Two-Coordinate Co(II) Imido Complexes as Outstanding Single-Molecule Magnets.

The pursuit of single-molecule magnets (SMMs) with better performance urges new molecular design that can endow SMMs larger magnetic anisotropy. Here we report that two-coordinate cobalt imido complexes featuring highly covalent Co═N cores exhibit slow relaxation of magnetization under zero direct-current field with a high effective relaxation barrier up to 413 cm, a new record for transition metal based SMMs. Two theoretical models were carried out to investigate the anisotropy of these complexes: single-ion model and Co-N coupling model.