Optical pump - nuclear resonance probe experiments on spin crossover complexes

A novel sample environment enabling optical pump – nuclear resonance probe experiments has been installed at the beamline P01, Petra III, DESY Hamburg. This set-up has been used to investigate optically induced spin state changes of spin crossover (SCO) complexes by nuclear resonant scattering immediately after excitation by an optical laser pulse. Here, we report the technical details as well as first results of the experiments performed at 290 K and 80 K on the SCO complexes [Fe (NH₂trz)₃]Cl₂ and [Fe(PM-BiA)₂(NCS)₂], respectively. The ⁵⁷Fe-enriched SCO complexes were excited by a 531 nm laser with a pulse length <?100 ps. Evaluation of the nuclear forward scattering data clearly indicate the presence of high spin (HS) states when the complexes are excited by laser pulses and a pure low spin (LS) state in the absence of any laser pulse. Furthermore, the dependence of the optically excited HS-fraction has been determined as a function of the average optical power.     

Structural origin of the gradual spin transition in a mononuclear iron(II) complex

Variable temperature single crystal X-ray diffraction and SQUID magnetometry experiments have revealed a gradual spin transition in [Fe^II(L)](ClO₄)₂ (where L=1,4,7-tris(2-aminophenyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane), centred around room temperature. The gradual nature of the spin transition has been attributed to the lack of significant intermolecular interactions between iron centres and the propensity of the counter ions to accommodate the internal strain in the crystal caused by spin crossover.     

Fe（II）-NH(a1Δ)N4S2自旋翻转单分子磁体的电子输运性质

Spin-crossover (SCO) magnets can act as one of the most possible building blocks in molecular spintronics due to their magnetic bistability between the high-spin (HS) and low-spin (LS) states. Here, the electronic structures and transport properties through SCO magnet Fe(II)-N₄S₂ complexes sandwiched between gold electrodes are explored by performing extensive density functional theory calculations combined with non-equilibrium Green''s function formalism. The optimized Fe-N and Fe-S distances and predicted magnetic moment of the SCO magnet Fe(II)-N₄S₂ complexes agree well with the experimental results. The reversed spin transition between the HS and LS states can be realized by visible light irradiation according to the estimated SCO energy barriers. Based on the obtained transport results, we observe nearly perfect spin- filtering effect in this SCO magnet Fe(II)-N₄S₂ junction with the HS state, and the corresponding current under small bias voltage is mainly contributed by the spin-down electrons, which is obviously larger than that of the LS case. Clearly, these theoretical findings suggest that SCO magnet Fe(II)-N₄S₂ complexes hold potential applications in molecular spintronics.     

EPR of the first Fe(III)-containing spin-crossover metallomesogens

The low-spin (LS) to high-spin (HS) transition in two mesogenic Fe(III) complexes with alkyloxysalicyliden-N^′-ethyl-N-ethylendiamine as ligands is studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The symmetrization of the crystal field around the Fe(III) ion under first heating of a polycrystalline sample from the room temperature was observed in the spectra of HS complexes. The line narrowing (from 45 to 15 mT) under the crystal-smectic phase transition is explained by the strengthening of the intermolecular exchange interaction, as a result of the structural reorganization of layers in the smectic phase. A feature of both mesogenic spin-transition systemsis an unusual field-induced spin instability which leads to the hysteresis of the HS-LS composition. This instability is detected by EPR and magnetic susceptibility methods. The alignment of systems by magnetic field in the mesophase and a complete or partial orientational order under cooling the mesophase to the glass state are the main reason for this hysteresis. The influence of EPR-silent LS complexes reveals itself in the line broadening of HS compounds’ when the temperature is lowered from 220 K.     

