Tailored homo- and hetero- lanthanide porphyrin dimers: a synthetic strategy for integrating multiple spintronic functionalities into a single molecule

We present the design, synthesis and magnetic properties of molecular magnetic systems that contain all elements necessary for spin-valve control in molecular spintronic devices in a single molecule. We investigate the static and dynamic magnetic properties and quantum spin properties of butadiyne-linked homo- and hetero-nuclear lanthanide-porphyrin dimers. A heterometallated porphyrin dimer containing both Tb(III) and Dy(III) centres is created rationally by the stepwise oxidative homocoupling of distinct lanthanide-porphyrin monomers. Tb(III) and Dy(III) mononuclear porphyrin complexes, homodimers and heterodimers all exhibit slow magnetic relaxation below 10 kelvin under a static magnetic field. The coherence times for Gd(III) porphyrin monomers and dimers are found to be in excess of 3.0 μs at 2 K, allowing distinct magnetic manipulations in low temperature transport experiments.