Structural and Magnetic Properties of a Drop-Cast C 54 H 34 Br 4 CuO 4 β-Diketonato Complex Film on a Graphite Surface

The structural and magnetic properties of a drop-cast film of flat C54H34Br4CuO4, a β-diketonato complex functionalized with bromine atoms, on a graphite surface are investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy, synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Experimental measurements reveal that the Cu-complexes preferentially lay flat on the graphite surface. The magnetic hysteresis loops show that the organic thin film remains paramagnetic at 2 K with an easy axis of magnetization perpendicular to the graphite surface and is therefore perpendicular to the plane of the Cu-complex skeleton.