Melamine-induced synthesis of a structurally perfect kagomé antiferromagnet

Abstract

We report here a structurally perfect kagomé lattice {[Cu₃(bpy)₆](SiF₆)₃(melamine)₈}_n (1), where bpy is 4,4′-bipyridine and [SiF₆]²⁻ is a hexafluorosilicate anion. In comparison to general 1D linear, 2D layered and 3D cubic metal–organic frameworks, by using Cu²⁺ nodes and bpy ligands, a perfect kagomé lattice was synthesized by introducing C₃ symmetrical melamine molecules. Magnetic susceptibility and low-temperature heat capacity measurements indicated weak antiferromagnetic interactions between the spins and no long-range magnetic ordering to 0.7 K. Using C₃ symmetrical melamine molecules can be considered as a challenging synthetic strategy to afford new topological materials.