In this work, we
have reported the electronic structure, spin state, and optical properties
of a new class of transition-metal (TM) dinuclear molecules (TM =
Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni). The stability of these molecules has been
analyzed from the vibration spectra obtained by using density functional
theory (DFT) calculations. The ground-state spin configuration of
the tetra-coordinated TM atom in each molecule has been predicted
from the relative total energy differences in different spin states
of the molecule. The DFT +
U
method has been used
to investigate the precise ground-state spin configuration of each
molecule. We further performed time-dependent DFT calculations to
study the optical properties of these molecules. The planar geometric
structure remains intact in most of the cases; hence, these molecules
are expected to be well adsorbed and self-assembled on metal substrates.
In addition, the optical characterization of these molecules indicates
that the absorption spectra have a large peak in the blue-light wavelength
range; therefore, it could be suitable for advanced optoelectronic
device applications. Our work promotes further computational and experimental
studies on TM dinuclear molecules in the field of molecular spintronics
and optoelectronics.