Photograph of a coating of the V[TCNE]x magnet on a Teflon tape being attracted to a Co5Sm magnet at room temperature in the air.

Once considered to be a scientific impossibility, organic magnets (containing little or no metallic material) were discovered by chemist Joel Miller then at Du Pont, and physicist Arthur Epstein of The Ohio State University and both supported by the Office of Science. In 1986, they discovered the first organic material to become magnetically ordered (at very low temperature, -268 degrees C / -441 degrees F), demonstrating for the first time that a magnet could be made using organic chemistry and without the usual high temperature, energy intensive processing. (Magnetic ordering refers to the orientation of each atoms' electron spins, which behave like tiny magnets; when many adjacent electron spins align in the same direction, the material can be a strong magnet.) Miller and Epstein's compound is composed of molecular units. These are the first soluble as well as nonmetallurgically prepared magnets, and are more magnetic then iron metal. (Due to the high density of iron, organic magnets can never be as magnetic as iron on a volume basis.) Their research led to the 1991 discovery of the first organic/polymeric material to exhibit magnetism above room temperature, opening the door to many potential applications. More recently, the two researchers made thin magnetic films using a unique low-temperature process as well as another material that becomes magnetically ordered far above room temperature (~100 degrees C, or 212 degrees F). These accomplishments have been profiled on the covers of 15 journals and recognized by the American Chemical Society's 2000 National Award for Chemistry of Materials.

Scientific Impact: This work created a new class of materials and a thriving field of research that could lead to many new technologies. Since the original discovery, several new classes of polymeric organic magnets have been identified, and research consortiums have formed in both Europe and Japan.

Social Impact: Organic magnets are lighter, more flexible, and less energy intensive to make than conventional metal and ceramic magnets. Applications now being pursued include magnetic shielding, magneto-optical switching, and "smart" materials. The magnetic properties of these materials change when exposed to light, making them candidates for high-density optical data storage systems.

Reference: Ferromagnetic Properties of One-Dimensional Decamethylferrocenium Tetracyanoethylenide (1:1): [Fe(C5Me5)2] + [TCNE]. J.S. Miller, J.C. Calabrese, A J. Epstein, R.W. Bigelow, J. H. Zhang, W.M. Reiff, J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun. 1026-1028 (1986).

Organic and Organometallic Magnetic Materials - Designer Magnets, J. S. Miller, A. J. Epstein, Angew. Chem. internat. edit. 33, 385-415 (1994).

Designer Magnets, J.S. Miller, A. J. Epstein, Chem. Eng. News, 73(#40), 30-41 (1995).

A Room Temperature Molecular/Organic-Based Magnet, J.M. Manriquez, G.T. Yee, R.S. McLean, A. J. Epstein, J. S. Miller, Science, 252, 1415-1417 (1991).

Tetracyanoethylene-based Organic Magnets, J.S. Miller, A.J. Epstein, J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun. 1319-1325 (1998).

Thin Film V[TCNE]x Magnets, K. I. Pokhodnya, A. J. Epstein, J. S. Miller. Adv. Mater. 12, 410-413 (2000).

Enhancement of the Magnetic Ordering Temperature (and Air Stability) of a Mixed Valent Vanadium Hexacyanochromate(III) Magnet to 99 C (372 K), O. Hatlevik, W. E. Buschmann, J. Zhang, J. L. Manson, J. S. Miller, Adv. Mater. 11, 914-918 (1999).

Organometallic- and Organic-based Magnets: New Chemistry and New Materials for the New Millennium, J. S. Miller, Inorg. Chem. 39, 4392-4408 (2000).

URL: http://www.chem.utah.edu/chemistry/faculty/miller/miller.html
http://www-physics.mps.ohio-state.edu/~ppl/

Technical Contact: Don Freeburn, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, 301-903-3156

Press Contact: Jeff Sherwood, DOE Office of Public Affairs, 202-586-5806

SC-Funding Office: Office of Basic Energy Sciences