Design of Bistable Gold@Spin-Crossover Core-Shell Nanoparticles Showing Large Electrical Responses for the Spin Switching

Unlocking room-temperature bistable spin transition at the nanoscale: the synthesis of core@shell [Fe(NH2trz)3(NO3)2]@SiO2 nanoparticles

In this work, we address the synthesis of stable spin-crossover nanoparticles capable of undergoing a hysteretic spin transition at room temperature. For this purpose, we use the reverse-micelle protocol to prepare naked [Fe(NH2trz)3](NO3)2 and core@shell [Fe(NH2trz)3](NO3)2@SiO2 nanoparticles. Through meticulous adjustment of synthetic parameters, we achieved nanoparticle sizes ranging from approximately 40 nm to 60 nm. Our findings highlight that [Fe(NH2trz)3](NO3)2 presents a modest thermal hysteresis of 7 K, which decreases by downsizing. Conversely, silica-coated nanoparticles with sizes of ca. 60 and 40 nm demonstrate a remarkable hysteretic response of approximately 30 K, switching their spin state around room temperature. Moreover, the presence of a SiO2 shell substantially enhances the nanoparticles' stability against oxidation. In this context, the larger 60 nm [Fe(NH2trz)3](NO3)2@SiO2 hybrid remains stable in water for up to two hours, enabling the observation of an unreported water-induced spin transition after 30 min. Therefore, this work also introduces an intriguing avenue for inducing spin transitions through solvent exchange, underscoring the versatility and potential of these nanoparticles.

Optical Phenomena in Molecule-Based Magnetic Materials

Since the last century, we have witnessed the development of molecular magnetism which deals with magnetic materials based on molecular species, i.e., organic radicals and metal complexes. Among them, the broadest attention was devoted to molecule-based ferro-/ferrimagnets, spin transition materials, including those exploring electron transfer, molecular nanomagnets, such as single-molecule magnets (SMMs), molecular qubits, and stimuli-responsive magnetic materials. Their physical properties open the application horizons in sensors, data storage, spintronics, and quantum computation. It was found that various optical phenomena, such as thermochromism, photoswitching of magnetic and optical characteristics, luminescence, nonlinear optical and chiroptical effects, as well as optical responsivity to external stimuli, can be implemented into molecule-based magnetic materials. Moreover, the fruitful interactions of these optical effects with magnetism in molecule-based materials can provide new physical cross-effects and multifunctionality, enriching the applications in optical, electronic, and magnetic devices. This Review aims to show the scope of optical phenomena generated in molecule-based magnetic materials, including the recent advances in such areas as high-temperature photomagnetism, optical thermometry utilizing SMMs, optical addressability of molecular qubits, magneto-chiral dichroism, and opto-magneto-electric multifunctionality. These findings are discussed in the context of the types of optical phenomena accessible for various classes of molecule-based magnetic materials.

Bistable Spin-Crossover Nanoparticles for Molecular Electronics

The field of spin-crossover complexes is rapidly evolving from the study of the spin transition phenomenon to its exploitation in molecular electronics. Such spin transition is gradual in a single-molecule, while in bulk it can be abrupt, showing sometimes thermal hysteresis and thus a memory effect. A convenient way to keep this bistability while reducing the size of the spin-crossover material is to process it as nanoparticles (NPs). Here, the most recent advances in the chemical design of these NPs and their integration into electronic devices, paying particular attention to optimizing the switching ratio are reviewed. Then, integrating spin-crossover NPs over 2D materials is focused to improve the endurance, performance, and detection of the spin state in these hybrid devices.

