Supramolecular spin valves

The field of Single-Molecule Magnets (SMM) is very promising, since an individual magnetic molecule represents the ultimate size limit for storing and processing information. Magnetic molecules are considered very promising for spintronics – electronics that exploits the spin as well as the charge of the electron – because they can store one bit of information in an extremely small volume. However, in order to use magnetic molecules, one has to fi nd a way to measure their magnetization. Here we show how magnetic molecules could act as building blocks for the design of spintronic devices. A collaboration between experimental chemists and physicists has led to a procedure that combines bottom-up processing techniques with conventional top-down nanofabrication. We have built a novel spin-valve device in which a non-magnetic molecular quantum dot, consisting of a Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube contacted with non-magnetic electrodes, is laterally coupled via supramolecular interactions to a TbPc2 molecular magnet. The localized magnetic moment of the SMM leads to a magnetic fi eld-dependent modulation of the conductance in the nanotube with magnetoresistance ratios of up to 300% below 1 K. Our results open up prospects for new spintronic devices with quantum properties. (full text)

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