The spin-crossover complex [Fe(tpa)(NCS) 2 ]

The temperature-induced spin crossover of iron(II) in the [ Fe ( tpa )( NCS ) ₂ ] complex has been investigated by nuclear forward scattering (NFS), nuclear inelastic scattering (NIS), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, conventional M?ssbauer spectroscopy (MS) and by measurements of the magnetic susceptibility (SQUID). The various measurements consistently show that the transition is complete and abrupt and exhibits a hysteresis between 102 and 110 K. The dependence of the hyperfine parameters of the high-spin (HS) and of the low-spin (LS) phase on temperature is gradual while the effective thickness (determined by the Lamb-M?ssbauer factor f _LM ) shows a step at the transition temperature. This step could be identified clearly because the effective thickness is measured directly by NFS. The Lamb-M?ssbauer factor, the Debye temperature and the mean-square displacement of iron(II) could be determined for the HS and for the LS phase. When comparing the NIS data with the results from density functional theory (DFT), the Fe-N stretching vibrations of both LS and HS phases could be unambiguously identified and the f _LM could be factorized for both phases into a lattice and a molecular part. The structural information from EXAFS and DFT geometry optimization are in reasonable agreement. Received 19 June 2001     

Covalence-induced stabilization of an intermediate-spin state and the magnetic susceptibility of LaCoO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

The energies of terms with spins S = 0, 1, 2 have been found using exact diagnoalization of the multielectron Hamiltonian of a multiband pd model for the CoO₆ cluster. Co (e _g orbital)-O hops, which form the covalent σ bond, are shown to decrease the energy of the state (IS) with an intermediate spin (S = 1) as compared to the energy of the state (LS) with a low spin (S = 0). An analogue of the Tanabe-Sugano diagram that takes into account the covalence of the CoO₆ cluster is constructed. The state with S = 1 is shown to be a ground state at certain model parameters. An increase in temperature is established to decrease the crystal field and, thus, favors the transition of the ground state from LS to IS at T = 100 K and the transition of the IS ground state to a state (HS) with a high spin (S = 2) at T = 550 K. The magnetic susceptibility of LaCoO₃ is calculated with allowance for the LS, IS, and HS states and for the fact that the HS state exhibits threefold orbital degeneracy of the t _2g shell, which results in an effective orbital moment L = 1 and the importance of spin-orbit interaction. The behavior of this magnetic susceptibility agrees well with the experimental x(T) dependence of LaCoO₃.     

Spin State of Co<Superscript>3+</Superscript> Ions in Layered GdBaCo<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5.5</Subscript> Cobaltite in the Paramagnetic Phase

A new scheme interpreting the changes in the spin state of Co³⁺ ions in GdBaCo₂O_5.5 in the course of the metal–insulator transition is proposed. The transition occurs gradually within a wide (~100 K) temperature range. The changes in the spin state of Co³⁺ ions are revealed using the data on the linear thermal expansion. In the metallic state, less than one-half of Co³⁺ ions are in the high-spin (HS, S = 2) state in octahedra, whereas the remaining ions are in the low-spin (LS, S = 0) state. The transition to the nonmetallic state occurs owing to the transformation of the HS state to the LS state in octahedra and to the transformation of some part of LS Со3+ in pyramids to the intermediate-spin (IS, S = 1) state.     

Mixed valence states in cobalt iron cyanide

Cobalt iron cyanide with both Co and Fe in mixed valence states were prepared and characterized. In this mixed valence system the cobalt atom is found both as high spin Co(2+) and low spin Co(III) while iron always appears in low spin state to form two solid solutions: Co(2+)Co(III) hexacyanoferrates (II,III), and Co(2+)Co(III) hexacyanoferrate (II). Such solid solutions have the following formula units: (Co²⁺)_x(Co^III)_1−xK[(Fe^II)_1−x(Fe^III)_x(CN)₆]·H₂O and (Co²⁺)_1.5x(Co^III)_1−xK[Fe^II(CN)₆]·yH₂O (0?x?1, 1?y?14). Compounds within these two series were characterized from Infrared, Mössbauer, X-ray diffraction and thermo-gravimetric data, and magnetic measurements at low temperature. A model for their crystal structure is proposed and the structure for a representative composition refined from XRD powder patterns using the Rietveld method. A simple and reproducible procedure to prepare these solid solutions is provided. Within hexacyanoferrates, such mixed valence states system in both metal centres shows unique features, which are discussed from the obtained data.     