Nitrogen-Vacancy Magnetometry of Individual Fe-Triazole Spin Crossover Nanorods

[Fe(Htrz)₂(trz)](BF₄) (Fe-triazole) spin crossover molecules show thermal, electrical, and optical switching between high spin (HS) and low spin (LS) states, making them promising candidates for molecular spintronics. The LS and HS transitions originate from the electronic configurations of Fe(II) and are considered to be diamagnetic and paramagnetic, respectively. The Fe(II) LS state has six paired electrons in the ground states with no interaction with the magnetic field and a diamagnetic behavior is usually observed. While the bulk magnetic properties of Fe-triazole compounds are widely studied by standard magnetometry techniques, their magnetic properties at the individual level are missing. Here we use nitrogen vacancy (NV) based magnetometry to study the magnetic properties of the Fe-triazole LS state of nanoparticle clusters and individual nanorods of size varying from 20 to 1000 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy are performed to determine the size of the nanoparticles/nanorods and to confirm their respective spin states. The magnetic field patterns produced by the nanoparticles/nanorods are imaged by NV magnetic microscopy as a function of applied magnetic field (up to 350 mT) and correlated with SEM and Raman. We found that in most of the nanorods the LS state is slightly paramagnetic, possibly originating from the surface oxidation and/or the greater Fe(III) presence along the nanorods' edges. NV measurements on the Fe-triazole LS state nanoparticle clusters revealed both diamagnetic and paramagnetic behavior. Our results highlight the potential of NV quantum sensors to study the magnetic properties of spin crossover molecules and molecular magnets.

Photo-Cross-Linked Polymeric Dispersants of Comb-Shaped Benzophenone-Containing Poly(ether amine)

Efficient dispersion of nanoparticles (NPs) is a crucial challenge in the preparation and application of composites that contain NPs, particularly in coatings, inks, and related materials. Physical adsorption and chemical modification are the two common methods used to disperse NPs. However, the former suffers from desorption, and the latter is more specific and has limited versatility. To address these issues, we developed a novel photo-cross-linked polymeric dispersant, comb-shaped benzophenone-containing poly(ether amine) (bPEA), using a one-pot nucleophilic/cyclic-opening addition reaction. The results demonstrated that the bPEA dispersant forms a dense and stable shell on the surface of pigment NPs through physical adsorption and subsequent chemical photo-cross-linking, which effectively overcome the drawbacks of the desorption occurred in physical adsorption and the specificity of the chemical modification. By means of the dispersing effect of bPEA, the obtained pigment dispersions show high solvent, thermal, and pH stability without flocculation during storage. Moreover, the NPs dispersants show good compatibility with screen printing, coating, and 3D printing, endowing the ornamental products with high uniformity, color fastness, and less color shading. These properties make bPEA dispersants ideal candidates in fabrication dispersions of other NPs.

Electrical Sensing of the Thermal and Light-Induced Spin Transition in Robust Contactless Spin-Crossover/Graphene Hybrid Devices

Hybrid devices based on spin-crossover (SCO)/2D heterostructures grant a highly sensitive platform to detect the spin transition in the molecular SCO component and tune the properties of the 2D material. However, the fragility of the SCO materials upon thermal treatment, light irradiation, or contact with surfaces and the methodologies used for their processing have limited their applicability. Here, an easily processable and robust SCO/2D hybrid device with outstanding performance based on the sublimable SCO [Fe(Pyrz)₂ ] molecule deposited over chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene is reported, which is fully compatible with electronics industry protocols. Thus, a novel methodology based on growing an elusive polymorph of [Fe(Pyrz)₂ ] (tetragonal phase) over graphene is developed that allows a fast and effective light-induced spin transition in the devices (≈50% yield in 5 min) to be detected electrically. Such performance can be enhanced even more when a flexible polymeric layer of poly(methyl methacrylate) is inserted in between the two active components in a contactless configuration, reaching a ≈100% yield in 5 min.

Realizing shape and size control for the synthesis of coordination polymer nanoparticles templated by diblock copolymer micelles

The combination of polymers with nanoparticles offers the possibility to obtain customizable composite materials with additional properties such as sensing or bistability provided by a switchable spin crossover (SCO) core. For all applications, a precise control over size and shape of the nanomaterial is highly important as it will significantly influence its final properties. By confined synthesis of iron(II) SCO coordination polymers within the P4VP cores of polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) micelles in THF we are able to control the size and also the shape of the resulting SCO nanocomposite particles by the composition of the PS-b-P4VP diblock copolymers (dBCPs) and the amount of complex employed. For the nanocomposite samples with the highest P4VP content, a morphological transition from spherical nanoparticles to worm-like structures was observed with increasing coordination polymer content, which can be explained with the impact of complex coordination on the self-assembly of the dBCP. Furthermore, the SCO nanocomposites showed transition temperatures of T_1/2 = 217 K, up to 27 K wide hysteresis loops and a decrease of the residual high-spin fraction down to γ_HS = 14% in the worm-like structures, as determined by magnetic susceptibility measurements and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Thus, SCO properties close or even better (hysteresis) to those of the bulk material can be obtained and furthermore tuned through size and shape control realized by tailoring the block length ratio of the PS-b-P4VP dBCPs.

