A number of scientists are competing heavily in the area of synthesizing and characterizing molecular ferromagnets, due both to a high level of intrinsic interest in the fundamental chemistry and physics, and because of potential applications for this important class of materials. So far, the synthesis of a stable class of molecular ferromagnets with a Curie temperature(Tc) above ambient has eluded chemists. This PI has recently succeeded in preparing a class of transition metal phthalocyanine compounds that are stable ferromagnetic materails with high Tc. The basis for this SGER grant is to provide an opportunity to further characterize and tailor magnetic properties such as coercivity, remanence and saturation field by controlling the conditions for synthesis of these materails to achieve, for example optimized particle size and amount of sbsorbed oxygen, and to study the role of catalysts in bringing about phase transformations that yield ferromagnetism at relatively low temperatures where pyrolysis is absent.
