Electrochemical synthesis, crystal structure, and photomagnetic properties of a three-dimensional cyano-bridged copper-molybdenum complex

A single crystal of Cs(I)2Cu(II)7[Mo(IV)CN8]4.6H2O was electrochemically prepared on a Pt wire electrode with a constant potential of +500 mV vs Ag/AgCl electrode. X-ray single-crystal structural analysis showed that this compound consists of a three-dimensional cyano-bridged Cu-Mo bimetallic assembly with a tetragonal structure of I4/mmm. The coordination geometry of Mo(IV) is bicapped trigonal prism, and that of Cu(II) is five-coordinate of square pyramidal or four-coordinate of square planar. This compound was also prepared as a 0.2-3.0 microm thick film on a SnO2-coated glass in the same electrochemical manner. When the sample, which shows paramagnetism due to Cu(II) (S = 1/2), was irradiated with 450-500 nm light at 5 K, spontaneous magnetization with a Curie temperature of 23 K was observed. This photoinduced change was recovered by a thermal treatment. In the infrared (IR) and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra after light irradiation, variations in the stretching IR peak of CN bridged to Mo(IV) and the paramagnetic ESR peak of Cu(II) were observed, respectively. The data indicate that this photomagnetism is caused by the electron transfer from Mo(IV) to Cu(II) and the ferromagnetic ordering between Cu(II) (S = 1/2) and Mo(V) (S = 1/2).