Synthesis and Characterization of [Fe(Htrz)2(trz)](BF4)] Nanocubes

Compounds that exhibit spin-crossover (SCO) type behavior have been extensively investigated due to their ability to act as molecular switches. Depending on the coordinating ligand, in this case 1H-1,2,4-triazole, and the crystallite size of the SCO compound produced, the energy requirement for the spin state transition can vary. Here, SCO [Fe(Htrz)2(trz)](BF4)] nanoparticles were synthesized using modified reverse micelle methods. Reaction conditions and reagent ratios are strictly controlled to produce nanocubes of 40-50 nm in size. Decreases in energy requirements are seen in both thermal and magnetic transitions for the smaller sized crystallites, where, compared to bulk materials, a decrease of as much as 20 °C can be seen in low to high spin state transitions.

Photo-Thermal Switching of Individual Plasmonically Activated Spin Crossover Nanoparticle Imaged by Ultrafast Transmission Electron Microscopy

Spin crossover (SCO) is a promising switching phenomenon when implemented in electronic devices as molecules, thin films or nanoparticles. Among the properties modulated along this phenomenon, optically induced mechanical changes are of tremendous importance as they can work as fast light-induced mechanical switches or allow to investigate and control microstructural strains and fatigability. The development of characterization techniques probing nanoscopic behavior with high spatio-temporal resolution allows to trigger and visualize such mechanical changes of individual nanoscopic objects. Here, ultrafast transmission electron microscopy (UTEM) is used to precisely probe the length changes of individual switchable nanoparticles induced thermally by nanosecond laser pulses. This allows revealing of the mechanisms of spin switching, leading to the macroscopic expansion of SCO materials. This study is conducted on individual pure SCO nanoparticles and SCO nanoparticles encapsulating gold nanorods that serve for plasmonic heating under laser pulses. Length changes are compared with time-resolved optical measurements performed on an assembly of these particles.

Guest-Driven Light-Induced Spin Change in an Azobenzene Loaded Metal-Organic Framework

Stimuli-responsive materials that can be reversibly switched by light are of immense interest. Among them, photo-responsive spin crossover (SCO) complexes have great promises to combine the photoactive inputs with multifaceted outputs into switchable materials and devices. However, the reversible control the spin-state change by photochromic guests is still challenging. Herein, we report an unprecedented guest-driven light-induced spin change (GD-LISC) in a Hofmann-type metal-organic framework (MOF), [Fe(bpn){Ag(CN)₂ }₂ ]⋅azobenzene. (1, bpn=1,4-bis(4-pyridyl)naphthalene). The reversible trans-cis photoisomerization of azobenzene guest upon UV/Vis irradiation in the solid-state results in the remarkable magnetic changes in a wide temperature range of 10-180 K. This finding not only establishes a new switching mechanism for SCO complexes, but also paves the way toward the development of new generation of photo-responsive magnetic materials.

Spin-crossover nanoparticles anchored on MoS2 layers for heterostructures with tunable strain driven by thermal or light-induced spin switching

In the past few years, the effect of strain on the optical and electronic properties of MoS₂ layers has attracted particular attention as it can improve the performance of optoelectronic and spintronic devices. Although several approaches have been explored, strain is typically externally applied on the two-dimensional material. In this work, we describe the preparation of a reversible 'self-strainable' system in which the strain is generated at the molecular level by one component of a MoS₂-based composite material. Spin-crossover nanoparticles were covalently grafted onto functionalized layers of semiconducting MoS₂ to form a hybrid heterostructure. Their ability to switch between two spin states on applying an external stimulus (light irradiation or temperature change) serves to generate strain over the MoS₂ layer. A volume change accompanies this spin crossover, and the created strain induces a substantial and reversible change of the electrical and optical properties of the heterostructure.

Plasmon-assisted spin transition in gold nanostar@spin crossover heterostructures

Herein we report the design of core@shell nanoparticles formed by a metallic Au nanostar core and a spin-crossover shell based on the coordination polymer [Fe(Htrz)₂(trz)](BF₄). This procedure is general and has been extended to other metallic morphologies (nanorods, nanotriangles). Thanks to the photothermal effect arising from the plasmonic properties of the Au nanostar, 60% of iron centers undergo a thermal spin transition inside the thermal hysteresis triggered by a 808 nm laser low intensity irradiation. Compared to other Au morphologies, the great advantage of the nanostar shape arises from the hot spots created at the branches of the nanostar. These hot spots give rise to large NIR absorptions, making them ideal nanostructures for efficiently converting light into heat using low energy light, like that provided by a 808 nm laser.

