Soft ferromagnetic effect in FePc/CdS hybrid diluted magnetic organic/inorganic quantum dots

Manipulating magnetic interactions in diluted magnetic quantum dots (DMQDs) is a fundamental research field due to the potential for developing robust magnetic semiconducting materials that can operate effectively in various environmental conditions. Here we design a new class of DMQDs via hybridization of inorganic CdS QDs with organic iron phthalocyanine (FePc) molecules. By a combination of X-ray photoemission, Mossbauer spectroscopies, and vibrating sample magnetometry, we demonstrate that FePc molecules alter the original diamagnetic nature of CdS QDs. They turn them into room-temperature soft-ferromagnets, while preserving the CdS QD structure from further oxidation in a more efficient way than the standard Fe doping of CdS QDs. These hybrid materials open up new possibilities for the design of DMQDs of tunable and robust magnetism for optomagnetic and spintronic applications.