This paper demonstrates the engineering and tuning of Ising-type magnetic anisotropy in trigonal bipyramidal Co(II) complexes. Here, we predict that employing a ligand that forces a trigonal bipyramidal arrangement and has weak equatorial σ-donating atoms, increases (in absolute value) the negative zero field splitting parameter D. With these considerations in mind, we used a sulfur containing ligand (NS₃ ^iPr), which imposes a trigonal bipyramidal geometry to the central Co(II) ion with long equatorial Co–S bonds. The resulting complex exhibits a larger anisotropy barrier and a longer relaxation time in comparison to the complex prepared with a nitrogen containing ligand (Me₆tren).

We report the existence of a sizeable quantum tunnelling splitting between the two lowest electronic spin levels of mononuclear Ni complexes. The level anti-crossing, or magnetic “clock transition”, associated with this gap has been directly monitored by heat capacity experiments. The comparison of these results with those obtained for a Co derivative, for which tunnelling is forbidden by symmetry, shows that the clock transition leads to an effective suppression of intermolecular spin–spin interactions. In addition, we show that the quantum tunnelling splitting admits a chemical tuning via the modification of the ligand shell that determines the crystal field and the magnetic anisotropy. These properties are crucial to realize model spin qubits that combine the necessary resilience against decoherence, a proper interfacing with other qubits and with the control circuitry and the ability to initialize them by cooling.