Enhancing the electrocatalytic activity and stability of Prussian blue analogues by increasing their electroactive sites through the introduction of Au nanoparticles

Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) have been proven as excellent Earth-abundant electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic, neutral and alkaline media. Further improvements can be achieved by increasing their electrical conductivity, but scarce attention has been paid to quantify the electroactive sites of the electrocatalyst when this enhancement occurs. In this work, we have studied how the chemical design influences the specific density of electroactive sites in different Au-PBA nanostructures. Thus, we have first obtained and fully characterized a variety of monodisperse core@shell hybrid nanoparticles of Au@PBA (PBA of Ni^IIFe^II and Co^IIFe^II) with different shell sizes. Their catalytic activity is evaluated by studying the OER, which is compared to pristine PBAs and other Au-PBA heterostructures. By using the coulovoltammetric technique, we have demonstrated that the introduction of 5-10% of Au in weight in the core@shell leads to an increase in the electroactive mass and thus, to a higher density of active sites capable of taking part in the OER. This increase leads to a significant decrease in the onset potential (up to 100 mV) and an increase (up to 420%) in the current density recorded at an overpotential of 350 mV. However, the Tafel slope remains unchanged, suggesting that Au reduces the limiting potential of the catalyst with no variation in the reaction kinetics. These improvements are not observed in other Au-PBA nanostructures mainly due to a lower contact between both compounds and the Au oxidation. Hence, an Au core activates the PBA shell and increases the conductivity of the resulting hybrid, while the PBA shell prevents Au oxidation. The strong synergistic effect existing in the core@shell structure evidences the importance of the chemical design for preparing PBA-based nanostructures exhibiting better electrocatalytic performances and higher electrochemical stabilities.

Structural, magnetic and Mössbauer spectroscopic studies of the [Fe(3-bpp)2](CF3COO)2 complex: role of crystal packing leading to an incomplete Fe(ii) high spin ⇋ low spin transition

Mononuclear complex [Fe(3-bpp)₂](CF₃COO)₂ exhibits a thermal (HS + HS) ⇋ (HS + LS) transition at ∼226 K which is not associated with any crystallographic transition.

Hexakis-adducts of [60]fullerene as molecular scaffolds of polynuclear spin-crossover molecules

A family of hexakis-substituted [60]fullerene adducts endowed with the well-known tridentate 2,6-bis(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (bpp) ligand for spin-crossover (SCO) systems has been designed and synthesized. It has been experimentally and theoretically demonstrated that these molecular scaffolds are able to form polynuclear SCO complexes in solution. UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy studies have allowed monitoring of the formation of up to six Fe(ii)–bpp SCO complexes. In addition, DFT calculations have been performed to model the different complexation environments and simulate their electronic properties. The complexes retain SCO properties in the solid state exhibiting both thermal- and photoinduced spin transitions, as confirmed by temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The synthesis of these complexes demonstrates that [60]fullerene hexakis-adducts are excellent and versatile platforms to develop polynuclear SCO systems in which a fullerene core is surrounded by a SCO molecular shell.

Polynuclear spin-crossover molecules showing both thermal and photoinduced spin transitions have been prepared using a [60]fullerene hexakis-adduct endowed with Fe(ii) complexes of tridentate 2,6-bis(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (bpp) ligand.

Anomalous Pressure Effects on the Electrical Conductivity of the Spin Crossover Complex [Fe(pyrazine){Au(CN)2}2]

We studied the spin-state dependence of the electrical conductivity of two nanocrystalline powder samples of the spin crossover complex [Fe(pyrazine){Au(CN)2}2]. By applying an external pressure (up to 3 kbar), we were able to tune the charge transport properties of the material from a more conductive low spin state to a crossover point toward a more conductive high spin state. We rationalize these results by taking into account the spin-state dependence of the activation parameters of the conductivity.

