Molecular Magnets

The broad interest in the field of molecular magnetic materials has mainly been ignited by their potential applications in the storage and processing of digital information. In contrast to bulk magnets currently used for this purpose, the molecular nature of these new materials offers unique attributes that may allow information to be stored at much higher densities, and to be processed at unprecedented speeds. However, real-world applications of this kind of magnet require the ability to block magnetization at high temperatures, an objective that up until now has not been achieved. Since the discovery of the first single molecule magnet (SMM) in 1993, blocking temperatures have increased from 4 K to the surprising, recently-reported 60 K, tantalizingly close to the temperature of liquid nitrogen (77 K), a threshold that would make SMMs commercially practical for data servers.

This progessive increase in hysteresis temperatures is the result of contributions from many researchers to the in-depth knowledge of the fundamental basis of relevant magnetic phenomena. Nevertheless, although the field seems to be on the right path, higher blocking temperatures must be achieved for practical purposes, and therefore there still exists a need for progress in all aspects of research into molecular magnetism.

Accordingly, the aim of this Research Topic is to cover the most recent experimental and theoretical findings in the field of molecular magnets. This collection will deal with new rational designed synthetic routes and compounds, theoretical calculations for isolation of more effective magnets, experimental and theorethical results that can help to understand and to deal with the problem of magnetic relaxation, new magneto-structural correlations, etc. Advances in multifunctional molecular magnetic materials (chiral, luminiscent magnetic materials, etc.) are also welcome.