NDMAP: the best material to study the Haldane's prediction

As predicted by Haldane, spin, S=1 one-dimensional (1D) Heisenberg antiferromagnet (HAF) has an energy gap between the singlet ground state and first excited triplet. On application of magnetic field, the triplet state Zeeman splits and the energy of one of the triplet state becomes zero at a critical field, H_c. Above H_c the system recovers magnetism. Then, we expect that a quasi-1D HAF will show a magnetic long-range ordering (LRO) at low temperatures due to the inter-chain coupling. This field-induced LRO has not been observed before due to complication of the crystal structure in the materials studied so far and/or technical difficulty.From a heat capacity measurement on a single crystal of an S=1 quasi-Q1D HAF, Ni(C₅H₁₄N₂)₂N₃(PF₆), we found an anomaly at a temperature in finite fields indicating a field-induced phase transition. A magnetic LRO is confirmed by a neutron diffraction measurement on the same sample. The temperature versus magnetic field phase diagram of this compound is constructed and discussed.     

Structural anomalies associated with the electronic and spin transitions in LnCoO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

A powder X-ray diffraction study, combined with magnetic susceptibility and electric transport measurements, was performed on a series of LnCoO₃ perovskites (Ln = Y, Dy, Gd, Sm, Nd, Pr and La) over a temperature range 100–1000 K. A non-standard temperature dependence of the observed thermal expansion was modelled as a sum of three contributions: (1) weighted sum of lattice expansions of the cobaltite in the diamagnetic low spin state and in the intermediate (IS) or high (HS) spin state. (2) An anomalous expansion due to the increasing population of excited (IS or HS) states of Co³⁺ ions over the course of the diamagnetic-paramagnetic transition. (3) An anomalous expansion due to excitations of Co³⁺ ions to another paramagnetic state accompanied by an insulator-metal transition. The anomalous expansion is governed by parameters that are found to vary linearly with the Ln ionic radius. In the case of the first magnetic transition it is the energy splitting E between the ground low spin state and the excited state, presumably the intermediate spin state. The energy splitting E, determined by a fit to magnetic susceptibility, decreases with temperature. The values of E determined for LaCoO₃ and YCoO₃ at T=0 K are 164 K and 2875 K respectively, which fall to zero at T=230 K for LaCoO₃ and 860 K for YCoO₃. The second anomalous expansion connected with a simultaneous magnetic and insulator-metal transition is characterized by its center at T=535 K for LaCoO₃ and 800 K for YCoO₃. The change of the unit cell volume during each transition is independent of the Ln cation and is about 1% in both cases.     

Crystal structure,NMR study,dielectric relaxation and AC conductivity of a new compound [Cd3(SCN)2Br6(C2H9N2)2]n

The crystal structure, the ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and the complex impedance have been carried out on [Cd₃(SCN)₂Br₆(C₂H₉N₂)₂]_n. Crystal structure shows a 2D polymeric network built up of two crystallographically independent cadmium atoms with two different octahedral coordinations. This compound exhibits a phase transition at (T=355±2 K) which has been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-rays powder diffraction, AC conductivity and dielectric measurements. Examination of ¹³C CP/MAS line shapes shows indirect spin–spin coupling (¹⁴N and ¹³C) with a dipolar coupling constant of 1339 Hz. The AC conductivity of this compound has been carried out in the temperature range 325–376 K and the frequency range from 10⁻² Hz to 10 MHz. The impedance data were well fitted to two equivalent electrical circuits. The results of the modulus study reveal the presence of two distinct relaxation processes. One, at low frequency side, is thermally activated due to the ionic conduction of the crystal and the other, at higher frequency side, gradually disappears when temperature reaches 355 K which is attributed to the localized dipoles in the crystal. Moreover, the temperature dependence of DC-conductivity in both phases follows the Arrhenius law and the frequency dependence of σ(ω,T) follows Jonscher's universal law. The near values of activation energies obtained from the conductivity data and impedance confirm that the transport is through the ion hopping mechanism.     