Tracking the Light-Induced Excited-State Dynamics and Structural Configurations of an Extraordinarily Long-Lived Metastable State at Room Temperature

Time-resolved X-ray (Tr-XAS) and optical transient absorption (OTA) spectroscopy on the pico-microsecond timescale coupled with density functional theory calculations are applied to study the light-induced spin crossover processes of a Fe-based macrocyclic complex in solution. Tr-XAS analysis after light illumination shows the formation of a seven-coordinated high-spin quintet metastable state, which relaxes to a six-coordinated high-spin configuration before decaying to the ground state. Kinetic analysis of the macrocyclic complex reveals an unprecedented long-lived decay lifetime of approximately 42.6 μs. Comparative studies with a non-macrocyclic counterpart illustrate a significantly shortened approximately 568-fold decay lifetime of about 75 ns, and highlight the importance of the ligand arrangement in stabilizing the reactivity of the excited state. Lastly, OTA analysis shows the seven-coordinated high-spin state to be formed within approximately 6.2 ps. These findings provide a complete understanding of the spin crossover reaction and relaxation pathways of the macrocyclic complex, and reveal the importance of a flexible coordination environment for their rational design.

Ligand substitution effects on the charge transport properties of the spin crossover complex [Fe(Htrz)1+y-x (trz)2-y (NH2trz) x ](BF4)y·nH2O

The complex dielectric permittivity of a series of spin crossover complexes, with variable ligand stoichiometry [Fe(Htrz)_1+y-x (trz)_2-y (NH₂trz) _x ](BF₄) _y ·nH₂O, has been investigated as a function of temperature in a wide frequency range. In each compound, a substantial drop of the conductivity and permittivity is evidenced when going from the low spin to the high spin state, albeit with decreasing amplitude for increasing ligand substitution (i.e. for increasing x). The deconvolution of the dielectric spectra using the Havriliak-Negami equation allowed to extract the dipole and conductivity relaxation times, their distributions as well as the dielectric strengths in both spin states. Remarkably, no clear correlation appears between the conductivity changes and the lattice properties (Debye temperature) in the dilution series. We rationalize these results by considering the dimensionality of the system (1D), wherein the charge transport occurs most likely by hopping along the [Fe(Rtrz)₃] _n ⁿ⁺ chains.

Resistance switching in large-area vertical junctions of the molecular spin crossover complex [Fe(HB(tz)3)2]: ON/OFF ratios and device stability

Multilayer crossbar junctions composed of ITO/[Fe(HB(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)₃)₂]/M (with M  =  Al or Ca) were fabricated and investigated for their resistance switching properties. Current-voltage-temperature maps revealed ON/OFF resistance ratios as high as 400, with the ON and OFF states defined, respectively, as the low-resistance, low spin state and the high-resistance, high spin state of the spin crossover layer. Similar results were obtained with Al and Ca cathodes indicating that the charge transport in the insulating spin crossover film is at the origin of the resistance switching instead of electron injection at the electrodes. The reproducibility and stability of the device properties were also studied.

Spin crossover in Fe(triazole)-Pt nanoparticle self-assembly structured at the sub-5 nm scale

A main goal of molecular electronics is to relate the performance of devices to the structure and electronic state of molecules. Among the variety of possibilities that organic, organometallic and coordination chemistries offer to tune the energy levels of molecular components, spin crossover phenomenon is a perfect candidate for elaboration of molecular switches. The reorganization of the electronic state population of the molecules associated to the spin crossover can indeed lead to a significant change in conductivity. However, molecular spin crossover is very sensitive to the environment and can disappear once the molecules are integrated into devices. Here, we show that the association of ultra-small 1.2 nm platinum nanoparticles with Fe^II triazole-based spin crossover coordination polymers leads to self-assemblies, extremely well organized at the sub-3 nm scale. The quasi-perfect alignment of nanoparticles observed by transmission electron microscopy, in addition to specific signature in infrared spectroscopy, demonstrates the coordination of the long-chain molecules with the nanoparticles. Spin crossover is confirmed in such assemblies by X-ray absorption spectroscopic measurements and shows unambiguous characteristics both in magnetic and charge transport measurements. Coordinating polymers are therefore ideal candidates for the elaboration of robust, well-organized, hybrid self-assemblies with metallic nanoparticles, while maintaining sensitive functional properties, such as spin crossover.

