, while at Monash University the magnetochemical support and involvement of Peter Junk, Glen Deacon, Leone Spiccia, John Cashion, Cameron Jones, Phil Andrews, and Max Massi is gratefully acknowledged. Stuart Batten is thanked for his kind organizing of ‘Murraystock – 65th birthday’ activities and for sowing the seeds of this Research Front, the latter being ably directed and brought to fruition by Alison Green and Jenny Bennett of the Australian Journal of Chemistry, CSIRO Publishing. K.S.M. sincerely thanks all the authors who have contributed papers to this edition, thus fostering Australasian–overseas interactions, and Richard Robson and Brendan Abrahams for allowing use of unpublished, joint work. Finally, the Australian Research Council and the French–Australian FAST-DEST program are thanked for providing research grants.

References

Recent Advances in Molecular Magnetic Materials

Abstract

Acknowledgements

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