Room temperature ferromagnetic properties of Al-doped bis(8-hydroxyquinoline)cobalt (Coq2) molecules

Room temperature ferromagnetic properties were obtained in an originally paramagnetic molecule bis(8-hydroxyquinoline)cobalt (Coq2) by doping a nonmagnetic element aluminum. The Al-doped Coq2 films with the thicknesses of about 200 nm were prepared on Si substrates by co-evaporating pure Coq2 powders (99%) and Al wires (99%) simultaneously at a base pressure of 1.9×10−4  Pa. The magnetic properties of the films were measured at different temperatures by using a Quantum Design superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The obtained maximum coercive field is about 250 Oe at 300 K. The electronic structures of Al-doped Coq2 were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analysis. The FTIR and XPS spectra indicate that the doped Al atoms prefer to interact with N and O atoms in Coq2 molecules. XAFS analysis shows that the Coq2 molecule does not decompose during the co-evaporating process. The ferromagnetism of the film is attributed to the interactions between Al and N p states in lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO).