Publications by authors named "L Gragnaniello"

Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) incorporate key properties that make them promising candidates for the emerging field of spintronics. The challenge to realize ordered SMM arrangements on surfaces and at the same time to preserve the magnetic properties upon interaction with the environment is a crucial point on the way to applications. Here we employ inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) to address the magnetic properties in single Fe complexes that are adsorbed in a highly ordered arrangement on graphene/Ir(111).

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We report on the scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) study of cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) molecules deposited onto a back-gated graphene device. We observe a clear gate voltage (V) dependence of the energy position of the features originating from the molecular states. Based on the analysis of the energy shifts of the molecular features upon tuning V, we are able to determine the nature of the electronic states that lead to a gapped differential conductance.

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We demonstrate that electrospray deposition enables the fabrication of highly periodic self-assembled arrays of FeH single molecule magnets on graphene/Ir(111). The energetic positions of molecular states are probed by means of scanning tunneling spectroscopy, showing pronounced long- and short-ranged spatial modulations, indicating the presence of both locally varying intermolecular as well as adsorption-site dependent molecule-substrate interactions. From the magnetic field dependence of the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism signal, we infer that the magnetic easy axis of each FeH molecule is oriented perpendicular to the sample surface and that after the deposition the value of the uniaxial anisotropy is identical to the one in bulk.

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Iron atoms adsorbed on a Cu(111) surface and buried under polyphenyl dicarbonitrile molecules exhibit strongly spatial anisotropic Kondo features with directionally dependent Kondo temperatures and line shapes, as evidenced by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. First-principles calculations find nearly full polarization for the half-filled Fe 3d and 3d orbitals, which therefore can give rise to Kondo screening with the experimentally observed directional dependence and distinct Kondo temperatures. X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements confirm that the spin in both channels is effectively Kondo-screened.

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The complex electronic properties of ZrTe_{5} have recently stimulated in-depth investigations that assigned this material to either a topological insulator or a 3D Dirac semimetal phase. Here we report a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of both electronic and structural properties of ZrTe_{5}, revealing that the bulk material is a strong topological insulator (STI). By means of angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, we identify at the top of the valence band both a surface and a bulk state.

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