Issue 46, 2014

Rational design of a room temperature molecular spin switch. The light-driven coordination induced spin state switch (LD-CISSS) approach

Abstract

Extensive use of quantum chemical calculations has been made to rationally design a molecule whose spin state can be switched reversibly using light of two different wavelengths at room temperature in solution. Spin change is induced by changing the coordination number of a nickel complex. The coordination number in turn is switched using a photochromic ligand that binds in one configuration and dissociates in the other. We demonstrate that successful design relies on a precise geometry fit and delicate electronic tuning. Our designer complex exhibits an extremely high long-term switching stability (more than 20 000 cycles) and a high switching efficiency. The high-spin state is extraordinarily stable with a half-life of 400 days at room temperature. Switching between the dia- and paramagnetic state is achieved with visible light (500 and 430 nm). The compound can also be used as a molecular logic gate with light and pH as input and the magnetic state as non-destructive read-out.

Graphical abstract: Rational design of a room temperature molecular spin switch. The light-driven coordination induced spin state switch (LD-CISSS) approach

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Oct 2014
Accepted
10 Oct 2014
First published
13 Oct 2014
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Dalton Trans., 2014,43, 17395-17405

Author version available

Rational design of a room temperature molecular spin switch. The light-driven coordination induced spin state switch (LD-CISSS) approach

M. Dommaschk, C. Schütt, S. Venkataramani, U. Jana, C. Näther, F. D. Sönnichsen and R. Herges, Dalton Trans., 2014, 43, 17395 DOI: 10.1039/C4DT03048F

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