Hydrostatic pressure driven spin,volume and band gap collapses in SmFeO3: a GGA + U study

The crystal structure, magnetic and electronic properties of SmFeO₃ under hydrostatic pressure have been studied by first-principles calculations within the generalized gradient approximation plus Hubbard U (GGA + U). The iso-structural phase transition with spin, volume and band gap collapses can be induced by a large enough hydrostatic pressure. The high-spin (HS) state of Fe³⁺, with the magnetic moment of ~4 μ_B, is retained at low pressure. The spin crossover occurs at a transition pressure (~68 GPa) with the magnetic moment of Fe³⁺ decreasing to ~1 μ_B in low-spin (LS) state. Meanwhile, the reductions of cell volume (by ~?5.43%) and band gap (from >2 eV to ~1.6 eV) of SmFeO₃ are obtained when the HS–LS transition happens. Finally, the critical pressure of HS–LS transition, magnetic and electronic properties are found to be Hubbard U dependent.     

Dynamic triggering of a spin-transition by a pulsed magnetic field

We report the first study of the effect of a high pulsed magnetic field on a spin transition complex in the solid state. The high spin fraction was determined by optical reflectivity. Sizeable effects are observed for the well-known spin transition solid Fe(Phen)₂(NCS)₂. In the hysteresis loop temperature range, an increase in the HS fraction is obtained, with an irreversible (reversible) character in the ascending (descending) branch of the loop. The time dependence of the HS fraction provides information on the kinetics of the spin-crossover process at the spin transition. Received 23 February 1999 and Received in final form 8 June 1999     

New Hofmann-like spin crossover compound with 3,5-lutidine

A new type III of 3,5-lutidine spin crossover coordination compound with formula Fe(3,5-lutidine)₂Ni(CN)₄·2[(H₂O)(3,5-lutidine)] 2c has been obtained. The ratio of the high spin state (HS) iron (II) changing to the low spin state (LS) iron (II) in 2c is higher than that of type I and type II 3,5-lutidine coordination polymer 2a and 2b previously reported. ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra of 2c show two different doublets which correspond to HS1 (inner doublet lines) and HS2 (outer doublet lines). The intensity of the HS1 doublet decreases on cooling to 80 K while the intensity of another component, the LS singlet, increases. The 90 % of the HS1 doublet change to the LS singlet is probably due to suitable environments of octahedral iron (II) ions coordinated by four nitrogen atoms of cyano groups and two nitrogen atoms of 3,5-lutidine ligands. We also prepared the Hofmann-like 3,5-dichloropyridine coordination compound Fe(3,5-dichloropyridine)₂Ni(CN)₄ ·2[(3,5-dichloropyridine)(H₂O)] 2d to compare it with 2c. ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra of 2d show that 2d is not a spin crossover coordination compound.     

Pressure-induced electron spin transition in the paramagnetic phase of the GdFe<Subscript>3</Subscript>(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript> Heisenberg magnet

The HS → LS spin crossover effect (high-spin → low-spin transition) induced by high pressure in the range 45–53 GPa is observed in trivalent Fe³⁺ ions in the paramagnetic phase of a Gd⁵⁷Fe₃(BO₃)₄ gadolinium iron borate crystal. This effect is studied in high-pressure diamond-anvil cells by two experimental methods using synchrotron radiation: nuclear resonant forward scattering (NFS) and Fe K _β high-resolution x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES). The manifestation of the crossover in the paramagnetic phase, which has no order parameter to distinguish between the HS and LS states, correlates with the optical-gap jump and with the insulator-semiconductor transition in the crystal. Based on a theoretical many-electron model, an explanation of this effect at high pressures is proposed.     

