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Surface modification can have a significant influence on the materials behavior at the nanoscale and can lead to nanostructures with novel properties. Here, we demonstrate the surface modification induced multiple photoluminescence and room temperature ferromagnetic activation of Mn3O4 nanoparticles (NPs). Employing a systematic variation of the ligands, their functional groups and the structural position of the functional groups, we have identified the necessary and sufficient structural requirements of the surface co-ordinating ligands, in order to induce unprecedented optical/magnetic responses from the NPs. Using a multitude of spectroscopic techniques, we have investigated the mechanism behind the emergence of the multiple photoluminescence (PL), and it is revealed that the presence of a α-hydroxy carboxylate moiety in the ligands is necessary to activate the Jahn–Teller (J–T) splitting of Mn3+ ions …