On-surface magnetocaloric effect for a van der Waals Gd(iii) 2D MOF grown on Si

Gd complexes have been studied as magnetic coolants due to their large magneto-caloric effect. In this work we present a Gd 2D metal-organic framework (MOF) of formula [Gd(MeCOO)(PhCOO)2] (1). We characterize the magnetic properties of 1, showing that it displays slow relaxation of the magnetization by ac susceptibility, and single-ion magnetic anisotropy using high-field EPR. By heat capacity and magnetization vs. field at various temperatures we determine the magnetic entropy change of compound 1. We then grow 1 on functionalized silicon, and show that the surface-deposited 2D MOF 1Si can be used as an on-surface magnetic cryogenic coolant.