Condensed Matter & Surface Sciences

COLLOQUIUM

Germar Hoffmann

University of Hamburg, Germany

“The Quest for Molecular Magnetism”

Single organic molecules are fascinating materials for application in nanoelectronics offering new degrees of functionality. In addition, exploiting the spin present in organic radicals, will open a gateway to molecular spintronics. Since the first experimental observations of ferromagnetism in purely organic systems as well of single molecular magnets behaviour in the early 90s, detecting local processes remains challenging. Although volume or area averaging techniques revealed the potential of molecule based spin systems, further progress in the synthetic design relies on a precise understanding of magnetic molecular properties within a specific local (molecular) environment. In my talk, I will present an experimental route to overcome these complications. Guided by the synthesis of tailored magnetic molecules, a bottom-up strategy is followed. The magnetism is locally detected by spin-flip processes in the case of paramagnetic molecular spins and by spin-polarized transport in the case of static spins. Thereby, the fundamental aspects of the working principles for a molecule-based spin filter are resolved.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

4:10 p.m. -- Walter Lecture Hall 245