Magnetodielectric Effect in a Triangular Dysprosium Single-Molecule Toroics

Single-molecule toroics are molecular magnets with vortex distribution of magnetic moments. The coupling between magnetic and electric properties such as the magnetodielectric effect will provide potential applications for them. Herein, the observation of significant magnetodielectric effect in a triangular Dy3 crystal with toroidal magnetic moment and multiple magnetic relaxations is reported. The analysis of magnetic and electric properties implies that the magnetodielectric effect is closely related to the strong spin-lattice coupling, magnetic interactions of Dy3+ ions, as well as molecular packing models. Single-molecule toroics are special molecular magnets with vortex distribution of magnetic moments and regarded as one of the magnetoelectric moments. Herein, a triangular Dy3 single-molecule toroic exhibits clear negative magnetodielectric effects which indicates that larger magnetodielectric effects can be obtained in multinuclear magnetic clusters. This work brings an emerging new route to molecular magnetoelectrics.image