Spin-crossover nanocrystals with magnetic, optical, and structural bistability near room temperature.

Spin Crossover Phenomenon in Nanocrystals and Nanoparticles of [Fe(3-Fpy)2M(CN)4] (MII = Ni, Pd, Pt) Two-Dimensional Coordination Polymers

The two-dimensional spin crossover (SCO) polymers [Fe(3-Fpy)2M(CN)4] (MII = Ni(1), Pd(2), Pt(3)) were nanostructured in the form of nanocrystals and nanoparticles, and their chemical, structural, and physical characterization was carried out using different experimental methods (powder X-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility measurements, Mossbauer and infrared spectroscopy, transmission and scanning electronic microscopy, etc.). Surfactant-free nanocrystals of average dimensions 400 × 400 × 30 nm (1a, 1a*, 2a, 3a) were synthesized from water in oil microemulsions (w/o) while nanoparticles of average size 200 × 100, 100 × 60, and 70 × 30 nm were obtained in poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) c…