Real-space observation of spin-split molecularorbitals of adsorbed single-molecule magnets

摘要

A key challenge in the field of molecular spintronics, and for the design of single-moleculemagnet-based devices in particular, is the understanding and control of the molecular couplingat the electrode interfaces. It was demonstrated for the field of molecular electronics thatthe characterization of the molecule-metal-interface requires the precise knowledge of theatomic environment as well as the molecular orbitals being involved in electron transport.To extend the field of molecular electronics towards molecular spintronics, it is of utmostimportance to resolve the spin character of molecular orbitals interacting with ferromagneticleads. Here we present first direct real-space images of spin-split molecular orbitals of asingle-molecule magnet adsorbed on a ferromagnetic nanostructure. moreover, we are able todetermine quantitatively the magnitude of the spin-splitting as well as the charge state of theadsorbed molecule.