Haldane State Formed by Oxygen Molecules Encapsulated in Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

We report on the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), magnetic susceptibility, and high-field magnetization measurements of oxygen molecules, which are unique magnetic homonuclear diatomic molecules with spin-1, encapsulated in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with diameters of about 0.8 nm. Antiferromagnetic interactions between neighboring oxygen molecules are expected in SWCNTs, resulting in the formation of a spin-1 one-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet, known as a Haldane magnet. The XRD pattern can be predicted accurately by considering the expected oxygen molecule alignment. The temperature evolution of the magnetic susceptibility and the high-field magnetization curve are typical of those for a Haldane magnet with spin-1. The results indicate that the Haldane state has been realized in a nanospaced material for the first time. This provides an alternative to the conventional condensed matter approach to forming quantum spin systems.