Pliable and lightweight thin-film magnets performing at room temperature are indispensable ingredients of the next-generation flexible electronics. However, conventional inorganic magnets based on f-block metals are rigid and heavy, whereas the emerging organic/molecular magnets are inferior regarding their magnetic characteristics. Here we fuse the best features of the two worlds, by tailoring ε-Fe 2 O 3 -terephthalate superlattice thin films with inbuilt flexibility due to the thin organic layers intimately embedded within the ferrimagnetic ε-Fe 2 O 3 matrix; these films are also sustainable as they do not contain rare heavy metals. The films are grown with sub-nanometer-scale accuracy from gaseous precursors using the atomic/molecular layer deposition (ALD/MLD) technique. Tensile tests confirm the expected increased flexibility with increasing organic content reaching a 3-fold decrease in critical bending radius (2.4 ± 0.3 mm) as compared to ε-Fe 2 O 3 thin film (7.7 ± 0.3 mm). Most remarkably, these hybrid ε-Fe 2 O 3 -terephthalate films do not compromise the exceptional intrinsic magnetic characteristics of the ε-Fe 2 O 3 phase, in particular the ultrahigh coercive force (∼2 kOe) even at room temperature.

The atomic/molecular layer deposition (ALD/ MLD) technique provides an elegant way to growc rystalline metal-azobenzene thin films directly from gaseous precursors; the photoactive azobenzenel inkers thus form an integral part of the crystal framework. Reversible water capture/release behavior for these thin films can be triggered through the trans-cis photoisomerization reaction of the azobenzene moieties in the structure.T he ALD/MLD approach could open up new horizons for example,f or the emerging fields of remotely controlled drug delivery and gas storage.

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We demonstrate the fabrication of in-situ crystalline thin films of various azobenzene (AZO) based metal-organic structures using the atomic/molecular layer deposition (ALD/MLD) technique; these are highly intriguing materials as azobenzene...

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