Diverse Transport Behaviors in Cyclo[18]carbon-Based Molecular Devices

Scientists have been trying to synthesize ring-shaped pure carbon molecules for a half century. A breakthrough was made recently, and cyclo[18]carbon (C₁₈) was produced successfully by bonding an 18-atom ring of carbon. Because of its potential application in molecular devices, it is natural and timely to study the transport behaviors of C₁₈. Here we report the electron transport properties of the C₁₈-ring connected to various electrodes, including 1D carbon chain, 2D graphene, and 3D silver electrodes, using density-functional theory combined with the nonequilibrium Green's function technique. Diverse transport behaviors are found for the C₁₈ molecular devices, including an Ohmic characteristic, a quasi Schottky feature, and a current-limiting function. The origin and mechanism of unique nonlinear I-V characteristics are investigated by the transmission pathway, transmission spectra, density of states, and molecular frontier orbital theory. This study provides a theoretical guide for exploring the next-generation molecular devices based on this newcomer to the family of carbon allotropes.

Elucidating the Structural Chemistry of a Hysteretic Iron(II) Spin-Crossover Compound From its Copper(II) and Zinc(II) Congeners

Annealing [FeL₂ ][BF₄ ]₂ ⋅2 H₂ O (L=2,6-bis-[5-methyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl]pyridine) affords an anhydrous material, which undergoes a spin transition at T_1/2 =205 K with a 65 K thermal hysteresis loop. This occurs through a sequence of phase changes, which were monitored by powder diffraction in an earlier study. [CuL₂ ][BF₄ ]₂ ⋅2 H₂ O and [ZnL₂ ][BF₄ ]₂ ⋅2 H₂ O are not perfectly isostructural but, unlike the iron compound, they undergo single-crystal-to-single-crystal dehydration upon annealing. All the annealed compounds initially adopt the same tetragonal phase but undergo a phase change near room temperature upon re-cooling. The low-temperature phase of [CuL₂ ][BF₄ ]₂ involves ordering of its Jahn-Teller distortion, to a monoclinic lattice with three unique cation sites. The zinc compound adopts a different, triclinic low-temperature phase with significant twisting of its coordination sphere, which unexpectedly becomes more pronounced as the crystal is cooled. Synchrotron powder diffraction data confirm that the structural changes in the anhydrous zinc complex are reproduced in the high-spin iron compound, before the onset of spin-crossover. This will contribute to the wide hysteresis in the spin transition of the iron complex. EPR spectra of copper-doped [Fe_0.97 Cu_0.03 L₂ ][BF₄ ]₂ imply its low-spin phase contains two distinct cation environments in a 2:1 ratio.

The engineering of stilbazolium/iodocuprate hybrids with optical/electrical performances by modulating inter-molecular charge transfer among H-aggregated chromophores

Good electrical bistability performances in stilbazolium/iodocuprate hybrids stem from the better face-to-face π⋯π stacking interactions induced by the substituents with appropriate lengths and electronic natures.

Electrical conductivity and magnetic bistability in metal–organic frameworks and coordination polymers: charge transport and spin crossover at the nanoscale

This review aims to reassess the progress, issues and opportunities in the path towards integrating conductive and magnetically bistable coordination polymers and metal–organic frameworks as active components in electronic devices.

Nonvolatile Electrical Bistability Behaviors Observed in Au/Ag Nanoparticle-Embedded MOFs and Switching Mechanisms

Electrically bistable devices play an important role in the next generation of information materials. Plasmonic noble metal nanoparticles (Au and Ag NPs) with diameters <6 nm were embedded into 3-D Cd-based metal-organic framework (MOF) matrixes via the photoreduction method to generate Au (Ag) NPs@MOF composites. Electrical bistability measurements on the sandwiched ITO/NPs@MOF/silver devices indicate that two switchable conductivity states with nonvolatile memory behaviors can be observed. The ITO/Au NP@2/Ag device with neutral matrix possesses the highest ON/OFF current ratio of 10⁴, which can be attributed to its higher electron tunneling efficiency because of the better dispersity of Au NPs in the MOF matrix. A mechanism regarding the electric-field-induced charge-transfer process assisted by conformational change in the active layer was proposed.

Downsizing of robust Fe-triazole@SiO2 spin-crossover nanoparticles with ultrathin shells

A chemical protocol to design robust hybrid [Fe(Htrz)₂(trz)](BF₄)@SiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) with sizes as small as 28 nm and ultrathin silica shells below 3 nm has been developed. These NPs present a characteristic abrupt spin transition with a subsequent decrease in the width of the thermal hysteresis upon reducing the NP size.