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Replacing a monoanionic cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligand in dysprosium single‐molecule magnets (SMMs) with a dianionic cyclobutadienyl (Cb) ligand in the sandwich complexes [(η4‐Cb′′′′)Dy(η5‐C5Me4tBu)(BH4)]− (1), [(η4‐Cb′′′′)Dy(η8‐Pn†)K(THF)] (2) and [(η4‐Cb′′′′)Dy(η8‐Pn†)]− (3) leads to larger energy barriers to magnetization reversal (Cb′′′′=C4(SiMe3)4, Pn†=1,4‐di(tri‐isopropylsilyl)pentalenyl). Short distances to the Cb′′′′ ligands and longer distances to the Cp ligands in 1–3 are consistent with the crystal field splitting being dominated by the former. Theoretical analysis shows that the magnetic axes in the ground Kramers doublets of 1–3 are oriented towards the Cb′′′′ ligands. The theoretical axiality parameter and the relative axiality parameter Z and Zrel are introduced to facilitate comparisons of the SMM performance of 1–3 with a benchmark SMM. Increases in Z and Zrel when Cb′′′ replaces Cp signposts a route to SMMs with properties that could surpass leading systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) containing only one metal center may represent the lower size limit for molecule-based magnetic information storage materials. Their current drawback is that all SMMs require liquid-helium cooling to show magnetic memory effects. We now report a chemical strategy to access the dysprosium metallocene cation [(CpiPr5)Dy(Cp*)]+ (CpiPr5, penta-iso-propylcyclopentadienyl; Cp*, pentamethylcyclopentadienyl), which displays magnetic hysteresis above liquid-nitrogen temperatures. An effective energy barrier to reversal of the magnetization of Ueff = 1541 wave number is also measured. The magnetic blocking temperature of TB = 80 kelvin for this cation overcomes an essential barrier toward the development of nanomagnet devices that function at practical temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pentalene-ligated dysprosium complex [(η8-Pn†)Dy(Cp*)] (1Dy) (Pn† = [1,4-(iPr3Si)2C8H4]2−) and its magnetically dilute analogue are single-molecule magnets, with energy barriers of 245 cm−1. Whilst the [Cp*]− ligand in 1Dy provides a strong axial crystal field, the overall axiality of this system is attenuated by the unusual folded structure of the [Pn†]2− ligand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstraction of a chloride ligand from the dysprosium metallocene [(Cpttt)2DyCl] ( 1Dy Cpttt=1,2,4-tri( tert-butyl)cyclopentadienide) by the triethylsilylium cation produces the first base-free rare-earth metallocenium cation [(Cpttt)2Dy]+ ( 2Dy) as a salt of the non-coordinating [B(C6F5)4]− anion. Magnetic measurements reveal that [ 2Dy][B(C6F5)4] is an SMM with a record anisotropy barrier up to 1277 cm−1 (1837 K) in zero field and a record magnetic blocking temperature of 60 K, including hysteresis with coercivity. The exceptional magnetic axiality of 2Dy is further highlighted by computational studies, which reveal this system to be the first lanthanide SMM in which all low-lying Kramers doublets correspond to a well-defined MJ value, with no significant mixing even in the higher doublets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]