We demonstrate that an antiferromagnetic coupling between paramagnetic Fe-porphyrin molecules and ultrathin Co and Ni magnetic films on Cu(100) substrates can be established by an intermediate layer of atomic oxygen. The coupling energies have been determined from the temperature dependence of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements. By density functional theory+U calculations the coupling mechanism is shown to be superexchange between the Fe center of the molecules and Co surface-atoms, mediated by oxygen.

magnetic nanoparticles are of immense current interest because of their possible use in biomedical and technological applications. Here we demonstrate that the large magnetic anisotropy of FePt nanoparticles can be significantly modified by surface design. We employ X-ray absorption spectroscopy offering an element-specific approach to magnetocrystalline anisotropy and the orbital magnetism. Experimental results on oxide-free FePt nanoparticles embedded in Al are compared with large-scale density functional theory calculations of the geometric-and spin-resolved electronic structure, which only recently have become possible on world-leading supercomputer architectures. The combination of both approaches yields a more detailed understanding that may open new ways for a microscopic design of magnetic nanoparticles and allows us to present three rules to achieve desired magnetic properties. In addition, concrete suggestions of capping materials for FePt nanoparticles are given for tailoring both magnetocrystalline anisotropy and magnetic moments.

Ferrimagnetic CoFe 2 O 4 nanopillars embedded in a ferroelectric BaTiO 3 matrix are an example for a two-phase magnetoelectrically coupled system. They operate at room temperature and are free of any resource-critical rare-earth element, which makes them interesting for potential applications. Prior studies succeeded in showing strain-mediated coupling between the two subsystems. In particular, the electric properties can be tuned by magnetic fields and the magnetic properties by electric fields. Here we take the analysis of the coupling to a new level utilizing soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy and its associated linear dichroism. We demonstrate that an in-plane magnetic field breaks the tetragonal symmetry of the (1,3)-type CoFe 2 O 4 /BaTiO 3 structures and discuss it in terms of off-diagonal magnetostrictive-piezoelectric coupling. This coupling creates staggered in-plane components of the electric polarization, which are stable even at magnetic remanence due to hysteretic behaviour of structural changes in the BaTiO 3 matrix. The competing mechanisms of clamping and relaxation effects are discussed in detail.

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One of the key factors behind the rapid evolution of molecular spintronics is the efficient realization of spin manipulation of organic molecules with a magnetic center. The spin state of such molecules may depend crucially on the interaction with the substrate on which they are adsorbed. In this paper we demonstrate, using ab initio density functional calculations, that the stabilization of a high spin state of an iron porphyrin (FeP) molecule can be achieved via chemisorption on magnetic substrates of different species and orientations, viz., Co(001), Ni(001), Ni(110), and Ni(111). The signature of chemisorption of FeP on magnetic substrates is evident from broad features in N K x-ray absorption (XA) and Fe L 2,3 x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements. Our theoretical calculations show that the strong covalent interaction with the substrate increases Fe-N bond lengths in FeP and hence a switching to a high spin state (S = 2) from an intermediate spin state (S = 1) is achieved. Due to chemisorption, ferromagnetic exchange interaction is established through a direct exchange between Fe and substrate magnetic atoms as well as through an indirect exchange via the N atoms in FeP. The mechanism of exchange interaction is further analyzed by considering structural models constructed from ab initio calculations. Also, it is found that the exchange interaction between Fe in FeP and a Ni substrate is almost 4 times smaller than with a Co substrate. Finally, we illustrate the possibility of detecting a change in the molecular spin state by XMCD, Raman spectroscopy, and spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy.