Research Progress of Actinide Single Molecule Magnets

Single molecule magnets is a kind of magnetic materials composed of a single molecule. Its magnetism stems from the magnetic moment of a single molecule. It is expected to be applied in ultra-high density storage, quantum computer, spintronics and other fields. Actinide single molecule magnets have attracted more and more attention due to the great spin-orbit coupling effect of actinides and large radial extension of 5f electrons, and demonstrate promise for exceeding the magnetism performance of transition metal and lanthanide complexes. However, the relaxation mechanism of actinide single molecule magnets and the factors of slow magnetic behavior remain unclear. In this review, the reported actinide single molecule magnets in the last ten years are summarized. It is found that the experimental values of blocking barrier are absolutely inconsistent with the theoretical values, which limited the development of actinide single molecule magnets to some extent. Finally, the future research directions of actinide single molecule magnets are prospected.

Automated summary

Single molecule magnets are magnetic materials composed of a single molecule, with magnetism deriving from the magnetic moment of a single molecule. They are expected to have applications in ultra-high density storage, quantum computers, spintronics, and other fields. Actinide single molecule magnets have attracted increasing attention due to the strong spin-orbit coupling effect and large radial extension of 5f electrons of actinides, showing potential to outperform transition metal and lanthanide complexes in terms of magnetism. However, the relaxation mechanism and factors behind slow magnetic behavior in actinide single molecule magnets remain unclear. This review summarizes the reported actinide single molecule magnets of the past decade, finding inconsistencies between experimental and theoretical values of blocking barriers, which have limited the development of actinide single molecule magnets to some extent. Finally, future research directions for actinide single molecule magnets are proposed.