Single-Molecule Magnetoluminescence from a Spatially Confined Persistent Diradical Emitter

Luminescent radicals are an emerging class of materials that exhibit unique photofunctions not found in closed-shell molecules due to their open-shell electronic structure. Particularly promising are photofunctions in which radical’s spin and luminescence are correlated; for example, when a magnetic field can affect luminescence (i.e., magnetoluminescence, ML). These photofunctions could be useful in the new science of spin photonics. However, previous observations of ML in radicals have been limited to systems in which radicals are randomly doped in host crystals or polymerized through metal complexation. This study shows that a covalently linked luminescent radical dimer (diradical) can exhibit ML as a single-molecular property. This facilitates detailed elucidation of the requirements for and mechanisms of ML in radicals and can aid the rational design of ML-active radicals based on synthetic chemistry.