Pressure,temperature and light influence on spin transition solids

Abstract

Present paper is an overview of our efforts during the past few years to understand complicated corelations of physical phenomena related to pressure in Fe(I1) solid state spin transition systems. Some principal results concerning p, T, λ-experiments are extracted. In the context of correlation of the crystallographic phase transition with simultaneous HS → LS relaxation and LS → HS photopopulation, we show the latest results: Brillouin and magnetic measurements on the crystal [Fe(pt₆](BF₆)₂.     

Spin-peierls transition in dimerized stacks of anion-radical salt (N-Me-2,5-di-Me-Pz)(TCNQ)2, (Pz is pyrazine)

An anion-radical salt (ARS) (N-Me-2,5-di-Me-Pz)(TCNQ)₂, where Pz is pyrazine, was synthesized and its crystal structure was resolved. X-ray diffraction experiments on single crystals were performed. Heat capacity was measured in the temperature range from 2 to 300 K. Magnetisation and magnetic susceptibility were measured in the temperature range from 2 to 300 K and the low-temperature part was measured in magnetic fields from 5 mT to 5 T. The experimental results were explained in terms of dimerized Heisenberg spin chain model. Numerical calculations were performed and compared with experimental data.     

Terahertz Cyclotron Photoconductivity in a Highly Unbalanced Two-Dimensional Electron–Hole System

The magnetic properties of the α-Fe₂O₃ hematite at a high hydrostatic pressure have been studied by synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy (nuclear forward scattering (NFS)) on iron nuclei. Time-domain NFS spectra of hematite have been measured in a diamond anvil cell in the pressure range of 0–72 GPa and the temperature range of 36–300 K in order to study the magnetic properties at a phase transition near a critical pressure of ~50 GPa. In addition, Raman spectra at room temperature have been studied in the pressure range of 0–77 GPa. Neon has been used as a pressure-transmitting medium. The appearance of an intermediate electronic state has been revealed at a pressure of ~48 GPa. This state is probably related to the spin crossover in Fe³⁺ ions at their transition from the high-spin state (HS, S = 5/2) to a low-spin one (LS, S = 1/2). It has been found that the transient pressure range of the HS–LS crossover is extended from 48 to 55 GPa and is almost independent of the temperature. This surprising result differs fundamentally from other cases of the spin crossover in Fe³⁺ ions observed in other crystals based on iron oxides. The transition region of spin crossover appears because of thermal fluctuations between HS and LS states in the critical pressure range and is significantly narrowed at cooling because of the suppression of thermal excitations. The magnetic P–T phase diagram of α-Fe₂O₃ at high pressures and low temperatures in the spin crossover region has been constructed according to the results of measurements.     

Mössbauer study of Zn0.4Cu0.6Fe1.2Cr0.8O4

Zn_0.4Cu_0.6Fe_1.2Cr_0.8O₄ has been studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy, SQUID magnetometry, and X-ray diffraction. The crystal is found to have a cubic spinel structure with the lattice constant The iron ions are in ferric states and occupy both the tetrahedral (A) and octahedral (B) sites; the fractions of the iron ions at the A-sites and B-sites are 0.52 and 0.34, respectively. While spin orderings are collinear at higher temperatures, spin canting begins to appear around 25 K and increases with decreasing temperature; the canting angle at 4.7 K reaches up to 27°. Debye temperatures of the tetrahedral and octahedral sites are determined to be 339 and 335 K, respectively.     

Light-induced formation of metastable high-spin states in [Fe(mtz)6](CiO4)2

[Fe(mtz)₆](CiO₄)₂ (mtz=1-methyltetrazole) is a spin crossover compound with two different iron(II) lattice sites. Only one of them (lattice site A) shows thermally induced high spin (HS) low spin (LS) spin transition. The LIESST effect (Light-Induced Excited Spin State Trapping) can be observed below 50 K. Complex molecules in B-sites remain in HS state at all temperatures. At 20 K irradiation with red light causes a partial conversion to another HS species, HS(C), with also practically infinite lifetime.In partial fulfilment of the Ph.D. thesis.