The anion radicals with nonaromatic p-systems, such as semiquinones, are interesting in the design of functional materials. Magnetic properties of solvates of alkali salts of tetrachlorosemiquinone (chloranil) radical anion are tuned by crystal engineering using different solvents (2-butanone and acetonitrile) and/or cations (potassium and ammonium) in crystals. The structural and magnetic characteristics of two salts were studied by variable-temperature single crystal X-ray diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements. DFT and CAS-MP2 calculations were used to correlate magnetic and structural properties of radical anions. The solid-state structure of potassium tetrachlorosemiquinone 2-butanone solvate, influenced by temperature, switches between a paramagnetic-like monomeric radical form at high temperature (200 K) and diamagnetic dimeric one at low temperature (100 K). The reversible transition is controlled by solvent and cation types which affect intrastack distance and magnetic properties.

Iron-sheathed MgB2 wires doped with 0, 1.3 and 2.52 wt% carbon protected nickel superparamagnetic nanoparticles (the average diameter of the particles is 20 nm) and sintered at 650 °C were prepared. X-ray diffraction patterns and magnetization measurements showed that neither substitution of C for B nor substitution of Ni for Mg occurred during the synthesis process. Scanning electron microscopy imaging of the doped sample revealed a homogeneous distribution of nickel particles within the MgB2 matrix. Transport (magnetoresistivity R(T,B) and critical current density Jc(B) in the temperature range 1.5–40 K) and magnetic measurements (magnetic hysteresis loops at temperatures below and above the superconducting transition temperature) were performed on Fe-sheathed wires and the superconducting cores of these wires. A small enhancement of the irreversibility field Birr(t = Tirr(B)/Tirr(0)) of the doped wires was observed in the low field range. Significant enhancement of Jc(B), especially at low temperature (5 K), was observed: at 5 K and 10 T, for both doped wires, Jc is 2.5 times larger than that for the undoped wire.

Magnetic properties of single crystals of the heterometallic complex [Cu(bpy) 3 ] 2 [Cr(C 2 O 4 ) 3 ]NO 3 ·9H 2 O (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) have been investigated. From the recorded EPR spectra, the spin-Hamiltonian parameters have been determined. The magnetization measurements have shown magnetic anisotropy at low temperatures, which has been analysed as a result of the zero-field splitting of the Cr III ion. By fitting the exactly derived magnetization expression to the measured magnetization data, the axial zero-field splitting parameter, D, has been calculated. Comparing to the EPR measurements, it has been confirmed that D can be determined from the measurements of the macroscopic magnetization on the single crystals.

A systematic study of the influence of doping MgB 2 with single domain magnetic nanoparticles of NiCoB alloy, uncoated and coated with SiO 2 , has been performed. Electrical resistivity, transport critical current density, J c (B, T), and magnetization of well characterized undoped and doped with 1.38 and 2.67 wt% of NiCoB particles (both uncoated and coated) MgB 2 wires have been investigated in the temperature interval 2-300 K and in magnetic field B ≤ 16 T. The superconducting transition temperature, T c , decreases approximately linearly with the amount of dopand and the intergranular connectivity (the active cross-sectional area fraction, A F ) is also reduced upon doping. Reduction of critical fields (irreversibility field, B irr , and upper critical field, B c2 ) of doped wires was observed in the whole temperature interval, but an enhancement of J c of doped wires with respect to the undoped one was observed at low temperature (5 K). Common scaling of J c (B, T) curves, B irr (T) and volume pinning force, F p , for doped and undoped wires indicates that the main mechanism of flux pinning is the same in both types of samples.

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