Ricerc@Sapienza

The use of magnetic molecules and the thermal stabilization of their magnetic state is mandatory in the field of molecular spintronics and information technology. We here propose a route to grow a well-ordered spin network with tunable magnetic properties and a magnetic activity at device working conditions by exploiting self-assembly of metal phthalocyanine molecules on a functionalised Gr sheet. Our preliminary results show that we are able to switch the magnetic coupling from anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) to ferromagnetic (FM) for different occupation and symmetry of the magnetically active molecular orbitals. In this project, we plan a thorough investigation of the proposed system and to unveil the driving forces of the magnetic coupling, in order to clarify the fundamental interaction mechanism and identify the optimal magnetic configuration. The subtle interplay between ordering, molecular adsorption sites, and electronic interaction will be addressed together with their influence on the magnetic state of the spin network by means of complementary experimental techniques.