Porphyrins can be turned into customisable molecular nanomagnets

By tuning the magnetic properties of porphyrin chains, researchers are gaining new insights into materials that could be used in data-storage and quantum computing.

A research team led by Xiaodong Zhuang and Shiyong Wang from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China, prepared porphyrin chains on a gold surface. Using microscopy techniques applied in atomic manipulation, they could selectively remove hydrogen atoms from the molecules to create radical species. This enabled the team to tune the magnetic coupling within the molecules.