Helical Folding-Induced Stabilization of Ferromagnetic Polyradicals Based on Triarylmethyl Radical Derivatives

Magnetic ordering in purely organic π-conjugated materials is a challenging, rare, and desirable event. The interest lies on the unique magnetic properties derived from high-spin carbon-based polymers/macromolecules tailored through appropriate synthetic routes. Ground-breaking achievements have been reported regarding magnetic ordering in an organic polymer using spin clusters as building blocks. This strategy leads to two-dimensional extended polyradicals with a concomitant loss of appealing macroscopic properties such as expected magnetic anisotropy in elongated shaped macromolecules containing carbon-bearing radicals. Here we provide compelling evidence of a secondary structure-induced stabilization of ferromagnetic polyradicals with robust magnetic properties and strongly suggest revisiting a discarded attempt to obtain polymeric linear-like radicals. An alternative synthetic approach is also proposed, based on polyradicals obtained from discrete molecular precursors (oligomers) long enough to ensure a secondary structure, rather than from polymerization processes.