1. Topological frustration induces unconventional magnetism in a nanographene.
- Author
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Mishra S, Beyer D, Eimre K, Kezilebieke S, Berger R, Gröning O, Pignedoli CA, Müllen K, Liljeroth P, Ruffieux P, Feng X, and Fasel R
- Abstract
The chemical versatility of carbon imparts manifold properties to organic compounds, where magnetism remains one of the most desirable but elusive
1 . Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, also referred to as nanographenes, show a critical dependence of electronic structure on the topologies of the edges and the π-electron network, which makes them model systems with which to engineer unconventional properties including magnetism. In 1972, Erich Clar envisioned a bow-tie-shaped nanographene, C38 H18 (refs.2,3 ), where topological frustration in the π-electron network renders it impossible to assign a classical Kekulé structure without leaving unpaired electrons, driving the system into a magnetically non-trivial ground state4 . Here, we report the experimental realization and in-depth characterization of this emblematic nanographene, known as Clar's goblet. Scanning tunnelling microscopy and spin excitation spectroscopy of individual molecules on a gold surface reveal a robust antiferromagnetic order with an exchange-coupling strength of 23 meV, exceeding the Landauer limit of minimum energy dissipation at room temperature5 . Through atomic manipulation, we realize switching of magnetic ground states in molecules with quenched spins. Our results provide direct evidence of carbon magnetism in a hitherto unrealized class of nanographenes6 , and prove a long-predicted paradigm where topological frustration entails unconventional magnetism, with implications for room-temperature carbon-based spintronics7,8 .- Published
- 2020
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