Are Endofullerenes ideal Single Single Molecule Bits?

Endofullerenes are perfect cages made of carbon atoms which host other species of atoms. I will recall the pseudospin model that describes the magnetic properties of endofullerenes with a central nitrogen atom as well as up to three paramagnetic rare earth atoms [1]. With x-ray magnetic circular dichroism the geometric and magnetic properties of these molecules in bulk films as well as in thin layers on surfaces can be measured [2]. They are single molecule magnets and may act as single bits in a molecule with lifetimes far above 1000 seconds.

In stepping beyond ensemble measurements we see that single endofullerene molecules may behave like single atom bits [3], though, also the interaction between such bits may be studied (and exploited) if they sit inside C80 [4].

[1] Westerström et al. Tunneling, remanence, and frustration in dysprosium-based endohedral single-molecule magnets. Phys. Rev. B 89 (2014) 060406(R)

[2] Westerström et al. Surface Aligned Magnetic Moments and Hysteresis of an Endohedral Single-Molecule Magnet on a Metal. Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, (2015) 087201

[3] Natterer et al. Reading and writing single-atom magnets. Nature 534, (2017) 226

[4] Yang et al. unpublished.