Chemists create light-switchable magnets that remain active for hours
Chemists have achieved a groundbreaking advancement in materials science by developing light-switchable magnets that can remain active for hours. This innovative class of magnetic materials is engineered to respond to light, offering a controllable and reversible way to manipulate magnetism without the need for constant external power sources. Traditional magnets rely on intrinsic atomic structures to maintain magnetic order, but these new photo-responsive magnets harness molecular-level design and light-induced electronic changes to achieve long-lasting magnetic states. The principle behind this innovation involves embedding photosensitive molecules into specially designed frameworks. When exposed to light of a specific wavelength , these molecules undergo structural and electronic transitions, which trigger and stabilize magnetism within the system. Unlike earlier attempts where light-induced magnetism quickly faded, this new approach allows the magnetic state to persist for ...