Prediction of huge magnetic anisotropies in 5d transition metallocenes

• The stability, electronic structure and non-collinear magnetic properties of a series of 5d metallocenes, namely, two cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rings sandwiched with a single 5d transition metal atom, are investigated. Our first-principles calculations reveal that Cp rings not only provide a suitable ligand environment for metal atoms, but also result in tunable magnetism depending on the transition metal element. Among them, HfCp2 and WCp2 show a high preference for the magnetization axis perpendicular to the Cp plane, with large magnetic anisotropy energies (MAEs) around 10 meV. We further consider triple decker metallocenes (M2Cp3), and find a huge MAE of above 60 meV in Ta2Cp3. The orbital energy split and shifts induced by composition change in metallocenes is mainly responsible for the significant MAE enhancement. By choosing a suitable crystal field for transition metal atoms, we pave a feasible pathway for designing promising building blocks of future magnetic storage devices.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Den kondenserade materiens fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Condensed Matter Physics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

magnetic anisotropy

metallocene

spin-orbit coupling

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