Electrical readout of single-molecule magnets using graphene quantum devices

Single-molecule magnets on a graphene quantum dot — **Left:** Single-molecule magnets deposited on a graphene quantum dot. **Right:** Electrical conductance of the quantum dot, which depends on the magnetic alignment of the molecules.

A Georgetown University physics research team has demonstrated a method to electrically detect magnetization switching in single-molecule magnets (SMMs) at temperatures up to 70 K — strengthening the case for molecular-based quantum and spintronic devices.

SMMs are nanoscale magnetic molecules with stable quantum spin states, making them promising candidates for ultra-dense memory, spintronics, and quantum computing applications. To probe those states electrically, the Georgetown team integrated modified Mn₁₂ molecules with graphene quantum dots, enabling detection of the molecules’ magnetic switching behavior at temperatures well above those achieved in earlier studies, while maintaining a scalable device design.

The study, published in Carbon, was co-led by Professors Paola Barbara and Amy Liu, along with Ph.D. candidates Amjad Alqahtani and DaVonne Henry, in collaboration with CEITEC and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

Link to the article: A. Alqahtani et al., “Electrical detection of magnetization switching in single-molecule magnets,” Carbon 248, 121093 (2026).