Single-ion magnet behavior of Ln3+ encapsulated in carbon nanotubes: an ab initio insight

Abstract

Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) have attracted large interest owing to their capability to store information at the level of a single molecule, which has great potential for applications in information technology. The key characteristic required for SMM performance is the magnetization blocking barrier, and in the last decade, impressive efforts have been made to increase its height. Herein, we report an ab initio investigation of the SMM behavior of a series of lanthanide ions (Tb³⁺, Dy³⁺, Ho³⁺, Er³⁺, Tm³⁺ and Yb³⁺) encapsulated in zigzag carbon nanotubes (CNTs) of different diameters. The results show that despite the high symmetry of the Ln environment, none of the investigated systems, except for Er³⁺ encapsulated in the (7,0) CNT, exhibited any blocking behavior. This is mainly attributed to the strong competition between axial and equatorial contributions to the crystal field of these encapsulated ions, resulting in weak or lack of magnetic axiality. The presented results provide useful theoretical guidance for the design of high-performance SMMs via modulating the crystal field of the ligand environment.